20 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Got Their Start on Star Search

Before American Idol and America’s Got Talent, there was Star Search. Beginning in 1983, the series was the ultimate talent competition show, allowing artists to compete across select categories for a $100,000 prize. Hosted by Ed McMahon until 1994 (and co-hosted with Martha Quinn in 1995), it went off the air until the show was rebooted in 2003 for an additional season, hosted by Arsenio Hall. And Star Search is set to rise again, with Netflix launching a new version on Jan. 20.

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