The hit online series, Shine, returns with a new episode tomorrow night where the judges will send many artists home in the biggest elimination yet.
The judging panel is comprised of studio head, Brandon Stewart, Grammy winner, Ashthon Jones and hip hop sensation, 2'Live Bre, and now they narrow their favorites down to a Top 18. Last week, highlights from some of he 30 remaining contestants littered our screens with a variety of genres in music. There were some standouts, and then there were some that struggled.
All eyes were on the 3 wildcards choices who were saved during eliminations last round. A lesson the judges felt was "necessary" for them to get focused. Those contestants included Stephanie Patton, Fleming Moore and Child of God (known on the show as, C.O.G.).
"Anybody can go home," Stewart says in one of his confessionals.
Bre has been vocal online about his decisions lately, after Jones called him out for flip-flopping during the episode before last.
"This is how it goes. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we do not agree." Bre told us. And he is standing by that.
After BTV Insider recently spoke to him, he said he feels "the competition is full of talent, we fight for hours before we come to a decision on who's moving forward."
The last 3 episodes have been nothing short of entertaining, from the high stakes eliminations, to the feuds. Bre says the audience owes a lot of that to the judges who stay true to their beliefs on and off the show.
"Let's face it," Bre continued, "if you had 3 judges that agreed all of the time, you wouldn't have the show. The show is good because we chose strong minded artists who we see ourselves in."
The judging panel is no stranger to reality tv, as Jones and Stewart both competed on FOX's American Idol years ago, and Bre competed on Netflix's Rhythm and Flow.
"What's interesting about this show is that it's all very real. None of the drama is staged like some reality tv shows will do. We don't care about ratings or viewership, we're looking for the next face of our record label." Bre told us.
And the judges have a history of making stars, as last season's winner, Dakota Hayden, is now blowing up after his own run on American Idol - thanks to Jones and Stewart's connections.
Stewart has also helped manage, launch and/or coach several careers including some of TikTok's biggest influencers (Claire RockSmith, Ayden Mekus, and many more), Shine's winners, and reality tv stars like Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller and Real Housewife, Cynthia Bailey.
Stewart is often the stricter judge because of his background as a vocal coach and music producer, having worked with a variety of celebrities, one in particular being Tall Girl's Ava Michelle, for the musical numbers in both hit Netflix films.
The competition is getting juicier and everyone is wondering who is going to secure a spot in the Top 18. The current roster of 30 will be cut extensively during tomorrow's episode. The teaser showcased a late night bonfire celebration, following eliminations, and an upset Iman Dillard talking about how "unprofessional" the other contestants are being. She was packing her bag, so that could mean she was cut from the show after forgetting her lyrics this week during her performance.
Who's going to survive the cut? Find out this Sunday night on BTV.