Nashville Star is an American reality television program. It most recently aired during mid 2008 on NBC, following five seasons on USA Network. It premiered on March 8, 2003, and its five seasons on USA made it the longest-running competition series on cable television. [1] In Canada, the show aired on CMT through season 5, but moved to E! beginning with season 6. CMT in the United States reaired each episode in season 6. [2] It is similar to American Idol , in that performers must sing to impress both celebrity judges and the public via call-in and/or internet votes. Unlike American Idol , however, the performers are limited to country music. This restriction was relaxed for Season 6, allowing for the finalists to choose from many genres of music, but the songs were arranged to maintain a country sound. On March 13, 2009, it was confirmed that the series had been canceled by NBC and would not be returning for a seventh season. [3]

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Show format

Comparisons to American Idol

In a format nearly identical to the final round of American Idol , finalists perform one song per week individually and face criticism and/or praise from a panel of three judges. At the end of the show, voting opens to the viewing public, who may cast votes by calling a toll-free telephone number or logging on to the show's official website (texting was added as a voting option in 2008). The performer with the fewest number of votes is eliminated.

However, because Nashville Star airs only once per week, eliminations are not announced until the following week. The finalists who have not been eliminated are called in random order to the stage one-by-one to perform until there are only two remaining. At that point, one is called to perform and the other is eliminated for receiving the lowest amount of votes from the previous week. The finalists do not know the order in which they will perform, and have less than one minute to prepare once their names are called. No votes are tallied on the season finale.

Much like American Idol , the judges are present to offer criticism to the finalists in an attempt to sway the voting public. Unlike Idol , however, Nashville Star s judges do not participate in the preliminary auditions (leaving that task to the show's producers), but they do act as mentors to the finalists (beginning with the 2008 season). The audition process was not seen on-air on USA Network versions, except for the first season (2003 season), but portions of it was seen in a montage during the premiere of the NBC version. Beginning with the 2008 move to NBC, the judges did assist producers in narrowing the field from 50 to 12. Each season (except for 2005), the judges have eliminated finalists based on consensus on the premiere episode without sending the vote to the public (the process continued for a few more episodes during the first two seasons).

Whereas American Idol generally elevates people off the street to stardom, Nashville Star finalists are usually already somehow involved in the country music industry, but may not have attained a record deal on a major label. Past finalists have included studio musicians, background singers, and independent artists. Finalists are usually songwriters, in addition to being singers. In each season, one episode is dedicated to songs written by the finalists. Nashville Star does not have the same age limits as American Idol , and performers in their 30s and 40s have been finalists, although most have been in their 20s.

Nashville Star has always featured a live band, led by John Bohlinger.

Appearing on both shows in the same season

In 2006, several musicians appeared on both American Idol and Nashville Star . Kenny Rogers made appearances as a guest performer live on both shows within two weeks of each other. Also, Patti LaBelle appeared as a guest judge on Star one week after mentoring on Idol . David Foster did the same, although two weeks apart.

In 2007, five days after Jewel's debut as the new host of Nashville Star , she appeared as a guest judge on the season premiere of American Idol . The Idol segments, however, were taped several weeks before she was named host of Nashville Star .

Broadcast

Regular episodes of Nashville Star run 60 minutes each. The show occasionally has a longer runtime (90 or 120 minutes), usually on season premieres and finales. The first three seasons featured nine episodes each. The series' run was cut to eight episodes beginning in 2006.

Finalists live together for the entire run of the show. During the first two seasons, the finalists lived in a large house near Nashville's Music Row. Beginning with the 2005 season, finalists shared a large suite at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Excerpts of the finalists' interaction with each other in their living environment are often edited into the show.

In addition, most episodes include an established country music act making a guest appearance to perform a song.

Nashville Star is produced by Reveille Productions and originates live (except for each season's premiere episode, which is taped) from the Acuff Theatre at the Opry Entertainment Complex in Nashville, Tennessee. Audience members are required to have tickets, which are distributed free of charge except for a standard handling fee. The competition has historically taken place over the months of March and April, though it moved to January and February for the 2007 season and the summer months in 2008.

