USA Network has announced the identities of the ten finalists who will be competing on the third season of its Nashville Star reality talent search series beginning Tuesday, March 1 at 10PM ET/PT.
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Equally divided between men and women, the ten finalists range in age between 18 and 35 and include an Australian.
"Going through the process of screening thousands upon thousands of performers, the quality of untapped talent continues to amaze me," said Nashville Star executive producer Jeff Boggs. "The talent was so strong that we had a tough time getting it down to only ten. This will be our best season yet."
A nine-week series, Nashville Star 3 will be hosted by new host LeAnn Rimes and feature Bret Michaels, Phil Vassar, and Anastasia Brown as the members of its all-new judging panel, with comedian Cledus T. Judd also joining Rimes as a show correspondent.
The ten performers who will be competing to be the third Nashville Star champion are:
• Justin David, 30, from Marshfield, MO. David learned to play mandolin at
the age of four, and he wields the fiddle and guitar with the same virtuosity.
• Jody Evans, 28, from Donaldson, AR. Evans is a police officer by day,
rockabilly singer by night. He grew up on the music of Elvis Presley and
Buddy Holly.
• Jenny Farrell, 35, from Albuquerque, NM. Farrell is a singer/songwriter
who toured with Mustang Sally in the late '90s, opening shows for country
artists including George Jones.
• Erika Jo Heriges, 18, from Angleton, TX. This high school senior has been
performing with bands for over thirteen years.
• Christy McDonald, 29, from Tabor City, NC. By day, McDonald is the
receptionist at the Warner Bros. Nashville office. In her off time she is a
performer, demo singer and songwriter.
• Jason Meadows, 33, from Calera, OK. Meadows grew up on a farm in Calera,
and his music reflects the traditional influences of Merle Haggard, George
Strait and Hank Williams, Jr.
• Josh Owen, 19, from Brownsboro, TX. This guitar slinger has been singing
since he was three. He has performed on the The Arsenio Hall Show, The
Maury Povich Show and Star Search, where he was a finalist at age five.
• Casey Simpson, 19, from Cerritos, CA. Simpson recorded a song for the
2002 Rugrats Christmas movie, as the voice of the wooden grandma. She
performs throughout southern California and often sings the National Anthem at
the Staples Center before Lakers, Kings and Sparks games.
• Tamika Tyler, 33, from Coffs Harbour, Australia. Tyler had a successful
singing career in her native Australia before starting a family and moving to
a Colorado ranch with her husband, a rocket scientist, and their son.
• Jayron Weaver, 22, from Dallas, GA. Jayron began singing in church as a
child, and he is currently serving as music minister at a local church. He
also works full-time at a warehouse while attending college classes.
Nashville Star will again air live from Nashville's BellSouth Acuff
Theatre for eight weeks following the premiere.