The new UK singing competition Starstruck premiered on ITV Saturday (Feb 12). It stars American Idol alum and Queen frontman, Adam Lambert, Sheridan Smith, Beverly Knight and Jason Manford on the panel. X Factor UK alum and former The Voice UK coach Olly Murs hosts.
The format is similar to E Entertainment’s tribute competition, Clash of the Cover Bands. Three singers, transformed into their favorite singer, perform one of the artist’s classic songs together. Four teams, each representing a famous artist, perform during an episode. The judges pick the best team. Then, the team performs again and the audience picks the best of the three team members. The night’s winner moves on to the finale and a chance to win 50,ooo pounds.
The show kicked off with the cast performing Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High.”
VIDEO/ WATCH judges @adamlambert @Sheridansmith1 @Beverleyknight @JasonManford and host @ollymurs perform Tina Turner "River Deep, Mountain High" on the new Show #Starstruck ?premiering right now on ITV!
Adam slayyyyyys ? Looking stunning! ?? pic.twitter.com/AHL93bWG7Z— GELLY (@4Gelly) February 12, 2022
Tonights four teams: Team Freddie Mercury performed “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Adam noted, “This is not easy. Believe me I know!” But in the end, he praised all three singers who were VERY nervous to perform in front of Queen’s current front man.
Next, Team Ariana Grande sang “One Last Time.” Jason mentioned that Ariana closed the “One Love” concert in Manchester with the song. He attended the emotional concert with his daughters, which was staged after a bomb killed concert goers at a concert in the city months before. He said the trio’s performance brought him back to that emotional moment.
Then, Team Marvin Gaye sang “Let’s Get it On.” Adam observed that Marvin Gaye is a hard artist to imitate, but he felt the singers captured his energy.
Team Lady Gaga were last and performed “Bad Romance.” One singer resembled Gaga A LOT. Another sounded like her. Adam, who performed with Gaga, said that the iconic singer is “not afraid to get ugly or weird” and neither were the contestants. He felt the trio got her vibe.
Unlike Clash of the Cover Bands, the contestants are NOT tribute singers, although a member of Team Ariana’s parents made their living as tributes. Some made their living as singers, others led ordinary lives and sang as a hobby.
The intro packages are edited for maximum drama. As the contestants talk about themselves and the artist they will portray, viewers are left to wonder who the famous singer could be. It’s a guessing game.
Team Freddie wins the first round
Unsurprisingly, the judges chose Team Freddie Mercury. Because with Adam Lambert in the house, who doesn’t want Freddie to stay in the competition? When Team Freddie took the stage for a second time, they performed “Somebody to Love.” The audience voted for stay at home dad Rob.
ITV doesn’t have a video page for Starstruck, and I have yet to find videos online. We probably won’t recap every week. But we will at least announce the winner, so watch for that.
