'American Idol's' Randy Jackson and VH1 Give Stars an 'Aptitude Test' on New Series

Tony Duran/FOX

American Idol’s Randy Jackson is taking celebrities down a different road on his new VH1 reality series. Under the working title, Aptitude Test, the new series will see how stars would have fared if they had never found fame.

PHOTOS: VH1's Do Something Awards 2011: Hollywood Talks Charity on the Blue Carpet

“Are we where we should be? Are we doing what we should be doing? Everybody wonders these things…even celebrities,” Jackson says. “The show is a fun look at what could have been.”

Each week on the new reality series, a celebrity will take one of those aptitude tests our high school guidance counselors administered to find out what their “rightful calling” is. They’ll then disguise themselves while they train on the job to see how they do. And then at the end of the show, the stars will tell their bosses and coworkers who they really are.

“We immediately loved this idea from Randy Jackson as it hits all the right notes for us – celebrities, real-life experiences and good storytelling,” says VH1’s Original Programming and Production EVP Jeff Olde. “We get to dive in with a celebrity and learn what their ‘day job’ might have been had the star thing not worked out. But the heart and humor of the show is following the celebrities on that real life journey as they train in a new craft and ultimately get to reveal their true identities to the people training them.”

PHOTOS: VH1's Do Something Awards: On the Blue Carpet and Inside the Show

The one-hour series will debut next year. Randy Jackson’s production company, Merchant 21 Entertainment (America’s Best Dance Crew) and Shed Media (Basketball Wives) are co-producing the series. It will be executive produced by Dream Merchant 21 Entertainment’s Jackson, Abe Hoch, Harriet Sternberg and Joel A. Morgan. Executive producing for Shed Media are Nick Emmerson, Alex Demyanenko, and Jennifer O’Connell with VH1 exec producers Jill Holmes, Tom Huffman and Olde.

VH1 also recently picked up the reality series, House of Consignment, starring fashion entrepreneur Corri McFadden and her team at a high end Chicago consignment store.

Email: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com; Twitter: @TheRealJethro

RELATED:

VH1 Greenlights Reality Series Starring Celebrity Stylist June Ambrose

VH1’s ‘Big Morning Buzz Live’ Returns October 17 (Exclusive)

More VH1 Coverage on THR