The One: Making a Music Star
Encyclopedia
The One: Making a Music Star was an American
reality
television series that aired in July 2006 on ABC
in the United States
, and CBC Television
in Canada
. The show was hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos
, known to Canadian viewers as the host of CBC's The Hour. It was advertised as being superior to American Idol
and Rock Star
with the twist that contestants "live together in a fully functioning music academy", with their actions documented similar to the Big Brother
format.
Reportedly the most expensive summer series in the history of the ABC network, its first episode, on July 18, 2006, scored the lowest audience ever for a premiere episode on a major U.S. broadcast network, with an estimated 3.08 million viewers. (The 1990
premiere of Glory Days on FOX
drew fewer viewers, but Fox would not ascend to major-network status until 1994.) Subsequent episodes had even fewer viewers. The series was cancelled after two weeks (four episodes) with the final results undecided on July 27, 2006. The show's website proclaimed "there are no plans for additional episodes".
/ Star Academy
format owned by Endemol
, and was produced by Endemol USA, the producers of Big Brother
, Fear Factor
, Deal or No Deal
, and other reality shows. Star Academy was in fact developed in 2001, around the same time as the original Pop Idol
, although the format took much longer to appear in North America. Nonetheless, American Idols established popularity has contributed to The One being perceived by some viewers and critics as a ripoff
of the Idol franchise.
CBC personality Stroumboulopoulos hosted the U.S. series — his selection brought added attention from the Canadian media following the debate over the CBC's decision to air the series. The judges were songwriter Kara DioGuardi
, industry veteran Mark Hudson, and former record executive Andre Harrell
. The show's executive producer was Fear Factor producer Matt Kunitz
. Ironically, DioGuardi would later become a judge on American Idol, starting with that program's eighth season
in 2009.
In promotions leading up to the show's premiere, ABC called The One "the show Fox
doesn't want you to see" or "where Idol has never gone", because the contestants would always be competing, even when the stage isn't set, and grudges, rivalries, and breakdowns can develop. In fact, the viewers at home only chose who the bottom 3 are; the judges then saved one, and then the remaining contestants chose which one should go home.
In Canada, The One was promoted by CBC as the must-see event of the summer. Ads for The One ran for several weeks before the show premiered.
The series was initially scheduled to air Tuesday nights from 9:30 to 11:00 p.m. ET/PT (performance), and Wednesday nights from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (results), from July 18 to September 6. Prior to the premiere, performance episodes were expanded to two hours starting at 9:00 p.m. ET. At the last minute, the airing of the first results show was changed to 10:00 p.m. ET. A planned further change for the Tuesday episodes, to the 8:30 to 10:00 p.m. ET timeslot, became moot following the show's cancellation.
Viewers in the United States voted through telephone
, text messaging
or on the Internet
. Canadian viewers were required to vote over the Internet.
/ Star Academy
format to not be completed before the end of the series. Press reports suggested that the producers would be obliged to name a winner at some point, as The One was a contest
, with a recording contract as its grand prize. However, assuming a winner was chosen, it is unlikely that either the selection process or the actual identity of the winner will ever be released.
Contestants are listed in alphabetical order by last name, in format: name, age, hometown.
, the first episode of The One was the lowest-rated series premiere in ABC history, and the second-worst such episode in the history of American broadcast television, scoring only 3.2 million total viewers (1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic), and fifth place in its timeslot. In Canada, the premiere of The One on CBC had 236,000 viewers, which trailed far behind Canadian Idol
on CTV
and Rock Star: Supernova on Global
, each scoring around one million viewers.
The next night's results episode fared even worse in the U.S. ratings, sinking to a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The re-run of night 1's episode (which preceded the results show) plunged to an embarrassingly low 0.6 average in the vital demo ratings. The poor performance of the show helped ABC measure its lowest-rated night in the network's history (among 18-49s), finishing tied for sixth place. The series was ultimately cancelled after a second week of poor results.
According to CBC executive Kirstine Layfield
, in terms of resources and money, The One "had the most backing from ABC than any summer show has ever had (sic)."
Canadian ratings have dipped as low as 150,000 – not necessarily out of step with the CBC's usual summer ratings, although much lower than the broadcaster's stated expectations for primetime audiences, in the one-million range.
The CBC initially insisted that despite the cancellation, a planned Canadian version may still go ahead, citing the success of the format in Quebec (Star Académie
) and Britain (the BBC
's Fame Academy
). The network confirmed that the show will not air in fall 2006 – in fact, the show had never been given a fall timeslot – but the show was "still under development."
Critical response was limited but generally negative. The Hollywood Reporter
s Ray Richmond
called the series "clearly derivative and opportunistic" with the judges' comments "awkward and forced." The HDTV broadcast of the premiere episode was plagued by technical problems, including poorly mixed sound on the Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. "Applause" prompts meant for the studio audience were clearly audible in the broadcast. The band mix was better in the next (elimination) episode, but the vocalists were too far down in the mix.
, marking the first simulcast of an American primetime network series on that network in several years, and in some cases bumping the network's flagship newscast The National to another timeslot.
Some speculated that the U.S. simulcast was a condition of the CBC's rights to produce an English-Canadian version during the 2006-07 season. The network would not confirm this, although it noted that it wanted to build an audience for the Canadian version and would rather air both than have a Canadian version on CBC competing with the American series on a rival Canadian network. Both editions of The One were part of a wider strategy by the network to increase its viewership, which has steadily decreased since funding cutbacks to the public broadcaster
in the early 1990s.
Because of ABC's scheduling, and because most episodes of The One aired live
, under the original schedule The National was moved to 11:00 p.m. (from 10:00 p.m.) when The One aired in the Eastern Time Zone, and to 9:00 p.m. (prior to The One) in the Atlantic Time Zone, with all other regions maintaining The National at 10:00. The two shows were only expected to conflict on Tuesday nights, although the timeslot change for the first Wednesday results show caused another conflict.
In Manitoba
and Northwestern Ontario
, which is on Central Time
, The One concluded by The Nationals regular airtime. In other western provinces, The One aired, on tape delay, prior to its airing on the "local" ABC affiliate, leaving The National untouched.
The airing of the program on CBC was seen as controversial not only because of the time shifting, but because it appears to contradict the corporation
's mission as a public broadcaster that explains Canada to Canadians, which led to CBC Television dropping all primetime U.S. network series in the mid-1990s. Lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
described the move as "shocking and surprising" and says the decision also contradicts CBC president Robert Rabinovitch
's fall 2005 claim that "we don't do reality television". Actors' union ACTRA
called the decision a "sell-out". And in an acceptance speech for an award from the Canadian Journalism Foundation
, read by his wife at a ceremony held during the debacle, former CBC anchor Knowlton Nash
said, "If the CBC really wants reality TV, let people get the reality of what's happening in the world by turning on The National at 10 p.m. every night," construed by most as an indictment of the One decision.
For his part, while current anchor Peter Mansbridge
told the Toronto Star
he was not happy with the move, he said this scenario was no worse than the newscast's other time changes during, for instance, the NHL playoffs. He also expressed optimism that a Canadian version could be a "good lead-in" to The National, which was (and has since remained) behind CTV National News
and Global National
in the Canadian network newscast ratings.
The CBC later issued a lengthy response to the criticism, including the announcement that "Canadians will still be able to watch The National at its regularly scheduled times (9 [ET; 10 p.m. AT] & 10 p.m. [ET]) on Newsworld" on the affected nights. Normally the all-news channel airs The National at 9:00 ET followed by documentaries at 10:00 ET.
Following the cancellation, The National was no longer affected by The One, meaning that its normal schedule resumed on July 31. However, the controversy of why CBC Television aired a "copycat", and ultimately low-rated, foreign series continued in cultural circles. Even so, the CBC did not hold back from adding more simulcast American series to its primetime schedule: in fall 2008, the public network added U.S. game show Jeopardy!
(and, the following season, Wheel of Fortune
) in primetime, again simsub
bing U.S. broadcasts in most markets.
