French
DeutschSunday Best (American TV series)
| Sunday Best | |
|---|---|
 Sunday Best logo used from seasons 1-8 | |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Presented by | Kirk Franklin |
| Judges | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 101 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BET |
| Release | October 2, 2007 – August 30, 2015 |
| Release | June 30, 2019 – August 23, 2020 |
Sunday Best is a reality television singing competition series hosted by Kirk Franklin. It first aired on BET on October 2, 2007.
In each season, the show and its judges set out to find the best undiscovered gospel talent in the United States. Finalists competed each week until a winner was crowned. The judges throughout the series' run included Gospel singers Yolanda Adams, Kierra Sheard, Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Bebe Winans & Cece Winans.[1] Gospel singer Kim Burrell served as the on-screen mentor.[2]
Each season's winner receives a national recording contract, a new automobile, and an undisclosed cash prize benefiting his or her community as well as the title of 'Sunday Best'.
On April 18, 2019, it was announced that the series would return for a ninth season, which premiered on June 30, 2019.[3] Franklin returned as host and former Mary Mary member Erica Campbell also returning as a judge, with Kelly Price and Jonathan McReynolds joining as judges. Sunday Best was renewed by BET for a tenth season which premiered on July 5, 2020.
Winners
[edit]| Season | Winner | Debut album | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Crystal Aikin | Crystal Aikin | March 17, 2009 |
| Season 2 | Y'Anna Crawley | The Promise | August 24, 2010 |
| Season 3 | Le'Andria Johnson | Awakening of Le'Andria Johnson | September 6, 2011 |
| Season 4 | Amber Bullock | So In Love | July 10, 2012 |
| Season 5 | Joshua Rogers[4] | Well Done | December 4, 2012 |
| Season 6 | Tasha Page-Lockhart[5] | Here Right Now | August 5, 2014 |
| Season 7 | Geoffrey Golden[6] | Kingdom...Live! | August 17, 2015 |
| Season 8 | Dathan Thigpen[7] | GetUp Vol. 1 Get Exposed To Unadulterated Praise | January 1, 2016 |
| Season 9 | Melvin Crispell III[8] | Prologue III | September 20, 2019 |
| Season 10 | Stephanie Summers[9] | Mighty Strong God | October 22, 2021 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Gospel Greats Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams Join the All-Star Team of Judges... - PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/" (Press release). California, Nigeria: Prnewswire.com. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ^ "SR Gospel: Kim Burrell Joins Sunday Best 3". Singersroom.com. April 29, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "BET Networks Announces the Return of All Inspiring Gospel Competition Series, "Sunday Best," for Its Ninth Season". The Futon Critic. April 18, 2019.
- ^ "Behind the Stage - Joshua Rogers is Sunday Best". BET.com. September 2, 2012. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012.
- ^ "Tasha Page-Lockhart Is Sunday Best!". BET.com. September 1, 2013. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013.
- ^ "Geoffrey Golden Is Sunday Best!". BET.com. August 31, 2014. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014.
- ^ "Jackson native wins BET's Sunday Best competition". www.clarionledger.com. August 31, 2015.
- ^ "Melvin Crispell, III Declared Winner of Sunday Best". blackchristiannews.com. August 28, 2019.
- ^ "Stephanie Summers Crowned Winner of BET's Sunday Best Season 10". gospelmusic.org. August 26, 2020.