Nicole Scherzinger & More Set for New NBC Variety Series Hosted by Marlon Wayans

NBC has ordered six hourlong episodes of "I Can Do That!" (working title), a comedy variety series where six celebrities will be asked to put on an entertainment show with skills they didn't even know they had.

The series is scheduled to air this summer.

Comedian-actor-producer Marlon Wayans will serve as host. Celebrities participating are acclaimed dancer and choreographer Cheryl Burke, superstar recording artists Joe Jonas, Nicole Scherzinger and Ciara, national standup comedian Jeff Dye and actor Alan Ritchson.

"I Can Do That!" will be produced by Universal Television. Executive producers are Audrey Morrissey, who serves as an EP on NBC's Emmy Award-winning series "The Voice," and Matilda Zoltowski, who helped launch "Strictly Come Dancing" in the U.K. and then was part of the original "Dancing With the Stars" team when it arrived in the U.S. Rick Alvarez, Avi Armoza, Nehama Cohen, Elwin De Groot, Steve Harris and Marlon Wayans will also executive produce.

"I Can Do That!" was developed by Israel's Armoza Formats, has established itself as a worldwide success and is currently in production in more than 15 countries, including Italy, Brazil, Spain, Finland and Mexico.

"We're excited to watch our all-star cast rise to the challenges ahead in such a fresh, new way! Our viewers are going to fall in love with how these natural born entertainers push themselves outside of their comfort zones to put on a spectacular show every week," said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. "We're equally thrilled to be working with a top creative team, led by Audrey Morrissey and Matilda Zoltowski, who have risen to their own challenge of reinvigorating the comedy-variety format, and exceeded our expectations."

"I'm very excited to be in business with NBCUniversal, one of the greatest brands out there, and to be working with Paul Telegdy and the producing team of 'I Can Do That!' I am looking forward to doing a fun, entertaining show that hopefully America loves and enjoys. It reminds me of the shows I used to watch as a kid," said Wayans. "The cast is amazing. It's going to be a lot of fun to work with people whose work I admire and to see them in a different light. Who wouldn't want to work with Ciara, Nicole Scherzinger and Cheryl Burke? And my daughter said if I don't do a show with a Jonas brother, don't come home."

Each week in front of a live studio audience, the six cast members (in teams of two) will put on a show featuring everything from song and dance to magic and danger.

The previous week the celebrities will watch three acts in the studio. The acts will span every variety of entertainment performance and at least one act per week will feature some of America's biggest-name performers in a guest-starring role. If while watching the act a celebrities says "I Can Do That!," they put themselves up for the challenge.

With their acts selected, the duos make their way into the training studio where they will work with their expert coach for five days to produce an amazing act to perform on next week's show.

After a week of intensive training, the celebrities return to the stage to perform their act, impress the studio audience and each other in hopes of scoring the top slot on the night's scoreboard.

With no judges or eliminations, "I Can Do That!" allows the cast to show off their untapped talents, develop a lasting camaraderie with their fellow stars and enjoy a little friendly competition along the way. After six weeks of exploring their own unique talent range, one cast member will be revealed as the season's ultimate entertainer.

As a writer, actor, creator and producer, Wayans has an extensive resume including the hit films "A Haunted House," "White Chicks," the "Scary Movie" franchise, and roles in "Requiem For A Dream" and "The Heat." On the small screen, he created and starred in the long-running sitcom "The Wayans Bros." and the TBS series "Funniest Wins" and was a cast member on the groundbreaking TV series "In Living Color." In 2014, Wayans launched the online venture What the Funny, which delivers urban comedy from established and emerging comedians. For live performances, he recently completed a national comedy tour with his brothers Keenen, Damon and Shawn Wayans. He is currently performing his own stand-up shows to sold-out audiences across the country.

Cheryl Burke has waltzed her way into the hearts of millions through TV's "Dancing With the Stars." She became the show's first two-time champion and only professional dancer to appear in the finals seven times and semifinals 10 times, winning in back-to-back seasons with singer Drew Lachey and former NFL star Emmitt Smith. Her love of dance began at age 4 with ballet and by the age of 10 Burke discovered her passion for ballroom dancing. In 2008 she opened her first dance studio, Cheryl Burke Dance, and in 2011 she released her book, "Dancing Lessons: How I Found Passion and Potential on the Dance Floor and in Life." In 2015 Burke launched her own active wear clothing line CeeBee with home shopping giant QVC as her retail partner.

Joe Jonas got his start as the frontman for the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum selling group, Jonas Brothers, which quickly grew into one of the highest-grossing bands in music history. Beyond his career in music, Joe has appeared in guest-starring roles on "Hot in Cleveland" and "90210," and has earned his comedic bonafides with quick-witted posts to his nearly eight million social media followers. Recently, Joe made a name for himself in the fashion world, co-hosting FASHION ROCKS Live and serving as a contributor for New York Magazine's The Cut, GQ and NYLON Guys.

Nicole Scherzinger was a member of one of the biggest-selling female bands of all time, the Pussycat Dolls, and is now an extremely popular solo artist with sales of more than 16 million: Her debut album "Killer Love" charted in the top 20 and Nicole is currently promoting her upcoming album "Big Fat Lie." Nicole's versatility as a singer has seen her sing songs from "Evita," and "Phantom of the Opera" in a Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber TV special. Nicole's stage career includes a starring role in Rent at the Hollywood Bowl and more recently the starring role in Cats on London's West End. Nicole's performance as Grizabella was acclaimed by critics with five stars across the press. Nicole also served as a judge on both the UK and US editions of "The X Factor."

Ciara is a platinum-selling award-winning singer-songwriter and actress who has sold more than 8 million albums and over 15 million singles worldwide. Her sixth album, "Jackie," is set for release this spring/summer on Epic/Sony Music Entertainment. The first single, "I Bet" was recently released and received fan and critical acclaim while climbing the Billboard Airplay Charts. The music video for "I Bet" will premiere on March 9 and March 10 worldwide. She is a recipient of many awards, including Grammy, MTV, and BET Awards.

Comedian and Bigfoot enthusiast Jeff Dye placed third on NBC's "Last Comic Standing" early in his career and has since brought his brand of funny to several networks, including MTV and Comedy Central. He tours nationally and was a host on ABC's "Extreme Makeover Home Edition."

While Alan Ritchson acquired a cult fan base for his role as alpha jock Thad Castle in the comedy series "Blue Mountain State," his dramatic skills and leading man appeal have also garnered him work with such A-list filmmakers as Robert Zemeckis, Francis Lawrence, and Michael Bay, who cast him in "Beowulf," "Hunger Games" and the wildly successful "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot, respectively. To the delight of thousands of KickStarter users who contributed over $2 million, Ritchson will resurrect the glorious Thad in the big screen version of "Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland," which he also co-wrote. The film be released this September. He can most recently be seen in the comedy, "The Wedding Ringer," alongside Kevin Hart and Josh Gad, as a dim-witted model posing as Gad's divorced podiatrist- groomsman.

Ritchson was also seen as Katniss' formidable adversary Gloss in the feature "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," and was a fan favorite last fall opposite Zooey Deschannel on "New Girl," as a hot guy with a "tiny" problem.

To post a comment, you must register and login.