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The Singing Bee Vs. Don't Forget the Lyrics

Posted Jul 13th 2007 10:17AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Programming, Vs., Game Show

Wayne BradyThis week, two networks premiered game shows that are really similar. NBC launched The Singing Bee while FOX premiered Don't Forget the Lyrics. Which one will last longer? Will both tank? Or maybe both will survive thanks to their lead in: America's Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance, respectively.

Now that both premieres aired it's time to decide if you'll be a singing bee or you'll try to not forget the lyrics.

Hosts

  • Bee has Joey Fatone, who is still riding the Dancing With The Stars wave. During the premiere it showed that he was a bit uncomfortable, but he did bring energy and some (lame) jokes on stage to add to the fun. Throughout the game, he stays close to the contestants so he can better react to and interact with them.
  • Don't Forget has Wayne Brady. He has more TV and hosting experience than Fatone, and it shows. In the premiere, he was always by the contestant's side, joked with her, was quick on his feet to react and even danced to support her. However, Brady hasn't been in the primetime spotlight much this year, except for some guesting such as playing Neil Patrick Harris' brother on How I Met Your Mother, so viewers who don't recall him from projects he worked on before last TV season may not relate to him as much as they will with Fatone.
The Music
  • The Singing Bee benefits from a live band and singers. All are very good and energetic which helps set the tone of the show. I thought that the song choice was good as they tried to focus on songs that contestants and audience would recognize. This also allows viewers to have more fun and try to play along at home.
  • There is a live band in Don't Forget as well, but we almost forget they are there as we don't see much of them. At some point, I even thought it was a tape playing the background music! The song choice is well chosen here too as most viewers will recognize them and be able to sing. Also, the show has 11 song categories, ensuring that there will be a wide variety of styles. However, as it is the case with Bee, Don't Forget seems to have forgotten about the past 5 years.
Viewers Involvement
  • For a game show to work, viewers must feel as if they can take part in the fun. Bee offers the chance to viewers to sing along in their living room. Lyrics (or words for Round 2) appear on the screen making it easier for us to play along.
  • Lyrics show up at the bottom of the screen throughout the songs in Don't Forget, so people at home can sing along. What is also nice is that the lyrics the contestant must sing right are not shown at the bottom of the screen, meaning that we can try to sing them as well and compare with what was sang.
The Games
  • Bee's rules aren't too difficult to understand. They have 4 rounds in total, the fourth one deciding how much money the winner would get. I thought Round 1 was a bit unfair as if the first four people sing properly, the last two don't even stand a chance to play. Nonetheless, the games were amusing and the pace was fast for me not to lose interest.
  • Don't Forget has rules that are a mixture of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire (a money ladder that goes from a small amount to the top amount, money thresholds, lifelines, called backups) and Jeopardy... Okay, there are not a lot of similarities with that show but the fact that the contestant choose categories and then picks a song (instead of an amount of money). Once the contestants choose a category and a song, they must sing along with the band and lyrics that appear on a screen. A some point, the lyrics disappear and they have to sing the next sentence. Then, they are shown what they sang and can decide to say if it is accurate or not. If they are not sure, they can choose a backup. Personally, I think that these rules are overcomplicated. A summer show should have simple rules and keep the energy going (since contestants take time to think about what they sang, some momentum and energy is lost). Another downside to Don't Forget's games is that all "rounds" are the same but the music category. And is it just me but having only one singer kind of got boring and, at some point, annoying? After 15 minutes of hearing the woman sing, I was getting tired of her voice.
The Catch Phrase

Both shows have a highly similar goal/general rule:
  • The Singing Bee: "You don't have to sing it well, you just have to sing it right."
  • Don't Forget The Lyrics: Well, "Don't forget the lyrics."
After analyzing both shows, my vote goes to The Singing Bee. The pace is faster, we hear more contestants, the rules are simple (and during the summer, I don't want my brain to overwork), the rounds have different features, I know most of the songs, and the episodes are self-contained (meaning I don't have to watch the next episode to know who wins and how much they win). Which show do you prefer?

Which karaoke-like show will you watch over the summer?

Tags: Don't Forget The Lyrics, Don'tForgetTheLyrics, FOX, Joey Fatone, JoeyFatone, NBC, The Singing Bee, TheSingingBee

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