Photo: CBS
Blake Shelton and CBS shared a “first look” at the upcoming competition series that the country megastar executive produced with Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan.
The Road features a dozen up-and-coming artists opening for Keith Urban with the hopes of winning over the audience at each show to advance through the competition. “Here for the Party” icon Gretchen Wilson serves as the tour manager.
“Touring’s hard to get right. But when you do, it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Shelton said in the newly-shared promo on Wednesday (August 13). “There’s not a musician in Nashville that wouldn’t want the opportunity to have the stage before a superstar like Keith Urban. …(We’re) gonna show people what these artists go through.”
Wilson added that “we have some very talented people that came to compete, but when you get out here, opening for Keith’s audiences is not for the faint of heart.” She also revealed for the first time in the “first look” on Wednesday that “the winner of this competition gets a record contract and a quarter of a million dollars.”
CBS revealed the 12 contestants earlier this summer:
- Adam Sanders, 36, from Lake City, Florida
- Billie Jo Jones, 34, from Emory, Texas
- Blaine Bailey, 23, from Tahlequah, Oklahoma
- Briana Adams, 30, from Winchester, Texas
- Britnee Kellogg, 40, from Anthem, Arizona
- Cassidy Daniels, 25, from Marion, North Carolina
- Channing Wilson, 49, from Lafayette, Georgia
- Cody Hibbard, 32, from Adair, Oklahoma
- Forrest McCurren, 35, from Jefferson City, Missouri
- Jenny Tolman, 29, from Nashville, Tennessee
- Jon Wood, 28, from Wake Forest, North Carolina
- Olivia Harms, 29, from Canby, Oregon
Urban previously said he “spent a lot of my underage life playing in some seedy pubs, sometimes just for the bartender. So I love the idea of throwing artists into a real-world environment to find out if they are artists. Paying your dues sucks, but there are things in this business that can’t be taught, like how to put together a set list, whether to extend or cut a song during your performance or how to work the crowd. For me, touring has always been my first love. It’s where the rubber meets the road. But it’s the only road to take if you want to be a performer.”
“I know a thing or two about singing competitions and what it’s like to chase a music dream and live life on tour,” Shelton said in a statement when The Road was first announced. “I’m looking forward to discovering new talent and giving them this platform.”
The Road will premiere on October 19. The show will air on Sundays from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. Watch the new preview of the show here: