Sunday Best

The first 10 of 20 hopefuls sing their hearts out for our celebrity judges in order to land a score that will propel them to the final top 10. At the end, the top 5 are revealed but can't celebrate just yet because their fate still hangs in the balance.

The remaining 10 of 20 hopefuls will audition for their lives and a shot to move on to the main competition. At the end of the night, the 10 contestants with the highest scores will advance to the Sunday Best stage & the remainder of the competition.

In the first challenge, the contestants are divided into pairs to battle it out vocally on the same song, each singing a different verse. After each duel, the judges will declare a winner who will be safe from the night's double elimination.

All 8 competitors will take a popular R&B song and remix it with a gospel twist. They'll hit the stage and perform their newly transformed song before our judges.

Each contestant will perform a song from a classic gospel movie scene. Dressed in full costume as their respective characters, the competitors will be performing in front of set pieces, vibrant screens and onstage extras...bringing their scene to life.

The 6 remaining hopefuls will tackle an unforgettable track from the Aretha songbook and her gospel roots. At the end of the night, when everyone has paid homage to the Queen, one of our contestants will be riding on the freeway of love and going home.

Our 5 hopefuls take the stage backed by the award-winning New Direction Gospel Choir of Tennessee State University. In the vein of great choir soloists, our singers compete to harness the power of the choir to launch their performances to new heights.

This week, we're taking the 4 contestants back to where it all began... the church. The 5 competitors will travel to a local church and perform in front the congregation. They will then perform a traditional hymn live on stage.

A close family member surprises each contestant and assists in choosing a personal song. Then the competitors hit the studio with Makeba Riddick-Woods to pen an original song. At the end, one is eliminated and viewer voting commenced.

This will be an unforgettable night of fun with our final 2 contestants, Kirk, the judges and an array of special guests as we conclude the series with an all-star gospel celebration. And of course, we will announce the winner of Sunday Best Season 9!