The Four: Battle for Stardom

*The Four: Battle for Stardom*
The Four: Battle for Stardom
Also known as	The Four
Genre	Reality television
Created by	Elwin Vitztelly de Groot; Armoza Formats
Directed by	Phil Heyes
Presented by	Fergie
Judges	Sean Combs; DJ Khaled; Meghan Trainor; Charlie Walk;
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	14
Production
Executive producers	David George; Adam Sher; David Eilenberg; Becca Walker; David Friedman; Carlos King; Avi Armoza; Nehama Cohen; Moshiko Cohen; Elwin Vitztelly de Groot;
Producer	Sean Combs
Production companies	ITV Entertainment; Armoza Formats
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	January 4 –; August 2, 2018

The Four: Battle for Stardom, also known as The Four, was an American reality television music competition series broadcast on Fox. Premiering on January 4, 2018, the show was eventually renewed for a second season which aired on June 7, 2018. The winner, determined by a studio audience and panelists, is awarded a recording contract with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group, and named iHeartRadio's "On the Verge" artist. The winners of the first two seasons are Evvie McKinney and James Graham.

The show’s panelists originally included rapper, record producer and music manager Sean Combs, rapper and music producer DJ Khaled, singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, and music executive Charlie Walk. However, Walk withdrew from the series prior to the season one finale following sexual assault allegations against him.^[2] Subsequent episodes have starred the other three panelists.

Format

Based on an Israeli format of the same title,^[3] The Four is a singing competition that differs among similar talent competitions, in that there are no stage auditions. The artists, also known as the challengers, are held in the holding room before singing in front of a live studio audience and the judges. The panel of people in the music industry ultimately decides the best challengers that compete against "The Four". Their decision must be unanimous. The members consist of vocalists of varying genres, and they must win challenges against new artists to keep their seat and remain as a member of "The Four". At the end of six weeks, the last singer standing among "The Four" wins the competition.

There are two distinct rounds in The Four. In the performances round, new challengers must earn their seat by performing in front of a live studio audience, the panel of judges and "The Four". After the performance, the judges then vote and make a "Yes" or "No" decision, signifying the challenger's fate in the competition. If a challenger receives a unanimous four blue rings on stage (four "Yes" votes from the panel), they advance to the next round of the competition. A red ring given to the challenger signifies a "No", ending his or her time in the competition. Artists who advance to the challenge round can compete against a member of "The Four" for their seat. In a sing-off style battle, the challenger and "The Four" member sing against each other for their seat. After the challenge, the studio audience then votes to decide which of the two should remain in the competition. The winner locks his or her seat for the rest of the night and cannot be challenged again until the next episode.^[4]

Series overview

Season	First aired	Last aired	Winner	Runner-up	Other finalists		Presenter	Panelists
1	January 4, 2018	February 8, 2018	Evvie McKinney	Candice Boyd	Vincint	Zhavia	Fergie	Charlie Walk¹	Sean Combs	Meghan Trainor	DJ Khaled
2	June 7, 2018	August 2, 2018	James Graham	Sharaya J	Leah Jenea	Whitney Reign	Fergie	N/A	Sean Combs	Meghan Trainor	DJ Khaled

Notes

^ Walk withdrew from the show following episode 5.

Season synopsis

Winners and runners-up are indicated in gold and silver, respectively.

Season 1

The first season of The Four premiered on January 4, 2018, and concluded on February 8, 2018. After six episodes, Evvie McKinney was announced as the winner of the season, with Candice Boyd as the runner-up. The final group of "The Four" also included Vincint Cannady and Zhavia Ward.

Episode	Group	Members
The Four
Episode	Group	Seat 1	Seat 2	Seat 3	Seat 4
1	Original Four	Lex Lu	Ash Minor	Elanese Lansen	Blair Perkins
1	2nd Four	Lex Lu	Ash Minor	Zhavia Ward	Saeed Renaud
2	3rd Four	Cheyenne Elliot	Candice Boyd		Jason Warrior
3	4th Four	Rell Jerv	Tim Johnson Jr.
4	5th Four	Nick Harrison		Kendyle Paige
5.1	6th Four	Nick Harrison		Evvie McKinney	Vincint Cannady
5.2	Final Four	Candice Boyd	Zhavia Ward
6	Final Four	Candice Boyd	Zhavia Ward

Season 2

The second and final season of The Four premiered on June 7, 2018, and concluded on August 2, 2018. The first members of "The Four" were announced on May 9, 2018. They included Carvena Jones, James Graham, Sharaya J, and Stephanie Zelaya.^[5] Following eight episodes, James Graham was announced as the winner of the season, with Sharaya J as the runner-up. Leah Jenea and Whitney Reign were finalists. Runner-up Sharaya J. remained undefeated throughout the entirety of the season.

Episode	Group	Members
The Four
Episode	Group	Seat 1	Seat 2	Seat 3	Seat 4
1	Original Four	Carvena Jones	James Graham	Stephanie Zelaya	Sharaya J.
1	2nd Four	Majeste Pearson		Stephanie Zelaya
2	3rd Four	Jesse Kramer		Whitney Reign
3	4th Four			Whitney Reign
4	5th Four			Ali Caldwell
5	6th Four	Noah Barlass
6	7th Four	JeRonelle McGhee	Leah Jenea
7	Final Four	James Graham		Whitney Reign
8	Final Four	James Graham		Whitney Reign

Reception

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2018	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Series: Reality	The Four: Battle for Stardom	Nominated	^[6]
		Choice TV Personality	DJ Khaled	Nominated
		Choice TV Personality	Meghan Trainor	Nominated
	National Film & Television Awards	Best Talent Show	The Four: Battle for Stardom	Won	^[7]
		Best Reality TV Show	The Four: Battle for Stardom	Nominated	^[8]
		Best Entertainment Show	The Four: Battle for Stardom	Nominated
		Best Reality TV Judge	DJ Khaled	Nominated
		Best Reality TV Judge	Sean Combs	Nominated
2019	32nd Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite TV Judges	Sean Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor	Nominated

Ratings

The first season of The Four was Fox's most watched and highest-rated new unscripted series in nearly four years.^[1]

Season	Timeslot (ET)	# Ep.	Premiered		Ended		TV season	Season ranking	Viewers (in millions)
Season	Timeslot (ET)	# Ep.	Date	Premiere viewers (in millions)	Date	Finale viewers (in millions)	TV season	Season ranking	Viewers (in millions)
1	Thursday 8:00 PM	6	January 4, 2018	3.75^[9]	February 8, 2018	4.03^[10]	2017–18	117	4.19^[11]
2	Thursday 8:00 PM	8	June 7, 2018	2.43^[12]	August 2, 2018	3.40^[13]	2017–18	—	2.72^[14]