Add Heidi Gardner to the list of Saturday Night Live stars taking part in streaming reality competition series this holiday season. The actress/comedian is set to be a judge on Max’s Second Chance Stage, premiering Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day).
Second Chance Stage will feature a wide range of performers, with talents including dancing, singing, stand-up comedy and other skills. In addition to the judges watching on, the contestants perform in front of an audience made up of talent scouts, agents, and producers. The winner will receive a $100,000 cash prize.
Along with Gardner, the show’s judges include country star Martina McBride and actor Taye Diggs. Sports broadcaster and author Emmanuel Acho is set to host.
In a just-released trailer, Second Chance Stage contestants—all of whom had a dream that didn’t work out for different reasons—take the stage and introduce themselves, using the opportunity to explain why they want a second chance to pursue their dreams.
“When I was 18 years old, I got really sick,” one woman begins. “So dancing, this thing I love so much, was completely out of the question.”
“I was performing stand-up in New York City,” another contestant says. “Then I found out my mom has dementia. I thought I was saying goodbye to comedy.”
The series hails from executive producers Chip and Joanna Gaines of Magnolia Network.
Several other SNL cast members are joining Gardner in rounding out 2024 with reality competitions. New holiday-themed episodes of Mikey Day’s Is It Cake? hit Netflix on Nov. 28, featuring past and present SNL star guest judges Devon Walker, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, and Sasheer Zamata.
Sarah Sherman’s new reality series Human vs. Hamster—also executive produced by Chip and Joanna Gaines—premieres this Thursday, Nov. 21 on Max and is set to air on The Magnolia Network over two consecutive Friday nights (Nov. 22 and Nov. 29).