Prizes

The winner of Nashville Star receives a recording contract (through Sony Music in Seasons 1 & 2, Universal South Records in Season 3, RCA Label Group in Season 4, and Warner Bros. Music in Seasons 5 & 6), a performance on the Grand Ole Opry, and a pickup truck (Chevrolet from 2005-2007, Toyota in 2008). The 2008 season will also award the winner a performance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China ^[4]. The top 4 finalists each season have been involved in "The Nashville Star Tour", where they perform together on a tour of small venues for a few months following the season.

Criticisms

Nashville Star was criticized from its inception as an American Idol ripoff, but the show has outlived many critics' initial predictions of failure ^[5]. During ''Nashville Stars first season, Idol host Ryan Seacrest took a jab at Star'' on the air, calling it American Idol "without the talent."

The competitions' winners have gone on to achieve minimal success, and none have sustained a career on a major recording label in the United States. First season winner Buddy Jewell had two top-five singles on his first album, which went to #1 on the Billboard charts (specifically the country album chart), but his second album didn't sell well and he was dropped by his record company. Brad Cotter, the 2004 champion, didn't chart any singles in the top 30 in his post-Star album, and was dropped by his label. As of 2007, Erika Jo, the 2005 winner has yet to have a hit single, while the only single to reach the chart from 2006 winner Chris Young peaked at #42. Angela Hacker, the winner of Season 5, has achieved little success with her post-Star album, and most often still plays concerts in her hometown. Melissa Lawson, who in 2008 won the most widely-watched season of the series, did not even break the top 40 with "What If It All Goes Right", the song written by John Rich that was featured on the season finale. She has not released a second single.

However, Miranda Lambert (third-place finisher, season 1) has maintained a major-label career in her post-Star years. George Canyon, (second-place finisher, season 2) has recorded several albums (one certified Gold) and achieved three top-five singles in his native Canada, though his music is largely ignored in the United States.

Fifth-season judge Blake Shelton told the New York Times , “I think it’s disastrous that there hasn’t been a winner to go on to be a consistent star in Nashville. In order for the show to have credibility and for it to take another step, we need a Carrie Underwood to come out of it. ^[6]” Despite this, the show was a ratings hit for USA Network, and was moved to broadcast network television after five seasons.

Controversies

In 2004, Mal Rodgers was eliminated by the judges during one of the early rounds, despite being an obvious fan-favorite (at this time, two finalists were eliminated each episode: one by the judges, one by fan-vote). At the taping, the audience loudly booed the decision to eliminate Rodgers, continuing after the show had gone off-air. For 2005, the elimination process was altered, completely removing the judges from the equation. The process was again altered in 2006, allowing judges to remove one finalist (two in 2007, back to one in 2008) on the premiere episode only, before fans get the chance to vote. ^[7]

In 2005, finalist Tamika Tyler blamed producers for attempting to influence fans to vote against her, after she was voted off on an early-season episode. Tyler claims that video clips of a confrontation between her and eventual winner Erika Jo concerning the difference in their ages were doctored and taken out of context as they were presented on the show ^[8]. The show's producers would refute the claims; however, in 2006, the focus of the videos shifted from interactions between finalists to a behind-the-scenes look at each finalist preparing for his or her performance.

Behind the scenes, a ticketing snafu early in the 2005 season saw hundreds of angry ticketholders turned away at the door for taping of the first live show after the house filled. This was caused by an email system sending out messages to anyone requesting tickets for the show, stating they had a reserved ticket(gold), when in actuality, it was 'reserving' a general admission ticket(blue). The expectation was that a percentage of those requesting tickets would be no-shows. The process was reformed for the remainder of the season with the elimination of standby tickets(blue) being given out in advance, and the addition of a standby queue (first-come-first-serve with no guarantee of entry). This system also had its faults, most notably at the season finale, when several fans, who had traveled from Texas and had been at the front of the line for more than 12 hours, were turned away. In 2006, the ticketing was outsourced to Ticketmaster where tickets could be obtained free (plus usual $2 per ticket handling fee). The standby queue was still an option for those without tickets. An audience coordinating company was enlisted to help ensure each taping had a capacity crowd.

During the fifth episode of the 2007 season, no finalist was eliminated. However, host Jewel teased an elimination several times from the beginning of the episode, only to reveal at the very end that the previous week's show experienced "technical difficulties" and the voting results were discarded. Neither USA Network, nor Reveille Productions, would comment publicly on the "technical difficulties" ^[9]. Interestingly, had the show eliminated a finalist that week, the finale episode would have only featured two performers, instead of the usual three.

Hosts

The host for the first two seasons of Nashville Star was entertainment reporter Nancy O'Dell, who also served as a consulting producer. Before the third season (2005), USA Network announced the show would move from Saturday nights to a more desirable prime time slot on Tuesday nights. As a result of the move, O'Dell chose to leave the show due to her hosting commitments at Access Hollywood , which is taped in Los Angeles. Since then, the show has had a different host each year, consisting of hit-making country singers.

Season	Host	Notes
1 (2003)	Nancy O'Dell
2 (2004)	Nancy O'Dell
3 (2005)	LeAnn Rimes	Sara Evans substituted for Rimes during episodes 7 and 8 due to vocal cord injury; Cledus T. Judd is co-host, but credited as "Special Correspondent"
4 (2006)	Wynonna	Cowboy Troy is co-host; Two Foot Fred hosts "Small Talk" segment
5 (2007)	Jewel	Cowboy Troy is co-host; Two Foot Fred hosts "Small Talk" segment
6 (2008)	Billy Ray Cyrus	Katie Cook is co-host, but credited as "Correspondent"

Judges

The show has seen a revolving door of judges as well, with recording industry executive Anastasia Brown serving the longest (a three-season stint from 2005-2007). 2008 marked the first time a recording industry executive was not a member of the panel, and also the first time judges co-acted as mentors.

Season	Judge 1	Judge 2'''	Judge 3'''
1 (2003)	Robert K. Oermann	Tracy Gershon	Charlie Robison
2 (2004)	Billy Greenwood	Tracy Gershon	The Warren Brothers
3 (2005)	Phil Vassar	Anastasia Brown	Bret Michaels
4 (2006)	Phil Vassar	Anastasia Brown	Weekly Guest Judge A
5 (2007)	Randy Owen	Anastasia Brown	Blake Shelton
6 (2008)	Jeffrey Steele	John Rich	Jewel

^A Weekly guest judges during 2006 mostly included bona fide musicians, but also included comedian Larry the Cable Guy and WWE superstar John Cena who both appeared in character for promotional consideration.

Results

USA Network Version

Season 1 (2003)

The first winner of Nashville Star , in the spring of 2003, was 41-year-old Buddy Jewell. On the strength of his win, Jewell's self-titled album released via Columbia Records earned him a gold record and two top-five country hits in "Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey's Song)" and "Sweet Southern Comfort", both at #3. With the release of a second album, Times Like These , Jewell saw declining sales and was dropped from the label. ^{[10] [11]} That season's runner up, John Arthur Martinez, has released several independently produced albums, and one under a major banner.

Miranda Lambert finished third. Her debut album, Kerosene , debuted on the Billboard country albums chart at #1 upon its 2005 release, and with a platinum certification from the RIAA, it is the best-selling album from a Nashville Star contestant. Her second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend , is certified gold and has produced three more Top 20 hits, one of which ("Gunpowder & Lead") reached #7 in 2008.

The standings for 2003 were:

