R U the Girl

{{Infobox television

|image = TLC-RUTheGirl.jpg

|image_size = 250

|caption = Title screen

|genre = Reality competition

|director = {{ubl|Tony Sacco|Jeff Margolis (live finale)}}

|presenter = Ryan Devlin (live finale)

|judges = {{ubl|Tionne Watkins|Rozonda Thomas}}

|theme_music_composer = {{ubl|Richard Butler|Melvin Coleman|Rozonda Thomas|Tionne Watkins}}

|composer = Craig Owens

|opentheme = "I Bet", performed by TLC

|country = United States

|language = English

|num_seasons = 1

|num_episodes = 9

|executive_producer = {{ubl|Jay Blumenfield|Tony Marsh|Rozonda Thomas|Tionne Watkins|Laurie Girion|Bill Diggins|Adam Freeman (live finale)}}

|producer = {{ubl|Kristine Augustyn|Sean M. Kelly|Richard Martinez|Tom Boles}}

|editor = {{ubl|Patrick Fraser|Paul Frazier}}

|runtime = 60 minutes

|company = {{ubl|The Jay & Tony Show|R U The Girl Productions}}

|channel = UPN

|first_aired = {{Start date|2005|07|27}}

|last_aired = {{End date|2005|09|21}}

}}

R U the Girl (also known as R U the Girl with T-Boz and Chilli) is an American reality television music competition series that aired on UPN in 2005. The series featured Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, the remaining members of the all-girl R&B group TLC whose former member, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, died in a car crash in Honduras in 2002. Initially promoted by the network as a contest to replace Lopes 3 years after her death, both Watkins and Thomas clarified that the winner of the contest would not be joining TLC full-time and would not be a full-time replacement member; the winner would only provide guest vocals on a new single by the duo.{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7500830/tlc_will_not_be_three|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828023950/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7500830/tlc_will_not_be_three|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 28, 2009|title=TLC Will Not Be Three |last=Levitan |first=Corey |date=2005-07-22 |publisher=rollingstone.com |access-date=2009-04-17}}

Synopsis

On June 25, 2004, Tionne Watkins and Rozonda Thomas announced that they were pitching a reality television show that was eventually picked up for development by UPN. The casting tour for the series began on February 5, 2005 in Los Angeles, with tour stops in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Miami.{{cite web|url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/upn-r-u-girl-with-t-boz-&-chilli-begins-casting-call-tour-3221.php|title=UPN's 'R U The Girl With T-Boz & Chilli' begins casting call tour |last=Rogers |first=Steve |date=2005-01-31 |publisher=realitytvworld.com |access-date=2009-04-17}} After the semifinalists were selected, they were each judged on their ability to sing by Watkins and Thomas. Filming for the main episodes concluded on April 26, 2005.{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117927760.html?categoryid=32&cs=1|title=R U the Girl With T-Boz & Chilli |last=Gallo |first=Phil |date=2005-07-26 |publisher=variety.com |access-date=2009-04-17}}

The program aired nine episodes, with seven episodes being the main episodes, the eighth episode being an overview of the series and original TLC home videos, and the ninth being the series finale. The episodes' names are also puns based on TLC's songs. The finale episode was aired live and featured the final two contestants O'so Krispie and Mirrah Fay-Parker.{{cite web|url=http://www.unratedmagazine.com/Document.cfm?Page=Articles/index.cfm&Article_ID=267|title=Mirrah: An Interview with Mirrah from UPN's R U The Girl with T-Boz and Chili |last=Newell |first=Stefanie |publisher=unratedmagazine.com |access-date=2009-04-17}} Krispie (Tiffany Baker), a 20-year-old choreographer from Atlanta, was ultimately chosen as the winner and performed the single "I Bet" with Watkins and Thomas on the series finale.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20050922upn03|title=O'SO KRISPIE IS CHOSEN AS THE GIRL IN "R U THE GIRL WITH T-BOZ & CHILLI" |date=2005-02-09 |publisher=thefutoncritic.com |access-date=2009-04-17}}

Episodes

class="wikitable" ! Episode # !! Episode title !! Original airdate !! Viewers (millions)
1-1	"No Scrubs in New York City"	July 27, 2005	2.69{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053602/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=August 3, 2005\|page=E11\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-2	"T-Boz & Chilli Get CrazySexyCool in Miami"	August 3, 2005	2.49{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053630/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=August 10, 2005\|page=E10\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-3	"Baby-Baby-Baby, We're in Los Angeles"	August 10, 2005	2.47{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053648/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=August 17, 2005\|page=E11\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-4	"What About Your Friends in Atlanta?"	August 17, 2005	2.48{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053664/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=August 24, 2005\|page=E12\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-5	"Whoop De Whoo, It's Girl Talk"	August 24, 2005	2.76{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053696/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=August 31, 2005\|page=E12\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-6	"Unpretty No More"	August 31, 2005	2.81{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053740/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=September 9, 2005\|page=E30\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-7	"Chasin' Waterfalls"	September 7, 2005	2.76{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053766/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=September 14, 2005\|page=E12\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-8	"Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg for More"	September 14, 2005	2.98{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053790/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=September 21, 2005\|page=E10\|via=Newspapers.com}}
1-9	"You are the Girl"	September 21, 2005	4.09{{cite news\|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78053810/the-los-angeles-times/\|title=Prime-Time TV Rankings\|newspaper=Los Angeles Times\|date=September 28, 2005\|page=E11\|via=Newspapers.com}}

"I Bet"

{{Infobox song

| name = I Bet

| cover = I Bet.jpg

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = TLC featuring O'so Krispie

| album = Now & Forever: The Hits

| released = {{Start date|2005|10|25}}

| recorded = 2005

| studio = {{ubl|J Studio, Atlanta, Georgia|Patchwerk Recordings, Atlanta, Georgia}}

| venue =

| genre = {{hlist|Hip hop|R&B}}

| length = 3:23

| label = Arista

| writer = {{hlist|Richard "Rico Love" Butler|Melvin Coleman|Rozonda Thomas|Tionne Watkins|O'so Krispie (uncredited)}}

| producer = