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Entertainment Now | May 21 - 27, 2022 By Sarah Passingham TV Media Y ou don't need a million- dollar voice to win big on Fox's Million Dollar Music Night; just fill in the blanks to hit songs during the reboot of "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" before tuning in for the Season 5 pre- miere of "Beat Shazam." Both shows, airing one after the other Monday, May 23, on Fox, boast a jaw-dropping million-dollar top prize for the lucky contestants who make it to the hardest level. A night of singalong competi- tion begins with Season 1 of (the new) "Don't Forget the Lyrics!," which fans may remember from its three-season run in the late 2000s. That iteration of the series was hosted by "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" star Wayne Brady, but after more than a decade off the air, this reboot has scored a new host to keep the beat. With her comedy series "Claws" all wrapped up on TNT, charismatic actor Niecy Nash is the natural choice to host the show's new version. As a matter of fact, Nash told "The Real" hosts Loni Love and Garcelle Beauvais that this opportunity couldn't have come at a better time, saying she "cried so hard at the end of it [filming] because coming out of a pandemic, for people to walk away with bags and bags of mon- ey … just for remembering the lyr- ics to their favorite songs, was a blessing." For those who may have missed the original series, "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" shakes out across 10 rounds of musical puzzles. Throughout the first nine rounds, contestants choose their preferred music genres and compete to complete the lyrics to each song as the level of difficulty (and prize money) increases with each step. Joining the band on stage, con- testants can see the lyrics project- ed on a screen so they can get into the groove, but all too soon, it's up to them to fill in the blanks — a task evidently easier said than sung. Those who make it to the fi- nal, million-dollar round must complete the lyrics to a mystery song — unlike in previous rounds in which they were given the op- portunity to walk away with their hard-earned cash should they not feel confident in the category. While, to some, it may seem easy enough to remember the lyr- ics to 10 of the most popular songs of all time, not one contes- tant won the $1-million prize dur- ing the Brady-hosted version of the series. That said, in the third, syndicated season of "Don't For- get the Lyrics!," five contestants won that season's top prize of $50,000. Here's hoping that a mu- sic aficionado has the skills to fi- nally brings home the musical ba- con this time around. The big prizes and hit tunes continue in the season premiere of "Beat Shazam," airing immedi- ately following the reboot's pre- miere. Jamie Foxx ("Ray" 2004) re- turns as host alongside his daugh- ter, Corinne Foxx ("47 Meters Down: Uncaged" 2019), on Shazam duty as DJ. Up against the song-deciphering app, contestants have just moments to buzz in and identify songs before the clock runs out. "Beat Shazam" also fea- tures an interactive element for viewers through the Shazam mo- bile app. Unlike "Don't Forget the Lyr- ics!," "Beat Shazam" uses the buddy system with three teams of two duking it out to make their way to the final set of songs. After four rounds, the team with the most money in the bank goes on to play the final round, where they must, as the title suggests, beat Shazam once and for all. The con- testants must identify five songs from different categories as the clock ticks down, earning $25,000 for each correct answer. To bring home the million, the winning team chooses one mem- ber to identify the final song (though they are provided the chance to leave with their win- nings up to that point without completing the final challenge, if they prefer). If that answer is cor- rect and they have successfully beaten Shazam's time on all six songs, their winnings are bumped to a cool $1 million. To date, three teams have suc- cessfully beaten Shazam and left the studio as millionaires; perhaps most notably former spouses Don- na Natosi and Ryan Walton, who won in Season 2 with an unreal run of correct answers from Natosi in particular. To up the ante for Season 5, Fox revealed in an April news release that "Beat Shazam" has two spe- cial episodes planned to give back to those who have kept us all afloat during the pandemic. Ac- cording to Fox, viewers can expect "a special episode featuring teach- ers, as well as a special episode dedicated to heroes, featuring mili- tary members, firefighters and po- lice officers." With the Foxxes at the helm, "Beat Shazam" is obviously a family affair, but the family con- nections don't end there on the network's Million Dollar Music Night. In the same interview on "The Real," Nash revealed that her wife, singer Jessica Betts, is by her side on "Don't Forget the Lyr- ics!" as a member of the show's band. Warm up your vocal cords for "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" and "Beat Shazam" as Fox's Million Dollar Music Night begins Mon- day, May 23. Corinne and Jamie Foxx co-host "Beat Shazam" Musical Mondays: Game shows kick the week off on Fox 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" Moore's Home Health 5 x 2"

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