THE CW'S "THE NEXT" ANNOUNCES ITS SIX SEMI-FINALISTS

"The Next" to Air Live Semi-Final Rounds Beginning Sept. 27, With the Winner Revealed During 2-Hour Live Finale on Oct. 4

September 24, 2012 (Burbank, CA) - After six weeks of intense competition in cities across America, including Orlando, Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles, THE NEXT announces its six semi-finalists.

Joining the six semi-finalists will be a Fan Favorite - a past contestant who didn't make the cut the first time around. Voting for the Fan Favorite opened on CWTV.com, at the end of last Thursday night's broadcast, and closed at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT on Friday, September 21. The contestant with the most votes will be revealed during the first of three live episodes on Thursday, September 27. The Fan Favorite winner will join the semi-finalists as they battle it out on stage, in front of their mentors Gloria Estefan, Joe Jonas, Nelly and John Rich, for the big prize - a recording contract with Atlantic Records.

The CW will broadcast its final three episodes live from Los Angeles' Orpheum Theatre on Thursday, September 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET), Tuesday, October 2 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) and a special two-hour finale on Thursday, October 4 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET). During these episodes, viewers will be encouraged to vote on CWTV.com and in the Cricket Wireless Vote, an interactive text-to-vote experience enabling fans to vote on their mobile phones for their favorite finalist using a short text code. Following each episode, studio-recorded versions of the songs performed by the finalists will also be available for fans to download on Cricket's Muve Music digital music subscription service, and make their final decision before voting closes. Two live votes will take place during the two-hour finale.

"The Next" Semi-finalists:

Orlando
Name: Michael Ray
Age: 24
Hometown: Eustis, FL

Baltimore
Name: Jordan Baird
Age: 21
Hometown: Gainesville, VA

New York
Name: Ali Brustofski
Age: 18
Hometown: Oakland, NJ

Chicago
Name: Iliana Incandela
Age: 23
Hometown: Glenview, IL

Dallas Name: Ashley Kimbrae
Age: 26
Hometown: Dallas, TX

Los Angeles
Name: Krystle Cruz
Age: 24
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

To catch the latest episodes of "The Next," log onto CWTV.com, and for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, go straight to CWTV.com/cricket.

From executive producers Dave Broome ("The Biggest Loser"), hip-hop icon Queen Latifah, and Shakim Compere, THE NEXT is produced by Raquel Productions Inc., in association with 25/7 Productions, LLC and Flavor Unit Entertainment, Inc.

About The CW:

THE CW TELEVISION NETWORK, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, made its debut on September 20, 2006 as America's fifth broadcast network and is the only network specifically targeting viewers ages 18-34, particularly women, a demographic highly sought after by advertisers. Delivering a total of 30 hours of programming a week, The CW offers a five-night, 10-hour primetime lineup that runs Monday through Friday. In daytime, The CW broadcasts a Monday through Friday afternoon block, and a five-hour Saturday morning animation block.