CMT has ordered a second season of its singing competition series The Singing Bee. The network has greenlit 20 episodes, double the first season order.
New episodes will begin taping in November for premiere in January 2010. Melissa Peterman has also re-signed to host.
The Singing Bee, which tests contestants' knowledge of song lyrics, has been a boon for CMT. Last June's premiere racked up the highest-rated series premiere in the network's history attracting 1.5 million total viewers and 771,000 in the 18-49 demographic, while the finale on Aug. 15 was the second-highest rated episode of the season.
"The Singing Bee is irresistible musical fun and has proven to be an all-around winner for CMT," said CMT President Brian Philips, in a statement. "We were fortunate to find the perfect host in Melissa Peterman, an extraordinarily gifted comedienne, whom our audience has fallen madly in love with."
The Singing Bee is produced by The Gurin Company and JUMA Entertainment. Executive Producers are Phil Gurin and Bob Horowitz.
