Same Old Song

It was only a matter of time before Fox lifted a few bars from American Idol and created a spin-off. The Next Great American Band premieres Oct. 19, and it's just the latest in a long line of reality TV riffs. Take a look.

1983 STAR SEARCH
Ed McMahon's long-running syndication staple previewed future stars Beyoncé, Justin, and Britney. Oh, and lotsa spokesmodels. We loooved the models.

2000 MAKING THE BAND
Hotties of questionable talent are brought together to form a singing group. Et voilà O-Town and Danity Kane are born.

2001 POPSTARS
Forged the unmemorable tart-pop groups Eden's Crush and Scene 23. The best part: a pre-Pussycat-era Nicole Scherzinger.

2001 BANDS ON THE RUN
Ingeniously named anthem rockers Flickerstick nabbed a record deal on this VH1 series, which managed to fade away just as quickly as they did.

2005 ROCK STAR: INXS
Constantly shirtless weirdo Dave Navarro preens while wannabes compete to be lead singer of the new-wave Aussie group.

2007 THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND
Genre-spanning groups — from hip-hop to hair metal — face off for Idol-style glory. Because five karaoke stars are better than one!

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