Big & Rich 's John Rich is joining forces with pop stars Gloria Estefan and Joe Jonas and hip-hop star Nelly for the CW's new music talent competition, The Next .  The show premieres Thursday, August 16 with the stars going to different cities around the country searching for undiscovered music talent.  The stars will coach participants through a competition in each city with viewers voting online and through social media for their favorites.

The finalists will then go to Los Angeles for three final episodes starting Thursday, September 27 to compete for the grand prize.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, October 4 and receive a recording contract with Atlantic Records and a shot at opening for one of the four music stars on The Next.  

This isn't John Rich's first time on a TV music competition.  He served as a judge on Nashville Star in 2008.

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