BET's Hit Gospel Singing Competition SUNDAY BEST Hits the Road Again in Search of The Next Great Gospel Super Star

Season Three of SUNDAY BEST to Make National Stops in Detroit, New Orleans and Philadelphia

NEW YORK, Feb. 16 -- Premiering on Easter Sunday, April 4, BET's hit singing competition, SUNDAY BEST returns for a third season of higher praise and tougher competition. Hosted by gospel legend Kirk Franklin, the new season welcomes gospel recording artists, Pastor Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams to the stellar team of judges including returning multi-award winning siblings Erica and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary. And if the U.S. talent pool wasn't enough, SUNDAY BEST kicked off the 10-week competition by venturing to Lagos, Nigeria in West Africa for the first ever international auditions.

U.S. auditions will begin on February 20 in Detroit and conclude on March 6 in Philadelphia. SUNDAY BEST season three U.S. auditions will be open to contestants age 18 and older who have government issued forms of identification. Doors to the venue will open at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 12 noon.

In addition to the coveted title of SUNDAY BEST, the winner of season three will receive prizes from the Ford Motor Company, General Mills and Nationwide Insurance. Other brands integrated into the series include Walgreens, Design Essentials and Unilever's Degree Brand. SUNDAY BEST season three will tape the stage portion of the show at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

2010 SUNDAY BEST AUDITION CITIES, DATES AND LOCATIONS:

DETROIT

When: February 20, 8 a.m. - noon

Where: COBO Center 1 Washington Blvd., Detroit, MI 48226

NEW ORLEANS

When: February 27, 8 a.m. - noon

Where: Ernest M. Morial Convention Center 900 Convention Center Boulevard New Orleans, LA 70130-1799

PHILADELPHIA

When: March 6, 8 a.m. - noon

Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center One Convention Center Place 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

For up-to-the-minute information, footage and photos on SUNDAY BEST, please visit www.bet.com.

About BET Networks BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. ( VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. BET reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.