Place	Name	Sex	Age	Hometown	Week Eliminated
1	Buddy Jewell	M	41	Osceola, Arkansas	Winner
2	John Arthur Martinez	M	41	Marble Falls, Texas	Finale (May 3, 2003)
3	Miranda Lambert	F	21	Lindale, Texas	Finale (May 3, 2003)
4	Brandi Gibson	F	21	Arlington, Kentucky	Week 8 (April 26, 2003)
5	Brandon Silveira	M	24	Hanford, California	Week 7 (April 19, 2003)
6	Amy Chappell	F	27	Hutchinson, Kansas	Week 6 (April 12, 2003)
7	Jamey Garner	M	32	Chester, Illinois	Week 5 (April 5, 2003)
8	Prentiss Varnon	M	22	Uvalde, Texas	Week 4 (March 29, 2003) (Judges' decision)
9	Travis Howard	M	32	Chalybeate Springs, Georgia	Week 4 (March 29, 2003)
10	Tasha Valentine	F	21	Albuquerque, New Mexico	Week 3 (March 22, 2003) (Judges' decision)
11	Kristen Kissling	F	22	Topeka, Kansas	Week 3 (March 22, 2003)
12	Ann Louise Blythe	F	24	San Lorenzo, California	Week 2 (March 15, 2003) (Judges' decision)

Judges were country music historian Robert K. Oermann, record label executive Tracy Gershon, and singer/songwriter Charlie Robison.

Season 2 (2004)

Nashville Star began its second season on March 6, 2004. In 2004, the second winner was 33-year-old Brad Cotter, who enjoyed very limited success after his win. Cotter was one of ten finalists eliminated by the judges on the first episode, but was allowed back into the competition after he was selected by viewers to be the one of those ten saved. The format was changed after the 2004 season and that element of the competition was scrapped.

Cotter won a recording contract with Sony Music on its Epic Records label. His first album, Patient Man, performed poorly, selling less than 140,000 copies. He was subsequently dropped from the roster. Cotter remains on tour opening for other country artists, such as Mark Chesnutt and Restless Heart.

However, runner-up George Canyon (also 33 years old) experienced a result similar to Miranda Lambert. He didn't win a record deal from the show and has not achieved success in the U.S., but he has become a country music star in his native Canada, where he was signed by Universal Music and has released three successful albums.

Following the season, third-place finisher Matt Lindahl began appearing in television, radio, billboard, and print advertisements for Purity Dairies, a regional dairy company based in Nashville. In the television and radio ads, Lindahl (along with his band) sings, acts, and plays the washboard - an instrument that he also played on Nashville Star .

In 2007, Lance Miller signed with Warner Bros. Records and appeared on Star to perform his first single.

Sixth-place finisher Brent Keith was a top 36 semi-finalist on the eighth season of American Idol , but was not voted through to the finals.

The standings for 2004 were:

Place	Name	Sex	Age	Hometown	Week Eliminated
1	Brad Cotter	M	33	Opelika, Alabama	Winner
2	George Canyon	M	33	Fox Brook, Nova Scotia, Canada	Finale (May 1, 2004)
3	Matt Lindahl	M	28	Snellville, Georgia	Finale (May 1, 2004)
4	Lance Miller	M	33	Fairfield, Illinois	Week 8 (April 24, 2004)
5	Jennifer Hicks	F	35	Nashville, Tennessee	Week 7 (April 17, 2004)
6	Brent Keith	M	24	Blanchester, Ohio	Week 6 (April 10, 2004)
7	Marty Slayton	F	37	Alamo, Tennessee	Week 5 (April 3, 2004)
8	Sheila Marshall	F	31	Nacogdoches, Texas	Week 5 (April 3, 2004)
9	Mal Rogers	M	24	Antrim, Northern Ireland	Week 3 (March 20, 2004) (Judges' decision)
10	Stacy Michelle	F	33	Memphis, Tennessee	Week 3 (March 20, 2004)
11	Gregory DeLang	F	39	San Angelo, Texas	Week 2 (March 13, 2004) (Judges' decision)

*No finalist was eliminated on the Week 4 show due to a "technical glitch" during Week 3's show.

Gershon returned as a judge, joined by radio personality Billy Greenwood and country artists The Warren Brothers.

Season 3 (2005)

Nashville Star began its third season on March 1, 2005. The 2005 winner was 18-year-old Erika Jo from Mount Juliet, Tennessee — the first female and youngest overall winner. Her victory was watched by the show's largest-ever USA Network audience, when over three million people tuned in to see the finale on April 26. It marked the first time the show ranked among the top ten cable shows of the week.

