[IMG:L]Gone Country — 8/7c on CMT
Another night, another reality-show premiere.
This time, however, it’s more Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew than, say, Moment of Truth.
CMT, which has recently made an MTV-like shift into much more than just “Music Television”–perhaps because it’s owned and operated by MTV Networks–adds Gone Country to its growing list of reality programming, which includes Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team and Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge.
Hosted by country singer John Rich (of Big & Rich fame), Gone Country takes seven established performers from other entertainment arenas and tries to turn them into the next big country superstar. The most successful crossover will have a single produced by Rich–and more importantly, in the case of all seven “contestants,” quasi-relevance they haven’t experienced in some time.
The cast includes: “Thong Song” singer Sisqo; Bobby Brown, formerly known as Mr. Whitney Houston; the other Iglesias, Julio Jr.; onetime American Idol finalist Diana DeGarmo; Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider; original Brady Buncher Maureen McCormick; and Carnie Wilson, one-third of ‘90s group Wilson Phillips.
The debut episode features the seven celebrity strangers being dropped off at the Nashville house in which they work together and have their lives taped. OK, so it’s kinda The Real World: Nashville.
