NBC ALL AMERICAN SUMMER

by Neil Pond
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performing talents, comedic streaks, athletic prowess. the competition is on for applause, glory & prizes... something for every tv taste!

American Gladiators
Mondays 8 p.m. ET/PT

World-champion wrestler Hulk Hogan and former Dancing With The Stars competitor Laila Ali (daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali) are back as co-hosts as “ordinary” contestants run through an intimidating gauntlet of beefy, brawny, all-star “Gladiators” in a modern-day, high-tech version of the Roman arena. This season features an even more intense series of challenges.

“We’ve kicked it up quite a few notches,” says David Hurwitz, the show’s executive producer. But one thing hasn’t changed: the Gladiators want the contestants to “bring it.” Says the Gladiator known as Wolf, “If they’ve got a lot of heart and take a beating and keep getting back up, then I admire them. If they get hit once and don’t engage, then I have no respect.”

America’s Got Talent
Tuesdays 9 p.m. ET/PT

“The most enjoyable part of discovering new talent is the surprise,” says Jerry Springer, host of the third season of the hit series that lets America be part of its search for colorful singers, dancers, ventriloquists, jugglers, contortionists and other often-astounding performers. “Not knowing what’s coming simply by looking at the person—‘What’s this going to be?,’ you’re wondering. And then—boom!—there it is, and it’s unbelievable.”

Baywatch hunk David Hasselhoff, Celebrity Apprentice winner Piers Morgan and Sharon (Mrs. Ozzy) Osbourne are the celebrity judges, and viewers also get to vote. Last year’s winner, Terry Fator, a ventriloquist from Dallas, took home the top prize of $1 million and signed a contract to headline in Las Vegas.

Nashville Star
Mondays 9:30 p.m. ET/PT

Hit-maker Billy Ray Cyrus hosts the sixth season of this weekly talent search for the nation’s new great music act, new to NBC this year from its previous broadcast home on USA Network. This season, the series is open to duos and trios, not just solo performers, and all the acts are expected to do more than sound good. “Unlike other reality shows, our contestants will have to write an original song and perform it with a live band,” says executive producer Howard T. Owens. Adds John Rich of country music duo Big & Rich, who’s serving as one of the judge/mentors alongside pop singer Jewel and country singer-songwriter Jeffrey Steele, “We’re looking for that intangible factor that sets apart a great entertainer from a great singer.” Cyrus, who knocked on hundreds of doors before finding one that finally opened to stardom more than a decade ago, knows what the contestants are facing—especially the reality that only one will emerge with the winner’s crown. “But the good thing about getting knocked down,” he says, “is you get really good at picking yourself back up.”

Last Comic Standing
Thursdays 8:30 p.m. ET/PT

The sixth season of NBC’s midweek laugh fest features host Bill Bellamy and special correspondent Fearne Cotton on a colorful international quest to find the funniest people in the world. Knowing when someone has hit the funny bone isn’t all that difficult, says Bellamy, a professional stand-up comedian who rose to fame on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. “You know it’s funny by the way the crowd responds,” he says. “That’s the best barometer.” Adds executive producer Peter Engel, “There aren’t enough things to laugh about today. We want to make people smile—and discover the next great comedic talent.”