With the Super Bowl coming up on February 4, CBS is featuring NFL football players in a talent show airing live Thursday January 25.
American Idol alum Katharine McPhee, who also stars in the network’s drama, Scorpion will judge along with Superior Donuts actor and comedian Maz Jobrani, and New York Giants wide receiver and Inside the NFL on Showtime analyst Brandon Marshall. The Talk co-host (and X Factor UK judge) Sharon Osbourne will serve as mentor. LL Cool J. is set to host.
During the special, NFL players will showcase their off-the-field talents, such as singing, playing instruments, dancing and more, live from the Avalon Hollywood.
The judges will pick the Top 3, while viewers vote at home at www.cbs.com/shows/most-valuable-performer for the winner. The Most Valuable Player will be revealed live during the broadcast.
After a nationwide vote, the finalists and their talents are listed below. Click each player’s name to see them demonstrate their talent!
- Brandon Williams (Baltimore Ravens, Defensive Tackle), singing
- Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers, Running Back), playing piano
- Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens, Placekicker), opera singing
- Alex Collins (Baltimore Ravens, Running Back), Irish dancing
- Cody Hollister** (New England Patriots, Wide Receiver), singing
- Jacob Hollister** (New England Patriots, Tight End), playing guitar
- Kevin Zeitler (Cleveland Browns, Guard), dog tricks
**Brothers Cody and Jacob will be competing together.
The MVP contest began Dec. 1 with the first videos of 32 participating NFL players available online at Sports Illustrated’s website (si.com/mvp) for fans to watch and vote for their favorite performer. The top finalists from teams that have been eliminated from postseason advanced to the live show and will be assisted by a mentor to help enhance their performances. During the live show, a panel of celebrity judges will critique each player’s performance before viewers vote online at cbs.com/shows/most-valuable-performer/ to determine the MVP: Most Valuable Performer. The winner will be revealed at the end of the show.