HCM CITY (VNS)— Veteran singer Siu Black will be the lead judge in a new reality singing contest called Toi La Nguoi Chien Thang, which is based on the format of the Dutch show, The Winner Is.

The singer, who has been a judge for three Vietnam Idol editions (2008, 2009 and 2010), will work with a panel of 100 journalists, editors and other music experts in selecting the winner of the show.

The contest, produced by HCM City Television (HTV) and Dong Tay Promotions, will have 64 soloists and groups of all ages who will compete in head-to-head singing duels.

This year's contestants include popular singers and artists like 2008 Vietnam Idol winner Quoc Thien, 2010 HTV's TV Singing Star contest winner H'Zina Bya, music band VMen and actor Quach Ngoc Ngoan.

After each round, contestants will have a chance to make a deal and leave the show with cash prizes ranging from VND10 million to 60 million (US$478 – 2,870) if they believe they will not win against their competitors.

The grand winner will get a cash prize of VND300 million ($14,300).

Actor and model Binh Minh will host the show, while Duong Khac will be its music director.

The 12 episodes of the show will be broadcast on HTV7 at 9pm every Saturday, beginning this week.-VNS