Ryan Chartrand“Dreams. Destiny. Diddy.” This is the tagline for the return of the reality series “Making The Band” (MTB) to MTV. Sean “Diddy” Combs is back with a twist as he plans to create an all-male R&B group in the latest season.
MTB4 follows the pursuit of 20 men from across the country who live together in a loft in Manhattan as they compete in singing and dancing in hopes of impressing Diddy.
“We’re going to separate the weak from the strong,” Diddy said.
The contestants were selected after nationwide open auditions with celebrity judges, including R&B veteran Joe, Michael Bivins from the R&B group New Edition, choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson, and producer Bryan Cox.
The season premiere on June 18 covered auditions in Orlando, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, Washington D.C., and New York. Viewers saw the field narrowed to 58 finalists who were selected based on their vocals and dance moves.
The finalists were sent to meet Diddy in New York for the last round of auditions. He eliminated 38 of them, and 20 remained at the end of the episode.
Bivins advised the men to keep their Manhattan loft drama-free and reminded them that, despite the competitive nature of the show, they are also part of a shared experience.
The men began a fitness regimen in hopes of reaching peak physical performance. The first workout was a challenging one, and one of the finalists, Dyshon, was rushed to the hospital for low blood pressure and dehydration.
After their first workout, the men hit the dance studio to meet with Gibson. Instead of teaching them a routine worthy of “MTB,” she surprised them with something a little different from their expectations: ballet.
Later, Diddy dropped in on the men at home and asked each one of them their reasons for wanting to make the band. He mixed things up again by dividing them into five groups with names such as Campus Block, Face and Legit to facilitate teamwork.
The second episode concluded with a vocal lesson from coach Ankh Ra, who reminded them that singing and physical endurance are the most important elements of the competition.
Tune in during future weeks to see Diddy repeat familiar tasks from previous seasons, such as sending the finalists out into the city at 2 a.m. to pick up cheesecake for him in Brooklyn.
Will Diddy make a band in season four? Although previous seasons created bands O-Town and Da Band, which have essentially dissolved, Diddy was successful with the creation of the all female group Danity Kane, whose album debuted at number one.
To find out whether Diddy’s third attempt at an all-male group will be successful, check out the show Mondays at 10 p.m. on MTV.