Immediately after the series ended, the CBC said it was still deciding whether to proceed with a Canadian version. With the fall 2006 announcement of a different CBC series in the same vein, Triple Sensation
, and later in 2008, a Canadian version
of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
, it now seems unlikely a Canadian edition of The One will ever be produced.
In addition to the CBC version, TVA
was already producing a much more successful French-Canadian version, Star Académie
, which completed its fifth series in 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
television series that aired in July 2006 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The show was hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos
George Stroumboulopoulos
George Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos is a Canadian television and radio personality, best known as the host of CBC Television's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and being a VJ for Canadian music television channel MuchMusic...
, known to Canadian viewers as the host of CBC's The Hour. It was advertised as being superior to American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
and Rock Star
Rock Star (TV series)
Rock Star is a television series produced by Mark Burnett in which aspiring singers from all around the world competed to become the lead singer of a featured group. It debuted on CBS on July 11, 2005, to mediocre ratings. The show was hosted by television personality and commercial spokeswoman...
with the twist that contestants "live together in a fully functioning music academy", with their actions documented similar to the Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...
format.
Reportedly the most expensive summer series in the history of the ABC network, its first episode, on July 18, 2006, scored the lowest audience ever for a premiere episode on a major U.S. broadcast network, with an estimated 3.08 million viewers. (The 1990
1990 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1990-91 United States network television schedule.The year 1990 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1990.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
premiere of Glory Days on FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
drew fewer viewers, but Fox would not ascend to major-network status until 1994.) Subsequent episodes had even fewer viewers. The series was cancelled after two weeks (four episodes) with the final results undecided on July 27, 2006. The show's website proclaimed "there are no plans for additional episodes".
Overview
The One is an adaptation of the Operación TriunfoOperación Triunfo
Operación Triunfo is a reality-show talent contest which first aired on Spain's TVE network in 2001. A kind of cross between Pop Idol, Voces en Función, Star Search, and Big Brother, the show aimed to find the country's next solo singing sensation, putting a selection of hopefuls through their...
/ Star Academy
Star Academy
Star Academy is a highly successful television show format based on the Spanish format "Operación Triunfo" produced by Endemol, that has been broadcast in over 50 countries...
format owned by Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
, and was produced by Endemol USA, the producers of Big Brother
Big Brother (US TV series)
Big Brother is the American version of the Big Brother reality television show based on the Dutch television series of the same name originally created by John de Mol in 1997. The show follows a group of House Guests living together twenty-four hours a day in the "Big Brother" house, isolated from...
, Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
, Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (US game show)
Deal or No Deal is the American version of the international game show of Dutch origin of the same name. The show was hosted by Howie Mandel, and premiered on December 19, 2005, on National Broadcasting Company . The hour-long show typically aired at least twice a week during its run, and included...
, and other reality shows. Star Academy was in fact developed in 2001, around the same time as the original Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, although the format took much longer to appear in North America. Nonetheless, American Idols established popularity has contributed to The One being perceived by some viewers and critics as a ripoff
Ripoff
A ripoff is a bad financial transaction. Usually it refers to an incident in which a person overpays for something. A ripoff is distinguished from a scam in that a scam involves wrongdoing such as fraud; whether or not something is a ripoff, on the other hand, is a matter of opinion.In a related...
of the Idol franchise.
CBC personality Stroumboulopoulos hosted the U.S. series — his selection brought added attention from the Canadian media following the debate over the CBC's decision to air the series. The judges were songwriter Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
, industry veteran Mark Hudson, and former record executive Andre Harrell
Andre Harrell
Andre Harrell is founder of the now defunct record label, Uptown Records. Harrell also served as president/CEO of Motown Records. He was also the first half of the hip hop duo Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde.-Biography:...
. The show's executive producer was Fear Factor producer Matt Kunitz
Matt Kunitz
Matt Kunitz is a television executive producer known for his work on reality television programming. In July 2008, the Los Angeles Times dubbed Kunitz "The King of Reality TV." Kunitz is currently the executive producer on Wipeout, a stunt based competition reality game show he created for...
. Ironically, DioGuardi would later become a judge on American Idol, starting with that program's eighth season
American Idol (season 8)
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
in 2009.
In promotions leading up to the show's premiere, ABC called The One "the show Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
doesn't want you to see" or "where Idol has never gone", because the contestants would always be competing, even when the stage isn't set, and grudges, rivalries, and breakdowns can develop. In fact, the viewers at home only chose who the bottom 3 are; the judges then saved one, and then the remaining contestants chose which one should go home.
In Canada, The One was promoted by CBC as the must-see event of the summer. Ads for The One ran for several weeks before the show premiered.
The series was initially scheduled to air Tuesday nights from 9:30 to 11:00 p.m. ET/PT (performance), and Wednesday nights from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (results), from July 18 to September 6. Prior to the premiere, performance episodes were expanded to two hours starting at 9:00 p.m. ET. At the last minute, the airing of the first results show was changed to 10:00 p.m. ET. A planned further change for the Tuesday episodes, to the 8:30 to 10:00 p.m. ET timeslot, became moot following the show's cancellation.
Viewers in the United States voted through telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, text messaging
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
or on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Canadian viewers were required to vote over the Internet.
Contestants
This was the first version of the Operación TriunfoOperación Triunfo
Operación Triunfo is a reality-show talent contest which first aired on Spain's TVE network in 2001. A kind of cross between Pop Idol, Voces en Función, Star Search, and Big Brother, the show aimed to find the country's next solo singing sensation, putting a selection of hopefuls through their...
/ Star Academy
Star Academy
Star Academy is a highly successful television show format based on the Spanish format "Operación Triunfo" produced by Endemol, that has been broadcast in over 50 countries...
format to not be completed before the end of the series. Press reports suggested that the producers would be obliged to name a winner at some point, as The One was a contest
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
, with a recording contract as its grand prize. However, assuming a winner was chosen, it is unlikely that either the selection process or the actual identity of the winner will ever be released.
Contestants are listed in alphabetical order by last name, in format: name, age, hometown.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Brownell | 21 | Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east.... |
Later appeared on Can You Duet Can You Duet Can You Duet is an American reality-competition show airing on CMT. The show is produced by FremantleMedia, the same company that produced American Idol.The show premiered on April 14, 2008 and the first season ended on June 13, 2008.... with Jeremiah Richey |
| Austin Carroll | 23 | Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers.... |
|
| Michael Cole | 22 | Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to... |
|
| Caitlin Evanson | 27 | Seattle, Washington Seattle, Washington Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country... |
Later went on to sing and is currently playing fiddle for Taylor Swift Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America... |
| Scotty Granger | 19 | New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population... |
Brother of NBA All Star Danny Granger Danny Granger Danny Granger, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. He is mainly a small forward, though he does log time at the power forward position. He is also able to initiate the team's offense and so is regarded as one who can play the point forward position... , background singer/keyboard player for Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history... Later appeared on Platinum Hit and placed third |
| Adam McInnis | 25 | Jackson, New Jersey | |
| Jackie Mendez | 23 | Miami, Florida Miami, Florida Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625... |
Made Hollywood on American Idol 2009 (Season 8) |
| Syesha Mercado Syesha Mercado Syesha Raquel Mercado is an American singer, songwriter, actress and model. Mercado was the third place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Mercado was on The One: Making a Music Star and she won Florida Super Singer... |
19 | Sarasota, Florida Sarasota, Florida Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers... |
Later placed third on American Idol 2008 American Idol (season 7) The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges... |
| Jeremiah Richey | 25 | Waxahachie, Texas Waxahachie, Texas Waxahachie is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southern suburb of Dallas. The population was 21,426 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ellis County.... |
Later appeared on Can You Duet Can You Duet Can You Duet is an American reality-competition show airing on CMT. The show is produced by FremantleMedia, the same company that produced American Idol.The show premiered on April 14, 2008 and the first season ended on June 13, 2008.... with Nick Brownell |
Eliminated contestants
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jadyn Maria Jadyn Maria Joy Lynn Strand better known by her stage name Jadyn Maria is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter. At the age of seventeen, Maria was signed to Sparrow Records for a Christian music singing career which did not take off. She was later signed separately to Virgin Records and Zomba Label Group, both of... |
21 | Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home... |
Week 1 |
| Aubrey Collins Trick Pony Trick Pony was an American country music group. It was formed in 1996 by Keith Burns , Ira Dean , and Heidi Newfield . The group recorded three studio albums: Trick Pony, On a Mission and R.I.D.E., released in 2001, 2002 and 2005, respectively... |
18 | Littleton, Colorado Littleton, Colorado Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of... |
Week 2 |
Viewer and critical response
According to overnight ratings from Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, the first episode of The One was the lowest-rated series premiere in ABC history, and the second-worst such episode in the history of American broadcast television, scoring only 3.2 million total viewers (1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic), and fifth place in its timeslot. In Canada, the premiere of The One on CBC had 236,000 viewers, which trailed far behind Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and Rock Star: Supernova on Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
, each scoring around one million viewers.
