CMT'S HIT SERIES "THE SINGING BEE" HOSTED BY MELISSA PETERMAN RETURNS FRIDAY, APRIL 8

This Season THE SINGING BEE Introduces Two New Themed Episodes with Appearances By Bobby Brown, Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, Wanya Morris and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

NASHVILLE - March 18, 2011 - The show that proves "you don't have to sing it well, you just have to sing it right" is back for a third season as CMT's popular series, THE SINGING BEE, returns this spring with all-new episodes beginning Friday, April 8 at 8:00 - 9:00 p.m., ET/PT. Hosted by WORKING CLASS star Melissa Peterman, THE SINGING BEE promises more laughs than ever before each week with new music selections, fierce competitors and special guests.

CMT presents two new themed episodes this season, including a "Boy Band" themed episode that features famous former boy band members Bobby Brown (New Edition), Joey Fatone (*NSYNC), Drew Lachey (98�) and Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men), in a competition for the charity of their choice. Also this season, THE SINGING BEE will feature a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders episode featuring popular favorites from the CMT series, DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS: MAKING THE TEAM. Exact premiere dates of themed episodes will be announced at a later date.

Blending a mix of country music with popular favorites from other genres, THE SINGING BEE tests contestants' knowledge of lyrics to well-known songs and those who fail to accurately sing the correct lyrics are eliminated from the competition. Establishing itself as perfect family entertainment, THE SINGING BEE ranks as the network's highest-rated series of 2010 and with over 88,000 friends, THE SINGING BEE is a hit on Facebook as well. Episodes of THE SINGING BEE are available for viewing online at CMT.com.

THE SINGING BEE is produced by The Gurin Company and JUMA Entertainment. Executive Producers are Bob Horowitz and Phil Gurin. Co-Executive Producers are Lewis Fenton and Brennan Huntington. Claire McCabe serves as executive producer for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 91 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.