NETFLIX aired the highly anticipated live premiere of the Star Search revival on Tuesday night; however, the entire production wasn’t exactly shown in real time, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.

The reboot comes three decades after the original talent competition series ended, featuring a slightly different format and a more modern voting system than before.

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The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that some acts aired on the Star Search revival’s life premiere were pre-tapedCredit: KIT KARZEN/NETFLIX
 

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The show aired on Tuesday night before a live studio audienceCredit: © 2026 Netflix, Inc.
Anthony Anderson played the role of host, filling the shoes of the OG host, Ed McMahon, while Chrissy Teigen, Jelly Roll, and Sarah Michelle Gellar occupied the judge’s chairs.

The show’s comeback had been publicized for weeks, with perhaps its biggest draw being that each episode of the five-week-long series would stream live on Netflix and voting would open immediately after each performance.

However, a production source inside the studio exclusively told The U.S. Sun that the show wasn’t entirely live, despite it being advertised as such.

NOW YOU SEE ME

While most of the performances were in real time, two specific acts were pre-taped a full hour before the show’s airtime.

The pre-taped performances were magicians TJ Salta and Fernando Velasco, who went head-to-head in the variety category.

The insider explained, “Because we experience technical difficulties during rehearsals, we will be pre-shooting these two acts.”

Each act only got one take, and they still performed in front of the judges and the live studio audience, but things didn’t play out the way they appeared onscreen.

While viewers at home saw the judges immediately offer their feedback after each performance, during the taping, the contestants rushed offstage before hearing from the judges, since voting was still done live.

Those in the studio also watched a video of the pre-taped performances at the same time that they aired in the episode.

At the end of each act, live filming resumed, and fans were encouraged to vote for their favorite using their TV remote or the Netflix app.

Among the two magic acts, TJ ended up advancing to the next round after earning a final score of 4.1 stars, compared to Fernando’s 3.2 stars.

LIVE TV BLUNDERS

Viewers were critical of the live show, especially after it suffered numerous technical glitches right out of the gate.

The nearly 90-minute premiere left fans frustrated with Netflix, which seemed ill-prepared for the event, given its “blurry” picture and poor sound quality throughout.

Many were hopeful that the issues would be resolved by Wednesday night’s live show and the four weeks that followed.

The original Star Search debuted in September 1983, ran until 1995, and was briefly revived in the 2000s, launching the careers of many notable celebrities.

Big names such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Dave Chappelle, Norm MacDonald, and Aaliyah all previously competed on the Star Search stage.

The reboot saw a host of new rising talent, though only some made it through to the next round, including young singer Eric Adrien Williams, dance group Movement55, and all-girl musical trio H3RIZON.

Star Search airs live on Netflix on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. PST.

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A production source exclusively revealed to The U.S. Sun that the two magic acts were taped an hour before the live show airedCredit: © 2026 Netflix, Inc.
 

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Magician TJ Salta ended up advancing to the next round after his mind-blowing performanceCredit: Netflix
 

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Star Search airs live on Netflix on Tuesday and Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. PSTCredit: KIT KARZEN/NETFLIX