The next night's results episode fared even worse in the U.S. ratings, sinking to a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The re-run of night 1's episode (which preceded the results show) plunged to an embarrassingly low 0.6 average in the vital demo ratings. The poor performance of the show helped ABC measure its lowest-rated night in the network's history (among 18-49s), finishing tied for sixth place. The series was ultimately cancelled after a second week of poor results.
According to CBC executive Kirstine Layfield
Kirstine Layfield
Kirstine Stewart is a Canadian television executive, currently the head of English language services at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation....
, in terms of resources and money, The One "had the most backing from ABC than any summer show has ever had (sic)."
Canadian ratings have dipped as low as 150,000 – not necessarily out of step with the CBC's usual summer ratings, although much lower than the broadcaster's stated expectations for primetime audiences, in the one-million range.
The CBC initially insisted that despite the cancellation, a planned Canadian version may still go ahead, citing the success of the format in Quebec (Star Académie
Star Académie
Star Académie is a Canadian reality TV series started in 2003, aimed primarily at the Quebec television audience, featuring an array of competing young women and men for the title of the best singer...
) and Britain (the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Fame Academy
Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
). The network confirmed that the show will not air in fall 2006 – in fact, the show had never been given a fall timeslot – but the show was "still under development."
Critical response was limited but generally negative. The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
s Ray Richmond
Ray Richmond
Ray Richmond is a globally syndicated critic and entertainment/media columnist. Richmond has also worked variously as a feature and entertainment writer, beat reporter and TV critic for a variety of publications including the Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Variety, the Orange County Register, the...
called the series "clearly derivative and opportunistic" with the judges' comments "awkward and forced." The HDTV broadcast of the premiere episode was plagued by technical problems, including poorly mixed sound on the Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. "Applause" prompts meant for the studio audience were clearly audible in the broadcast. The band mix was better in the next (elimination) episode, but the vocalists were too far down in the mix.
CBC simulcast controversy
In Canada, The One garnered most of its attention for a reason that had little to do with the show's content: CBC Television aired the U.S. series, usually in simulcastSimulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
, marking the first simulcast of an American primetime network series on that network in several years, and in some cases bumping the network's flagship newscast The National to another timeslot.
Some speculated that the U.S. simulcast was a condition of the CBC's rights to produce an English-Canadian version during the 2006-07 season. The network would not confirm this, although it noted that it wanted to build an audience for the Canadian version and would rather air both than have a Canadian version on CBC competing with the American series on a rival Canadian network. Both editions of The One were part of a wider strategy by the network to increase its viewership, which has steadily decreased since funding cutbacks to the public broadcaster
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
in the early 1990s.
Because of ABC's scheduling, and because most episodes of The One aired live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
, under the original schedule The National was moved to 11:00 p.m. (from 10:00 p.m.) when The One aired in the Eastern Time Zone, and to 9:00 p.m. (prior to The One) in the Atlantic Time Zone, with all other regions maintaining The National at 10:00. The two shows were only expected to conflict on Tuesday nights, although the timeslot change for the first Wednesday results show caused another conflict.
In Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
, which is on Central Time
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
, The One concluded by The Nationals regular airtime. In other western provinces, The One aired, on tape delay, prior to its airing on the "local" ABC affiliate, leaving The National untouched.