Erika Jo's self-titled album debuted at #5 on the country album charts, but quickly fell out of the top ten, selling just over 118,000 copies in the year following its release . The video for the first single, "I Break Things", initially received heavy rotation on CMT and GAC, but the song was largely ignored by country radio and only reached #53 on the Billboard Magazine country charts ^[12]. One subsequent single ("I'm Not Lisa") was released, but it also failed to attract substantial attention. She was later dropped from the Universal South roster. Erika Jo occasionally makes concert appearances and has become a semi-regular performer on (but not a member of) the Grand Ole Opry since her victory. Second-place finisher Jason Meadows released an album via the independent Baccerstick label in 2008, and although the album charted, none of its three singles did.

The standings for 2005 were:

Place	Name	Sex	Age	Hometown	Week Eliminated
1	Erika Jo	F	18	Mt. Juliet, Tennessee	Winner
2	Jason Meadows	M	33	Calera, Oklahoma	Finale (April 26, 2005)
3	Jody Evans	M	28	Donaldson, Arkansas	Finale (April 26, 2005)
4	Jayron Weaver	M	22	Dallas, Georgia	Week 8 (April 19, 2005)
5	Justin David	M	31	Marshfield, Missouri	Week 7 (April 12, 2005)
6	Jenny Farrell	F	35	Albuquerque, New Mexico	Week 6 (April 5, 2005)
7	Tamika Tyler	F	33	Coffs Harbour, Australia	Week 5 (March 29, 2005)
8	Casey Simpson	F	19	Cerritos, California	Week 4 (March 22, 2005)
9	Christy McDonald	F	29	Tabor City, North Carolina	Week 3 (March 15, 2005)
10	Josh Owen	M	19	Brownsboro, Texas	Week 2 (March 8, 2005)

Judges were singer/songwriter Phil Vassar, record label executive Anastasia Brown, and singer/songwriter (and Poison frontman) Bret Michaels.

Season 4 (2006)

The 2006 winner was 20-year-old Chris Young. Nashville Star began its fourth season on March 14, 2006 with a slightly altered set, two new hosts in Wynonna & Cowboy Troy, and only two regular judges. A guest judge occupied the third seat each week. The format remained unaltered, though the length of the season was reduced by one week, and one finalist was eliminated on the season premiere (by judges' decision) to compensate. Two Foot Fred's "Small Talk" segment also made its debut in 2006. The season ended on May 2, 2006 with Young—from nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee—crowned champion. His self-titled debut album was released on October 3, 2006 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard country chart, although its singles both missed Top 40. Young charted in the Top 40 for the first time in 2008 with "Voices", and reached Top 15 in 2009 with "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)". Sixth-place finisher Kristen McNamara was a top 36 finalist on the eighth season of American Idol, but was not voted into the Top 13. The standings for 2006 were:

Place	Name	Sex	Age	Hometown	Week Eliminated
1	Chris Young	M	20	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	Winner
2	Casey Rivers	M	23	Lindale, Texas	Finale (May 2, 2006)
3	Nicole Jamrose	F	33	Schererville, Indiana	Finale (May 2, 2006)
4	Matt Mason	M	20	Fairland, Indiana	Week 7 (April 25, 2006)
5	Jared Ashley	M	29	Hobbs, New Mexico	Week 6 (April 18, 2006)
6	Kristen McNamara	F	20	Napa Valley, California	Week 5 (April 11, 2006)
7	Melanie Torres	F	28	Albuquerque, New Mexico	Week 4 (April 4, 2006)
8	Monique LeCompte	F	23	Grand Terrace, California	Week 3 (March 28, 2006)
9	Shy Blakeman	M	25	Kilgore, Texas	Week 2 (March 21, 2006)
10	Jewels Hanson	F	31	Fremont, California	Premiere (March 14, 2006) (Judges' decision)

Vassar and Brown returned as regular judges, with a third seat occupied by guest judges, which included:

• Premiere (3/14/06) - Big & Rich
• Week 2 (3/21/06) - comedian Larry the Cable Guy
• Week 3 (3/28/06) - World Wrestling Entertainment star John Cena
• Week 4 (4/4/06) - Naomi Judd
• Week 5 (4/11/06) - David Foster
• Week 6 (4/18/06) - Patti LaBelle
• Week 7 (4/25/06) - Scott Weiland & Duff McKagan (of Velvet Revolver)
• Finale (5/2/06) - Big & Rich

Season 5 (2007)

The 2007 winner of Nashville Star was 29-year-old Angela Hacker from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who finished just ahead of her younger brother, Zac. It was the first time that siblings had competed, let alone finished in the top two.

