Popstars: The Rivals(2002)

Popstars: The Rivals is a British talent competition series that aired on ITV in 2002. Unlike its predecessor, which formed a single winning group, this series pitted two rival acts against each other for chart supremacy. Public voting across preliminary auditions and live studio performances determined the final lineups: girl group Girls Aloud and boy band One True Voice. The competition culminated in a race for the Christmas Number One, with viewers casting votes via telephone and digital red button. Girls Aloud claimed victory when their debut single "Sound of the Underground" topped the UK Singles Chart on the final episode broadcast live on 22 December 2002, while One True Voice's double A-side debuted at Number Two. The series ran Saturday nights from September, blending talent discovery with chart-chart drama.