Cassadee Pope, Jana Kramer Go Head to Head on Fox’s ‘Name That Tune’
Cassadee Pope and Jana Kramer face off in the newest episode of Fox's Name That Tune, the latest revitalization of the classic music-themed game show that originally aired in the 1950s and ran intermittently through the '70s and '80s.
The show's current format pits two celebrities against each other, as they compete to identify snippets of popular songs being played by a house band. Stars from all corners of the entertainment industry have participated in the show, but Kramer and Pope both hail from the country music world, and they hint that their episode will feature some more country-leaning musical selections. Though it might seem like that gives them an edge, the two singers agree that wasn't the case.
"I don't think so," Pope told Taste of Country ahead of the episode's air date. "... I think this goes for Jana, too, but I'm a fan of all kinds of music, so focusing on just one genre, I think that it was harder. Because it was one category amongst, you know, all the ones that we love."
"I agree 1000 percent. It was very hard," Kramer says, nodding.
Name That Tune is one of those Wheel of Fortunate-esque shows where half the fun of watching is yelling the correct answer at the TV as the contestant struggles to find it. Pope and Kramer have been on both sides of that screen now, and they can attest to the fact that competing on a game show is much harder than it looks.
"It's so easy to go, 'Ugh, how could they not think of that?!' But when you're in the moment and you've got lights and you've got the camera — you've got that added pressure," Kramer explains. "It's a lot harder than people think it is!"
Plus, they were jet-lagged: This season of Name That Tune filmed in Dublin, Ireland, and Pope and Kramer flew in to shoot their scenes, with Kramer landing the very same day they filmed. For both contestants, getting to sight-see in Dublin was a major perk of filming their episode.
"I landed the day before Jana did, and my publicist and I walked around, went to [a famous] bar ... we did some afternoon tea at the hotel because that's my favorite thing ever, and then went and explored once Jana got in, too," Pope explains.
"One of my main things was like, 'Alright, if I'm doing this, I want a full day to go see Ireland,'" Kramer adds. "So me and my best friend went, and we went to the Cliffs of Moher, we went to Galway .... and Cassadee and I went to a park, and saw some castles. We definitely wanted to make the most of that day, and we got to see a lot of stuff."
Pope and Kramer's episode of Name That Tune airs on Tuesday night (Apr. 19) on Fox. The show is hosted by actor Jane Krakowski, and powerhouse producer Randy Jackson is the leader of the house band. In addition to Pope and Kramer, the show features two more contestants: Tituss Burgess, who is Krakowski's co-star on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and former Spice Girl Mel B.
Each of the four celebrity contestants played to raise money for the charity of their choice. Kramer opted to support Safe Horizon, an organization that provides relief for abuse victims, including women and children escaping domestic abuse. Meanwhile, Pope is playing for Creative Waves Foundation, a nonprofit hailing from her home state of Florida that supports aspiring musicians who don't have the financial means to pursue their interests.
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