''Arabs Got Talent'' ( ar, أرابز غوت تالنت) is an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

broadcast by

MBC 1 MBC 1 may refer to: * MBC 1 (Mauritian TV channel), a TV channel in Mauritius by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation * MBC1 (Middle Eastern and North African TV channel) MBC 1 is a free-to-air pan-Arab general television channel. Satel ...

in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

; it is produced by the MBC and was first broadcast on 14 January 2011. The show features contestants with a variety of talents, such as

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or with ...

, break-dancing,

comedians A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience dire ...

, magicians, and rapping. The show features three celebrity judges, popular in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. They currently are Lebanese singer

Najwa Karam Najwa Karam ( ar, نجوى كرم, , born 26 February 1966) is a Lebanese singer, songwriter, producer, fashion icon, one of the best selling recording artist in the middle east with more than 60 million records worldwide. Known as the "Sun of ...

; the dean of the

journalism school A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. 'J-School' is an increasingly used term for a journalism department at a school or college. Journalists in most parts of the ...

at the

American University in Dubai The American University in Dubai (AUD) ( ar, الجامعة الأمريكية في دبي) is a private, non-sectarian institution of higher learning in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, founded in 1995. AUD is accredited regionally as a separate u ...

Ali Jaber Ali Jaber ( ar, علي جابر) (born 1961) is a Lebanese journalist, media consultant, TV personality and the Group TV Director of MBC, the Arab world's largest satellite broadcaster. Academic and leadership Mr. Jaber completed a bachelor's ...

; and

Ahmed Helmy Ahmed Muhammad Helmy Abdel Rahman Awwad ( ar, أحمد محمد حلمي عبد الرحمن عواد; born November 19, 1969) is an Egyptian actor, comedian, film producer, TV host and diplomat. He started his career in 1993 on the Egyptian sat ...

, an Egyptian actor. The show's venue is in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. Though entry into the semi-finals is based on the judges' vote, the voting in the semi-finals and final is an audience vote, akin to other ''

Got Talent ''Got Talent'' is a British talent show TV format conceived and owned by Simon Cowell's SYCOtv company. It has spawned spin-offs in over 69 countries, in what is now referred to as the 'Got Talent' format, similar to that described by Fremantle ...

'' shows. The grand prize is 500,000

Saudi Riyals The Saudi riyal ( ar, ريال سعودي ') is the currency of Saudi Arabia. It is abbreviated as or SAR ''(Saudi Arabian Riyal)''. It is subdivided into 100 halalas ( ar, هللة '). The currency is pegged to the US dollar at a constant rate ...

and a brand new

Chrysler 300 The Chrysler 300 is a full-size luxury car manufactured and marketed by Stellantis North America (and its predecessor companies) as a four-door sedan and station wagon in its first generation (model years 2005–2010) and solely as a four-d ...

as well as a

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

with MBC. The show finished its second season on June 29, 2012. The third season started airing September 14 moving its timeslot from Fridays to Saturdays. The fourth season began airing on December 20. The fifth season ended May 20, 2017, with eight-year-old opera singer Emanne Beasha winning. The show is hosted by Saudi rapper and musician Qusai and Lebanese TV presenter

Raya Abirached Raya Abirached ( ar, ريا أبي راشد, born 12 May 1977) is a Lebanese TV presenter and celebrity journalist at MBC. She is best known for co-hosting the hit TV talent show, Arabs Got Talent. She also hosts ''Scoop with Raya'', a sho ...

Presenters and judges

Selection process

Producers' auditions

Contestants are initially chosen at non-televised

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

s in the capitals of participating Arab country, such as

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

Judges' auditions

Chosen contestants proceed to perform in front of the celebrity judges. It is by the judges' votes that they enter the next round. Judges may terminate a contestant's performance by buzzing in, signifying an X. However, buzzes from all judges are required to stop the performance. These auditions are televised weekly on Saturdays on MBC4.

Live shows

The semi-finals and

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

are broadcast live. They feature performances by the contestants, usually on a grander scale. Judges can still stop a performance if all three buzz in, three times. In the semi-final, the winners are chosen by the viewers' voting (by means of texting), though only the most-voted-for contestant proceeds to the final, the second and third placed proceed via a vote by the judges. In the final, fourteen contestants remain and, after each contestant finishes their performance, the winner is chosen by the viewers' voting.

Seasons overview

References

External links

* {{Got Talent Got Talent Television series by Fremantle (company) 2011 television series debuts Non-British television series based on British television series