''Idol Puerto Rico'' is a

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 ...

competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it is based on the British show ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'' created by

Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...

. The first season of the show debut on August 7, 2011 on

WAPA-TV WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish-language independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Hemisphere Media Group, which is 84% owned by InterMedia Partners. WAPA-TV's studios are located on Avenida Luis Vigoreaux in G ...

History

''Idol Puerto Rico'' is the

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

edition of the British show ''

''. Like its international counterparts, the show employs a panel of judges to select singers in audition, then adding other elements such as

telephone voting Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone. Broadcast contest televoting Televoting i ...

by the viewing public and the drama of backstories and real-life soap opera unfolding in real time. The show debuted in 2011 in Puerto Rico with Paola Portilla, Luciano Cardinali, and Jimmy Arteaga as producers. In 2012, the show was renewed for a second season which debuted on July 29, 2012.

Judges and hosts

The first season of ''Idol Puerto Rico'' featured four judges: producer Topy Mamery, singer

Ricardo Montaner Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner (born September 8, 1957), better known as Ricardo Montaner (), is an Argentine-born Venezuelan singer and songwriter. Since starting his career in the late 1970s, he has released more than 24 albums, and many su ...

, singer/producer Erika Ender, and singer

Jerry Rivera Jerry Rivera (born Gerardo Rivera Rodríguez on July 31, 1973) is a Puerto Rican salsa singer and songwriter. Early years Rivera was born in Humacao, a town located on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. He moved with his family to Levittown i ...

. For the second season, Ender and Rivera were replaced by Mamery's wife, singer

Yolandita Monge Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt (born September 16, 1955), known professionally as Yolandita Monge, is a Puerto Rican singer, actress, and television personality. She has been active in the music business since her teen years and has recorded 27 ...

. Guest judges may occasionally be introduced. Both seasons have been hosted by model and presenter Jaime Augusto Mayol.

Summary

;Judges profiles *

(Season 1–2):

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n- Argentine singer and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

. Starting his career in the late 70s, he has already released more than 15 albums with numerous successful singles and has sold over 22 million record worldwide. *Carlos "Topy" Mamery (Season 1–3): Veteran Puerto Rican producer and manager. He is the son of broadcaster

Gilbert Mamery Gilbert Mamery Riera (March 15, 1927 – March 30, 2003) was a Puerto Rican disc-jockey, musicologist, radio station owner, radio and television personality, marketing impresario and composer born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He is the father ...

. He began his career in the media at the age of 15, as broadcaster and producer of a radio program called ''Metamorfosis''. He has worked for 25 years as manager of local and international artists like Ricardo Montaner, Jerry Rivera, Yolandita Monge and actors like Jorge Abello. He has also produced concerts for artists like

Ricardo Arjona Edgar Ricardo Arjona Algadeoro (born 19 January 1964), known as Ricardo Arjona (), is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter. Arjona is one of the most successful and best-selling Latin American artists of all time, with more than 80 million records so ...

and

Mecano Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 25 million records worldwide. They were consid ...

. For five years he was the manager of

Spanish Broadcasting System Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet properties, deriving the majority of its income from advertising through i ...

of Puerto Rico (SBS). *

(Season 2): is an international Puerto Rican singer and actress. She is the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated to a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

, and is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female artist. Starting her career as a teenager, Monge has recorded over thirty albums. *Erika Ender (Season 1): Born in Panama to a Brazilian mother and a Panamanian-American father. Erika is a singer, composer, dancer and producer. *

(Season 1): Puerto Rican

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

singer. He began his career as a teenager and became known as "El Bebé de la Salsa". Rivera has been nominated to both the

and

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

Selection process

Contestant eligibility

The eligible age-range for contestants is currently sixteen to twenty-eight years old. The contestants must be legal U.S. residents, and present the completed required form with a proper identification. Minors should be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Initial auditions

Auditions are usually held on two locations:

Hiram Bithorn Stadium Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Hiram Bithorn) is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in 1962 and designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro Miranda. It is operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name ho ...

in San Juan, and

Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns The Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns (English: ''Juan Pachín Vicens Auditorium''), formerly, Coliseo Juan Pachín Vicéns (English: Juan Pachin Vicens Coliseum), a.k.a., Coliseo de Ponce, is a sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The a ...

in Ponce. During the auditions, contestants will perform in front of the judges and/or producers. They will then choose a total of 80 contestants to advance to the "Theater Level" auditions.

Audience voting

From the semifinal onwards, contestants are "saved" by public vote. During the contestant's performance as well as the recap at the end, a

toll-free telephone number A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number from a landline is free of charge. A toll-free number is identified by a dialing prefi ...

for each contestant is displayed on the screen. For a period of time after the episode ends, viewers may call or send a text message to their preferred contestant's telephone number, and each call or text message is registered as a vote for that contestant. The contestants with the fewest votes may be eliminated in successive weeks until a winner emerges. Voting via

text messaging Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible compute ...

is also possible through

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

, as well as online voting.

Semi-finals

Finals

Rewards for winner and finalists

The winner receives a record deal with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

and secures a management contract for his musical career. The winner might also receive additional prizes like a new

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

s, tablet PCs,

cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

s, and other endorsement deals.

Seasons

Season 1

The first season of ''Idol Puerto Rico'' debuted on August 7, 2011 on

. It was hosted by Jaime Augusto Mayol. After the initial auditions, 24 contestants were selected. These were cut to 12 during the semi-finals. The final showdown was between Christian Pagán and Japhet Albert. Pagán won the first place on November 21, 2012. Pagán has already released two albums, with the first one peaking at #1 on Billboard Latin Charts.

Season 2

The second season of ''Idol Puerto Rico'' debuted on July 29, 2012. Hosted by Mayol again, it featured singer

as a new judge, replacing Erika Ender and

. Like the first season, 24 contestants were selected after the initial auditions. Of these, 12 were eliminated during the semi-finals, with the remaining 12 heading for the finals. The finale aired on November 12, 2012 on

. The winner was Gremal Maldonado Its origin is Dominican-Puerto Rican ., who has already released her first studio album.

Idol Kids Puerto Rico

''Idol Kids Puerto Rico'' is a

competition to find new solo singing talent between 6 and 12 years old. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it is based on the British show ''

'' created by

. The first season of the show debut on August, 2012 on

at the same time with the second season of Idol Puerto Rico. Idol Kids Puerto Rico has a similar format to Idol Puerto Rico, as the gala is broadcast live through the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas and the public takes charge of the election winner. The main difference between products is that participants do not coexist in the same home because they are minors, so they are with their parents during the competition. The child who wins the competition will receive a scholarship of $15,000 and $5,000 in cash, among other prizes.

Seasons

Season 1 aired from August to November 2012 and was won by Edgard Hernández, 12 years old back then. The age of the finalists was from 8 to 12. The runner-up, Alexey, was 9 years old.

Summary

Critical reception

During both its seasons, ''Idol Puerto Rico'' has earned the best ratings among local television.

References

External links

Official website

Official page in facebook
{{Idol Puerto Rico Idols (franchise) 2011 American television series debuts 2010s American reality television series 2010s American music television series Television series by Fremantle (company) Non-British television series based on British television series 2013 American television series endings