Former The Voice contestant Lana Love recently spoke out about her experience auditioning for a fake singing competition show on Nathan Fielder’s comedic docuseries The Rehearsal. Love said she spent thousands of dollars on travel to appear on what turned out to be just a social experiment.
The Voice Contestant Speaks Out About The Rehearsal
The Rehearsal is an HBO series in which comedian Nathan Fielder helps people “rehearse” for big moments in life by creating elaborate simulations. In the second season of the series, Fielder attempts to prevent aviation disasters by hiring pilots to serve as judges on a fake singing show called Wings of Voice.
One of the contestants on this fake show was Lana Love, who previously competed on The Voice Season 22. Love told Variety that she learned about the opportunity from her former performing arts school. She apparently flew from New York to Los Angeles three times for the show, spending $5,500. Love, who works as a vocal coach, also reportedly lost out on $4,000 in canceled lessons.
“I signed up to be a singer, not a lab rat,” said Love, who learned that the show was fake just one day before the final taping. She broke a non-disclosure agreement to discuss the experience with Variety, saying that HBO doesn’t “really have ground to stand on.”
Love explained that the show initially had her sign a non-union contract, which allowed her and over 1,000 other contestants to appear on screen without compensation. As Love recalled, “We did not have time to really read the contract or send it to a lawyer or team.”
After making it through her first audition, Love was unexpectedly sent home. A month later, she was asked to return to Los Angeles to compete in the second round of the competition. She was once again told to return home, receiving another invitation back a week later.
For her third taping, Love signed a SAG-AFTRA contract and was paid $1,250 for over 10 hours of rehearsals and a day of filming. The day before the taping, Love pieced together that the show was fake after looking up the names of crew members and realizing they had worked with Fielder in the past.
Love told her fellow contestants what was going on, speaking to them in bathrooms and dressing rooms to avoid hidden cameras. She also drafted a letter to the production team, but chose not to send it after a fellow contestant emotionally expressed that the show “could still be my big break.” Love went through with the final taping and was eliminated.
“I’ve been through a lot in my time. I put in my 10,000 hours, and I felt like there wasn’t a basic human respect for people who have devoted their lives to art,” Love said of her experience. She added that she has “no resentment” toward Fielder, saying, “I’m not sure if he’s a psychopath or a genius.”
After The Rehearsal, Love is back to making original music, having just put out a new song called “Antidote” with an accompanying music video. She also plans to release a new album in the coming months.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