The fifth season debuted on USA Network and CMT Canada at 10 pm EST on January 11, 2007. There were several changes to the show, including an earlier start date and new night. The series moved to January and February, and aired live on Thursdays at 10 pm EST rather than Tuesdays. Jewel replaced Wynonna as host, with Cowboy Troy returning as co-host. The format remained mostly unaltered, except the judges eliminated two finalists (one male, one female) on the premiere episode. Sonic Drive-In was the presenting sponsor for 2007. The season finale aired March 1, 2007.

Following the season, Angela Hacker's album was released on Warner Bros. Records but was only available at Wal-Mart. Fifth-placer Whitney Duncan, who had previously charted the duet "My World Is Over" with Kenny Rogers in 2004, signed to Warner as well, charting with "When I Said I Would". Her debut album was first slated for release in mid-2008 but was delayed repeatedly due to poor performance of its singles.

The standings for 2007 were:

Place	Name	Sex	Age	Hometown	Week Eliminated
1	Angela Hacker	F	29	Muscle Shoals, Alabama	Winner
2	Zac Hacker	M	23	Muscle Shoals, Alabama	Finale (March 1, 2007)
3	David St. Romain	M	28	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Finale (March 1, 2007)
4	Joshua Stevens	M	28	Churchville, Iowa	Week 7 (February 22, 2007)
5	Whitney Duncan	F	22	Scotts Hill, Tennessee	Week 6 (February 15, 2007)
6	Meg Allison	F	25	Chicago, Illinois	Week 4 (February 1, 2007)
7	Kacey Musgraves	F	18	Golden, Texas	Week 3 (January 25, 2007)
8	Dustin Wilkes	M	26	Jefferson, Georgia	Week 2 (January 18, 2007)
9 (t)	Rickiejoleen	F	18	Tempe, Arizona	Premiere (January 11, 2007) (Judges' decision)
9 (t)	Tim LaRoche	M	36	Gardner-Athol, Massachusetts	Premiere (January 11, 2007) (Judges' decision)

*No finalist was eliminated on the Week 5 show due to "technical difficulties" during Week 4's show.

The above ten were chosen from over fifty Regional Finalists, selected from local area callbacks and auditions. The Regional Finals were held in Nashville, TN on November 1, 2, and 3, 2006 at The Stage.

Judges included Brown, who returned for her third season at the desk. Joining her were country singers Randy Owen (lead singer of Alabama) and Blake Shelton.

NBC Version

The move to NBC (and E! in Canada) came with a few format changes to the show, including the first time auditions were shown on-air. Also, the on-screen judges presided over the initial auditions for the first time. The minimum age was lowered to 16 (from 18), and duos and trios were allowed to compete. The field has been expanded to twelve finalists (groups count as one finalist), the largest field since Season 1. The show also received a new set, opening, and theme song. Beginning with the second episode, the show was broadcast in high-definition for the first time; the premiere retained the SDTV 480p format.

Season 6 (2008)

Season 6 of Nashville Star premiered on NBC on June 9, 2008 at 9PM Eastern/Pacific. Its heavily-promoted first broadcast, a two-hour premiere, earned a 2.2 rating, its first hour finishing fourth and its second hour finishing second among the four major networks. ^[13] Despite the relatively low ratings for a network show, the premiere attracted the most viewers for a single episode in the show's history, outdrawing all episodes broadcast on USA Network. The second episode lost 18 percent of its debut audience. ^[14] The show during season 6 has placed fourth in the first hour and placed second overall in the second hour of the broadcast. ^[15] Billy Ray Cyrus hosted the sixth season. The winner this season was 32-year old Melissa Lawson.

