In Netflix’s “Sing On!,” Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) hosts a singing competition in which contestants face-off to see who can sing popular hits with the most accuracy. The eight-episode show, which has addictive “Floor Is Lava” vibes, will premiere on Sept. 16.
As Variety reported late last year before it was officially announced, the show was filmed at the Pinewood studio complex near London. “Sing On!” is the English-language version of a format created by the U.K. company Hello Dolly — versions of the show from Spain and Germany are already on Netflix.
Eliminations on “Sing On!” are based partly on science, partly in strategy. Six contestants compete against one another with a maximum prize of $60,000. During each round, prize money is tabulated by how closely the contestants match the original song — say “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, or “Chandelier” by Sia — as measured by a “vocal analyzer.” The song lyrics are apportioned randomly, so the contestants need to be familiar with them or they’re in trouble.
In each round, the contestant who matches the original vocal performance the best is exempt from elimination, but they’re otherwise kept in the dark about the vocal analyzer’s results. The contestants then vote for who should be ousted, weighing whether they want to eliminate the better competitors, or want to try to rack up more money for the jackpot at the end. (There are also a few smaller cash prizes they can win along the way, including one for $500 dispensed by Burgess for best performance.)
There are five rounds, with the final two contestants facing off in a duet for the prize money.