Separated at Birth: "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and "The Singing Bee"
Separated at Birth: "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and "The Singing Bee"
Fox and NBC kicked off their karaoke wars this week with the premieres of "The Singing Bee" and "Don't Forget the Lyrics." While I was secretly hoping the shows would slink away into "National Bingo Night"-style obscurity, "The Singing Bee" became the summer's most-watched program on Tuesday, and "Lyrics" held its own on Wednesday (it also airs another new episode tonight). Lest you be confused by the similar-sounding shows, I've put together this handy guide to help you tell them apart:
| "The Singing Bee" | "Don't Forget the Lyrics" | |
|---|---|---|
| Network | NBC | Fox |
| Host | Joey Fatone | Wayne Brady |
| Prize Money | $50,000 | $1 million |
| Cute Mascot | Cartoon bumblebee | None |
| Use of "Walk Like an Egyptian" | Yes | Yes |
| Philosophy | "You don't have to sing it well; you just have to sing it right" | "Can you keep singing when the music stops?" |
| Obvious attempt to embarrass the host | Contestants had to sing "Bye Bye Bye" | None yet |
| Go-go dancers | Yes | No |
| Descended from | The National Spelling Bee | "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" |
| Similarity to actual karaoke | 6 out of 10 | 9 out of 10 |
