“It was an honor to be a part of this team and I can’t wait for the world to watch!””

Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Blake Shelton; Photo Provided

GRAMMY Award winner Gretchen Wilson is bringing her wisdom and talent to the new music CBS reality competition series THE ROAD. Joining hosts Keith Urban and Blake Shelton, Wilson will serve as the show’s “tour manager,” helping guide a group of emerging musicians as they travel across America chasing their dreams.

In this special role, Wilson will offer support, mentorship, and real-world advice, drawing from her own experiences on the road as a touring artist. Along with her tour manager duties, the country music icon will take the stage to deliver her own performance as part of the show.

Reflecting on her new gig, Wilson shares, “Stepping into the role of ‘tour manager’ for THE ROAD has allowed me to take everything I’ve learned over all of my years of touring and pour it right back into these emerging musicians. Helping them sharpen their talents to capture the attention of these crowds across America, and guiding them through the real and raw grind of life on the road, has been a highlight of my career.”

She went on to gush over her fellow country stars as well as Taylor Sheridan, who serves as executive producer alongside Urban and Shelton.

“Working with Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Taylor Sheridan and the rest of the team and our incredible crew was absolutely amazing. It was an honor to be a part of this team and I can’t wait for the world to watch!”

According to Urban, this series is going to be “unlike anything” that anyone has seen before with other competition shows. While the core elements of eliminations and competitiveness remains the same, the concept is completely unique as it offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry.

“The concept of putting artists in a real-world environment versus a TV studio was really appealing to me because I’ve not seen that before, where there’s no vocal coach backstage, there’s no A&R’ing of their songs. They have to choose a cover and they have to choose an original and they’ve got to go out and make that work in front of an audience that isn’t there to see them,” Urban explained to Country Now and other outlets.
The Road – CBS

How the show works is these up-and-comers are put on the stage of a real venue with a real live audience and essentially serve as Keith Urban’s opening acts. Their task is to make a memorable impression on the crowd with just two songs and at the end of each night, the fans will vote to determine who moves on and who will be sent home. The hopeful contestants will be put to the test while learning to tackle the demanding life of an artist on tour.

“Nobody knows who they are. Nobody cares who they are, just like a real club…Blake and I are out in the audience watching all these artists perform. We have a little area we sit in and we make comments throughout the performance. The artist never hears it. people at home are going to get to hear our thoughts, but the audience votes in the club and at the end of the night, somebody’s eliminated. So every city we’re losing an artist and it’s amazing to watch it unfold.”

Fans can catch Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and Gretchen Wilson on THE ROAD, which premieres in fall 2025 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

The series is produced by Lucky Horseshoe Productions with Blake Shelton and Lee Metzger serving as executive producers, 101 Studios with David Glasser serving as executive producer, Bosque Ranch Productions with Taylor Sheridan serving as executive producer and MTV Entertainment Studios. Keith Urban also serves as executive producer for the series.