Plot Synopsis

Twelve aspiring musicians compete in a series of elimination songwriting challenges in pursuit of a grand prize, which includes: $100,000 cash; a publishing deal with Sony and BMI Songwriters' The Writing Camp; and a recording agreement with RCA/Jive. At the end of each 60-minute episode, one contestant is eliminated the panel of judges: Jewel, a singer-songwriter and with over 27 million albums sold, who has released albums in both the pop and country genres; Kara DioGuardi, EVP of Warner Bros Records, who is most recognized from her two seasons as a judge on AMERICAN IDOL and whose songs have been on more than 150 million albums; Keith Naftaly, SVP of A&R for RCA/Jive Label Group at Sony Music Entertainment; and guest judges like Leona Lewis, Natasha Bedingfield, Donna Summer, Jermaine Dupri, Taio Cruz and Ryan Tedder. The contestants are: Sonyae Elise, an R&B/Hip Hop songwriter originally from Newark, NJ; Scotty Granger, an R&B/Pop songwriter originally from New Orleans, LA; Jes Hudak, a Pop/Soul songwriter originally from Saratoga Springs, NY; Nevin James, a Folk/Rock songwriter originally from Pittsburgh, PA; Brian Judah, an all-genre songwriter, originally from Studio City, CA; Johnny Marnell, an all-genre songwriter, originally from Kingston, NY; Nick Nittoli, a Pop/Rock/Alternative songwriter, originally from Garfield, NJ; Blessing Offor, a Pop/R&B/Soul songwriter, originally from Hamden, CT; Amber Ojeda, a New Soul/Jazz songwriter, originally from San Diego, CA; Melissa Rapp, a Soul/Pop songwriter, originally from Honolulu, HI; Jackie Tohn, an all-genre songwriter, originally from Oceanside, NY; and Karen Waldrup, a Folk/Rock/Blues songwriter, originally from Mandeville, LA.