Word wranglers: Needle drops on ‘Don’t Forget the Lyrics!’ Season 3
If I sang “Don’t stop believin’,” would you know what words come next? Hosted by the ever-hilarious Niecy Nash (“Reno 911!”), Season 3 of the revamped “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” kicks off Thursday, May 16 — only on Fox.
The show — putting contestants’ musical memory to the test — first popped up on screens across America with its initial 20072011 prime-time run, only to return with a new host, new songs and a vengeance in 2022, raising the stakes with a whopping million-dollar prize.
Each episode, eager players (some music enthusiasts, some trivia junkies, some hardcore game show lovers) must sing alongside the studio band as lyrics from songs — ranging from a variety of decades, artists and genres, picked by the players themselves
— are displayed on screen. That is, until the music stops and the words disappear, leaving the contestant to go on singing the correct missing lyrics if they wish to continue the song, and the game in general. After nine correct songs in a row (a massive feat to begin with), the singer is then presented with a random pick from today’s “No. 1 hits,” and they must ace every word to reach their million-dollar finish line.
From Taylor Swift (“Cruel Summer”), to Beyoncé (“TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”), to Noah Kahan (“Stick Season”), this final song could be anything currently playing across America’s radio stations — an earworm sure to have wriggled its way into our brains one way or another. The question is: will the contestants be able to rely on their memories and belt out the correct lyrics? Or will they falter under the bright stage lights and freeze when faced with the attention of a waiting audience?
Created by original series executive producer Jeff Apploff, alongside executive producers Shane Byrne (“Ireland’s Got Talent”), Sean O’riordan (“Name That Tune”), Chase Fleming (“Celebrity Name Game”), Jessie Binkow (“Hollywood Game Night”), Warwick Banks (“The Floor”), Kevin Williams (“Loteria loca”) and Michael H. Miller (“Lip Sync Battle”), this foot-stomping series is sure to have you second-guessing your favorite Journey songs right along with the contestants.
Hold on to that feeling (and stretch your musical muscles), as Season 3 of “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” begins Thursday, May 16, on Fox.