La Academia USA
La Academia USA is the first musical reality show with only Hispanic contestants launched by Azteca America in October 2005. The auditions were done nationwide and a total of 30 people were chosen to go to Mexico where they would have to spend a week working hard and showing all of what they had inside to be chosen to the final 18.
The first La Academia USA concert was on November 20, 2005.
A week before the first concert, there was a special show that lasted two hours. In that show, footage from the auditions was shown. At the end, 12 of the 30 were eliminated leaving the lucky 18 that Azteca America had chosen to become the first generation of La Academia USA.
One of the participants was Michael Muenchow, who was previously on Telemundo's song-based reality show Nuevas Voces De America in 2005; he was one of the 18 selected. Michael lives in San Antonio, Texas and made it to the top 13 final singers, before being expelled. His vote off was one of the results that caused the most uproar among viewers and the teachers alike. This was also true for the premature elimination, in the eleventh concert, of Diana, whom many thought would become the winner of La Academia USA for her great voice, big popularity among the public and the good comments by the critics.
After three months of competition La Academia USA came to an end, crowning Mariana Vargas as winner of the Latin Reality Show. As the winner and runner-up, Mariana and Gustavo respectively received contracts with Warner Music for the release of an album.
After the show ended and after the cancellation of the highly anticipated "La Academia Hot-Tour" many of the ex-students of La Academia USA, including Michael, Diana, Frankie, Fatimat, Jazmin, Alex ("El Chino") and Nohelia were called back to continue singing together for their fans across the United States. Among other projects is the formation of a band by joining the voices of Ivannkie, Adán, Catalina and Heloisa.
Being a Latin American event and taking place in an ethnically diverse country, La Academia USA featured participants born in different Latin countries, or at least with Latin roots being born in the United States. Here are some countries where most come from: Mexico, Venezuela, Honduras, Colombia, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Brazil.
Frankie Alvarado in 2007 Frankie participated in a duet with Spanish Pop rock singer Diana Mera; the song is called "20 Pedacitos".
Participants (2005–2006)
Winner
- Blanca Mariana Vargas Grajeda
Finalists
- 2nd place: Gustavo Alfonso Amezcua Fuentes
- 3rd place: Nohelia María Sosa Guerrero
- 4th place: Afid Ferrer Ávalos
- 5th place: Yoshigei Cázares Silva
Eliminated
- Jazmín Olivo Ceballos
- Francisco Alvarado Rivera (Frankie)
- Adán Castillo
- Iván Quiñonez (ivannkie)
- Diana Galindo Martínez
- Heloisa Alves
- Catalina Naranjo
- Michael Anthony Muenchow
- Gabriel Juan Rodríguez Policastro
- Alejandro Hernández López (El Chino)
- Carlos Soto García
- Bianca Filio Martínez
- Fatimat Aihassan Villanueva
Order of expulsion
| Order | Concert 1 | Concert 2 | Concert 3 | Concert 4 | Concert 5 | Concert 7 | Concert 8 | Concert 9 | Concert 10 | Concert 11 | Concert 12 | Concert 13 | Concert 14 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Adan | Afid | Afid | Mariana | |
| 2 | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Afid | Frankie | Gustavo | Gustavo | |
| 3 | Alejandro | Alejandro | Alejandro | Alejandro | Catalina | Catalina | Catalina | Diana | Diana | Frankie | Frankie | Gustavo | Mariana | Nohelia | |
| 4 | Bianca | Bianca | Carlos | Catalina | Diana | Diana | Diana | Frankie | Frankie | Gustavo | Gustavo | Jazmin | Nohelia | Afid | |
| 5 | Carlos | Carlos | Catalina | Diana | Frankie | Frankie | Frankie | Gustavo | Gustavo | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Yoshigei | Yoshigei | |
| 6 | Catalina | Catalina | Diana | Frankie | Gabriel | Gustavo | Gustavo | Heloisa | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Nohelia | Jazmin | ||
| 7 | Diana | Diana | Frankie | Gabriel | Gustavo | Heloisa | Heloisa | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Frankie | ||
| 8 | Fatimat | Frankie | Gabriel | Gustavo | Heloisa | Ivan | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Adan | |||
| 9 | Frankie | Gabriel | Gustavo | Heloisa | Ivan | Jazmin | Jazmin | Mariana | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Ivan | ||||
| 10 | Gabriel | Gustavo | Heloisa | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Mariana | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Diana | |||||
| 11 | Gustavo | Heloisa | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Michael | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Heloisa | ||||||
| 12 | Heloisa | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Michael | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Catalina | |||||||
| 13 | Ivan | Jazmin | Mariana | Michael | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Michael | ||||||||
| 14 | Jazmin | Mariana | Michael | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Gabriel | |||||||||
| 15 | Mariana | Michael | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Alejandro | ||||||||||
| 16 | Michael | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Carlos | |||||||||||
| 17 | Nohelia | Yoshigei | Bianca | ||||||||||||
| 18 | Yoshigei | Fatimat | |||||||||||||
- The contestant was expelled
- The contestant won the competition
- The contestant was a runner-up
Heloisa Alves was an anchor for the sports show Los Protagonistas a Nivel mundial for TV AZTECA AMERICA during the 2006 Soccer World Cup, and she won the Miss Brazil USA contest on November 2007. Heloisa has recorded commercials for Bally Total Fitness, and she has done publicity for Cingular Wireless.
