Tiësto Unveils First Episode of Reality Show ‘Your Shot’

The search for the next superstar DJ has begun on Your Shot, an American Idol-style reality competition helmed by Tiësto and a team of DJs, managers, promoters and club owners that premiered its first episode on Vevo.

The winner of the 10-part series will earn the chance to open for Tiësto at Hakkasan in Las Vegas, as well as a slot playing 7UP’s Stage 7 at the 2016 Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Before that, however, 30 contestants will undergo extensive training and face off in various competitions ”” and before that, those 30 must be selected from thousands.

Episode One of Your Shot offers a look at the selection process, with aspiring DJs traveling from across the United States to Los Angeles to interview with Your Shot creator Steve Pillemer, AM Only booking’s Ben Shprits, DJ Jono Fernandez and Tiësto’s manager, Andrew Goldstone.

“You can teach anyone to mix two records together,” said Fernandez, who will also serve as Your Shot‘s head trainer. “But we’re looking for people who stand out amongst the crowd.”

It’s no easy task: As the judges note, almost everyone speaks vibrantly about their passion for music (and Tiësto, for that matter), but those that stand out include the contestant that used her tax refund to buy a DJ set and a couple that’s forgoing furniture to buy equipment.

One contestant, Mike, a paratrooper in the United States Army, said, “Being overseas away from my family, away from my daughter, music gave me the ability to connect with something else besides waking up every day and being attacked. It puts me in a place of happiness.”

The episode ends with Pillemer, Shprits, Fernandez and Goldstone meticulously selecting the 30 DJs who will move on to the training phase at the Your Shot Training Academy in Los Angeles. From there, six contestants will be selected to head to Las Vegas where they’ll work with Tiësto and other notable DJs on fine-tuning their style and sound.

New episodes of Your Shot will arrive on Vevo every Monday.