DWTS Champ Will Serve as a Judge on Another Reality Series

A former champion from “Dancing with the Stars” has signed onto a new reality television show, and she has a fellow former DWTS contestant joining her. Season 10 champ Nicole Scherzinger is headed to a new series for Netflix.

Nicole Scherzinger Will Join ‘Building a Band’

On August 16, Netflix announced the upcoming “Building the Band.” Scherzinger will both judge and mentor contestants on the show. Another “Dancing with the Stars” alum, season 29 contestant AJ McLean, will serve as host for the new show.

In addition, Liam Payne and Kelly Rowland will join Scherzinger at the judges’ table.

As Netflix noted, the quartet represents four performers quite familiar with massive success as members of bands. Payne was a part of One Direction, and Rowland was in Destiny’s Child.

Scherzinger achieved stardom as part of the Pussycat Dolls, and McLean’s success initially came during his Backstreet Boys days.

The network teases that the premise of “Building the Band” includes a unique twist that viewers haven’t seen in other performance reality television shows.

Netflix brings in a touch of “Love Is Blind” in conjunction with an “American Idol” or “The Voice” vibe to create its own competition series.

“The next great pop group is created sight unseen,” Netflix teases.

The challenge is for the contestants to form a winning combination to create a new band, but they won’t be able to do it face-to-face. Rather, the contestants will rely on “compatibility, connection, and, most importantly, merit,” Netflix revealed.

Once the contestants who decide to form a band meet one another, they’ll see how they fare trying to perform as a cohesive group. Netflix hints that viewers can “Expect plenty of drama, next-level artistry, and unforgettable performances.”

The Announcement of the Show Is Generating Interest

The Netflix announcement indicated that “Building the Band” would film over the summer. The network did not reveal a premiere date.

Executive producer Cat Lawson shared, “‘Building the Band’ is a brave and bold undertaking for all involved as we hand over power to the singers themselves to form their own band based on chemistry first.”

Lawson continued, “With looks out of the equation, can they create a deeper connection with their bandmates?”

The announcement of the show did generate some buzz online.

Upon learning of McLean’s involvement, one Reddit user quipped, “Will literally only watch it for him. Dude is so much fun chaos.”

“Liam Payne? Just because he was in a boy band, doesn’t mean he’s going to be good at this. I’m intrigued by the other three so I shall be tuning in,” suggested another Redditor.

When one Redditor in the “Pop Culture Chat” subreddit asked “With respect” who McLean was, someone who knows exactly who he is responded, “I just fell to my knees in Walmart.”

A poster in the Backstreet Boys subreddit commented, “This is cool! Any news of when it’ll be available to watch?”

Someone else added, “This is a great opportunity for [McLean]. Can’t wait to watch!”

A separate comment read, “I’m excited for AJ and looking forward to this show!”

Stacy Carey has been a freelance writer focusing on reality television and celebrity news for more than a decade. She is a Heavy contributor for The Bachelor, Hallmark and Dancing With the Stars. More about Stacy Carey