| Desarrollo del Concurso del Primer Academia USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lugar | Participante | 2005-11-20 | 2005-11-27 | 2005-12-04 | 2005-12-11 | 2005-12-18 | 2005-12-25 | 2006-01-01 | 2006-01-08 | 2006-01-15 | 2006-01-22 | 2006-01-29 | 2006-02-05 | 2006-02-12 | 2006-02-19 | 2006-02-26 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Mariana | Viveme | Mexico en la piel | Acariciame | Nunca voy a olvidarte | Devorame otra vez | Without you | Si tu no estás aquí | La trampa | Ay amor | Oye mi canto | Me asusta pero me gusta y Odio amarte | Quien eres tu y A quien le importa | Paloma negra y Caraluna | Si nos dejan, Dame una señal y Cheque en blanco | Paloma negra y Mentira | ||||||||||
| 2 | Gustavo | Mi credo | Mujeres divinas | Noviembre sin ti | Es mejor decir adiós | La copa de la vida | La cosa mas bella | Aire | El triste | Baila morena | Pedro Navajas | La camisa negra y El baile del perrito | Juliana y Lo que paso, paso | La planta y Aca entre nos | Que de raro tiene, Yo no fui y Muchacha triste | Mujeres divinas y Al final | ||||||||||
| 3 | Nohelia | Viveme | En el ultimo lugar del mundo | Amar sin ser amada | Con los años que me quedan | Regresa a mí | Amanecí otra vez | Innocente pobre amiga | Eternamente bella | Te quedo grande la yegua | Es demasiado tarde | Como olvidar y Odio amarte | Rata de dos patas y A quien le importa | Aprendere y Cosas del amor | No hace falta, Entra en mi vida y Cheque en blanco | Te quedo grande la yegua y Que ganas de no verte nunca mas | ||||||||||
| 4 | Afid | Pasion | Mexico lindo y querido | A chillar a otra parte | Amor eterno | Aun sigues siendo mía | Ave maría | Bamboleo | Secreto de amor | Salome | La Bamba | Volvere y El baile del perrito | Canta corazon y Lo que paso, paso | Y to do para que y Aca entre nos | La puerta negra, Yo no fui y Muchacha triste | La Bamba y Cuando yo quería ser grande | ||||||||||
| 5 | Yoshigei | Could i have this kiss forever? | Besame Mucho | Costumbres | Algo mas | Falsas esperanzas | Cucurucucu paloma | La differencia | amor a la mexicana | Bidi bidi bombom | Llegar a ti | Listen to your heart y Odio amarte | Cómo se cura una herida y A quien le importa | Sin el y Cosas del amor | Mentiras, Entra en mi vida y Cheque en blanco | Llegar a ti y I will always love you | ||||||||||
| 6 | Frankie | Rock around the clock | Visa por un sueño | El alma en pie | Para tu amor | A gritos de esperanza | María | Bujería | Mi dulce niña | Corazón Partío | Llorare las penas | En mi viejo San Juan y El baile del perrito | Esta ausencia y Lo que paso, paso | Me va extrañar y Azul | Perdoname, Dame una señal y Muchacha triste | |||||||||||
| 7 | Jazmin | Tres gotas de agua bendita | Bandolero | Hacer el amor con otro | Piensa en mí | Ese hombre | Tu eres mi luz | A que no le cuentas | Lluvia | Que le den candela | Basta ya | A mi manera y Odio amarte | Burbujas de amor y A quien le importa | Es ella más que yo y Caraluna | Ten cuidado con el corazon, Entra en mi vida y Cheque en blanco | |||||||||||
| 8 | Adan | Could i have this kiss forever? | Have i told you lately that i love you | A puro dolor | No te preocupes por mí | Usted se me llevo la vida | I want it that away | Dímelo | otro días mas sin verte | Sirena | No me quiero enamorar | Mi bombon y El baile del perrito | Eres mi verdad y Lo que paso, paso | Baby I love your way y Azul | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Ivan | Nobody wants to be lonely | Valio la pena | Tocando fondo | Angel | Lamento boliviano | No podras | TBC | Ahora quien | Te amo | Princesa tibetana | Te buscaría y El baile del perrito | Suave y Lo que paso, paso | |||||||||||||
| 10 | Diana | Pasion | Quien como tu | Echame a mi la culpa | No se si es amor | Cuando baja la marea | Vive y llora | Sola con mi soledad | Así fue | Como hemos cambiado | No me enseñaste | Muriendo lento y Odio amarte | ||||||||||||||
| 11 | Heloisa | Nada fue un error | Hijo de la luna | Cuentame | Mía | Tomalo suave | Candela | A cada paso que doy | Ave maría | I love rock and roll | La chica de Ipanema | |||||||||||||||
| 12 | Catalina | Nobody wants to be lonely | Hasta el fin del mundo | Killing me softly | No me queda mas | Daría | Que bello | Pero me acuerdo de ti | Ven conmigo | |||||||||||||||||