The airing of the program on CBC was seen as controversial not only because of the time shifting, but because it appears to contradict the corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's mission as a public broadcaster that explains Canada to Canadians, which led to CBC Television dropping all primetime U.S. network series in the mid-1990s. Lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
Friends of Canadian Broadcasting is a Canadian public interest group.The group monitors developments in the Canadian television and radio broadcasting industries, and organizes action campaigns when broadcasters engage in activities which are deemed contrary to the public interest.FRIENDS is...
described the move as "shocking and surprising" and says the decision also contradicts CBC president Robert Rabinovitch
Robert Rabinovitch
Robert Rabinovitch is a Canadian public servant and businessman, and he served as the President and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1999 to 2007....
's fall 2005 claim that "we don't do reality television". Actors' union ACTRA
ACTRA
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists is a Canadian labour union representing performers in English-language media. It has 22,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media....
called the decision a "sell-out". And in an acceptance speech for an award from the Canadian Journalism Foundation
Canadian Journalism Foundation
Founded in 1990, the Canadian Journalism Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in Canadian journalism by recognizing outstanding journalistic achievement and by promoting dialogue between media, business, government and academe.The Foundation's awards...
, read by his wife at a ceremony held during the debacle, former CBC anchor Knowlton Nash
Knowlton Nash
Cyril Knowlton Nash, OC, O.Ont , commonly known as Knowlton Nash, is a journalist, author, and former long-serving senior anchorman of CBC Television's flagship news program, The National...
said, "If the CBC really wants reality TV, let people get the reality of what's happening in the world by turning on The National at 10 p.m. every night," construed by most as an indictment of the One decision.
For his part, while current anchor Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge, OC , a Canadian broadcaster and news anchor, is the CBC News Chief Correspondent and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. Mansbridge has received many awards and accolades for his journalistic work including an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison...
told the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
he was not happy with the move, he said this scenario was no worse than the newscast's other time changes during, for instance, the NHL playoffs. He also expressed optimism that a Canadian version could be a "good lead-in" to The National, which was (and has since remained) behind CTV National News
CTV National News
CTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
and Global National
Global National
Global National is the national newscast of Canada's Global Television Network. Dawna Friesen anchors the program's weekday edition from the Global BC studios; Robin Gill currently anchors the weekend edition...
in the Canadian network newscast ratings.
The CBC later issued a lengthy response to the criticism, including the announcement that "Canadians will still be able to watch The National at its regularly scheduled times (9 [ET; 10 p.m. AT] & 10 p.m. [ET]) on Newsworld" on the affected nights. Normally the all-news channel airs The National at 9:00 ET followed by documentaries at 10:00 ET.
Following the cancellation, The National was no longer affected by The One, meaning that its normal schedule resumed on July 31. However, the controversy of why CBC Television aired a "copycat", and ultimately low-rated, foreign series continued in cultural circles. Even so, the CBC did not hold back from adding more simulcast American series to its primetime schedule: in fall 2008, the public network added U.S. game show Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
(and, the following season, Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
) in primetime, again simsub
Simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
bing U.S. broadcasts in most markets.
Immediately after the series ended, the CBC said it was still deciding whether to proceed with a Canadian version. With the fall 2006 announcement of a different CBC series in the same vein, Triple Sensation
Triple Sensation
Triple Sensation is a reality television series produced by multi-Tony Award winning producer Garth Drabinsky. Its first season debuted October 7, 2007 on CBC Television, and its second season debuted June 22, 2009....
, and later in 2008, a Canadian version
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (Canada)
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a talent competition program that aired in Canada on CBC Television. It premiered on June 15, 2008 at 8pm EDT, and concluded on July 28, 2008...
of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a British television talent series, that was broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC One between 29 July and 16 September 2006. It documented the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the 2006 Andrew...
, it now seems unlikely a Canadian edition of The One will ever be produced.
In addition to the CBC version, TVA
TVA (TV network)
TVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
was already producing a much more successful French-Canadian version, Star Académie
Star Académie
Star Académie is a Canadian reality TV series started in 2003, aimed primarily at the Quebec television audience, featuring an array of competing young women and men for the title of the best singer...
, which completed its fifth series in 2009.