The finalists for 2008 are:

Place	Name	Sex	Age	Hometown	Week Eliminated
1	Melissa Lawson	F	32	Arlington, Texas	Winner
2	Gabe Garcia	M	28	Lytle, Texas	Finale (August 4, 2008)
3	Shawn Mayer	F	21	May City, Iowa	Finale (August 4, 2008)
4	Coffey Anderson	M	28	Bangs, Texas	Week 8 (July 28, 2008)
5	Ashlee Hewitt	F	20	Lancaster, Minnesota	Week 7 (July 21, 2008)
6	Laura and Sophie : Laura Fedor Sophie Zalokar	F F	18 16	Willoughby, Ohio	Week 6 (July 14, 2008)
7	Pearl Heart : Amy Krechel Angela Krechel Courtney Krechel	F F F	20 20 17	Florissant, Missouri	Week 5 (July 7, 2008)
8	Tommy Stanley	M	23	Cushing, Oklahoma	Week 5 (July 7, 2008)
9	Alyson Gilbert	F	28	Crookston, Minnesota	Week 4 (June 30, 2008)
10	Justin Gaston	M	19	Pineville, Louisiana	Week 3 (June 23, 2008)
11	Third Town : Jeffrey Fairchild James A. Kouns Tony Mosti	M M M	37 29 35	Las Vegas, Nevada (via San Antonio, Texas)	Week 2 (June 16, 2008)
12	Charley Jenkins	M	29	Roosevelt, Utah	Premiere (June 9, 2008) (Judges' decision)

The sixth season featured judges Jeffrey Steele ^[16], John Rich, and Jewel (who hosted Season Five). ^[17] For the first time, the judges also acted as mentors to the finalists, and Rich will produce the winner's album (which, as of February 2009, has not yet been produced). ^[18] The winner has been promised a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, and the opportunity to perform at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The sixth season also brings Nashville Star to the American CMT network for the first time. The cable network rebroadcasts each episode the following Friday. Beginning with the show's second episode, CMT's Katie Cook joined the show as a correspondent.

For the first time in the show's history, a companion radio show has been developed to complement the television program. Nashville Star Radio debuts each Thursday evening on XM's "Highway 16". NSR features the week's performances from the television show, as well as exclusive in-studio performances and interviews with the finalists and judges. ^[19]

AT&T has become a major sponsor of the show, placing their logo on screen with each finalist's call-in vote line. AT&T sponsors the same service on American Idol . Also, Toyota has replaced Chevrolet as a sponsor, and is offering its signature Tundra pickup as a prize to the winner.

Guest Performers for the 2008 season have included Taylor Swift, Trace Adkins, Danity Kane, and Blake Shelton.

References

1. Nashville Star TV Series -News, Show Updates and Events - USA Network
2. CMT gets repeats of 'Nashville Star'
3. 2008 - 2009 Cancelled Shows: NBC Cancels 10 Television Series
4. Billy Ray Cyrus to host NBC debut of 'Nashville Star' | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean
5. reality blurred + Nashville Star "surprised" industry; judge says Idol has "pageant singers."
6. NY Times Advertisement
7. 'Nashville Star': It's all about the music. Almost. | PopWatch Blog | EW.com
8. 'Nashville Star 3' bootee Tamika Tyler blames producers for ouster - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs
9. USA's 'Nashville Star 5' throws out voting results, sends no one home - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs
10. http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060503/ENTERTAINMENT12/605030432
11. http://www.buddyjewell.com/home/pops/letter_01_31_06.htm
12. Nashville Scene - Star Stuck
13. Media Life Magazine - Wobbly start for NBC country warblers
14. Media Life Magazine - NBC's 'Nashville Star' in a ratings slide
15. Nashville Star: Week 3—Highs & Lows
16. 'Jeffrey Steele to Join Judging Panel of Nashville Star…'
17. 'Ex-'Nashville Star' host Jewel to serve as sixth-season judge, mentor'
18. 'Nashville' to strike it Rich
19. Nashville Star