Nellie Andreeva

NBC has greenlighted The Winner Is, a singing game show from John de Mol’s Talpa Media USA, which co-produces NBC’s singing competition series The Voice. The Winner Is, which features a $1 million grand prize, combines vocal and bargaining abilities. It is open to singers of all ages – soloists and groups that include adults, kids, teens, seniors, families and professionals - all of whom will compete in head-to-head singing duels.

The contestants will be judged by an in-studio panel led by a celebrity judge. After every singing duel round, each contestant will have the chance to negotiate a deal before hearing their fate. If they have doubts about how they have measured up against their opponent, they can leave the show — in exchange for the instant cash that round is worth.  But if they’re confident they performed better than their opponent, they can await the jury results to see if they’ve made it to the next round. The amount of money each duel is worth increases with every round.

In the finale, eight singers will duel and negotiate until just two singing contestants remain. After their performance, they each get the chance to walk away with $100,000 — or await the jury vote and the votes from the viewers for the chance to win the $1 million prize. John de Mol, co-creator of The Voice and creator of Big Brother, is the executive producer. “We are thrilled to be working with John de Mol, the creator and one of the producers of The Voice, on this original singing game show that will feature a broad range of talent, dueling performers and the surprise of in-the-moment negotiations and decisions,” NBC’s head of alternative programming Paul Telegdy said. There is no air date for the series but it will likely be for midseason or next summer, with a run as a bridge between the two cycles of The Voice a possibility.

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.