TV talent show Arabs Got Talent In its fourth consecutive year, TV talent show Arabs Got Talent – wildly popular across the Arab region – launched on Sunday its first stage of eliminations in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria. The first day of eliminations, 9 March, saw an unprecedented number of candidates hoping to make their way to stardom flock to the Mediterranean city from all corners of Egypt. The second elimination day is scheduled for Thursday 13 March.
The most talented candidates will then be granted the opportunity to travel to Lebanon’s Beirut, the original venue of Arabs Got Talent, where they will participate in the next stage of the competition.
Launched in 2011 by MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Centre) and broadcasted on MBC4 across the Arab world, the competition is part of the Got Talent series of televised talent shows initiated and owned by English TV producer and entrepreneur Simon Cowell. Aiming to discover new talents in music, singing and all forms of performing arts, Britain's Got Talent and the X-Factor were Cowell’s first shows. The idea spread on like wildfire around the world.
The judges hail from the country or region holding each show. The current panel of judges for Arabs Got Talent consists of Lebanese TV personality Ali Jaber, Lebanese recording artist Najwa Karam, popular Saudi Arabian actor Nasser Al-Qasabi and famed Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy. Egyptian TV presenter Amr Adeeb was among the judges on the show's first edition in 2011.
A large number of Arab talents performed over the course of the show’s first three editions. Egyptian Amr Katamesh won the 2011 Arabs Got Talent inaugural season with colloquial poetry -- El-Halamantishy, as he describes it -- through which he offers satirical commentary on societal and political issues.
Source: Ahram Online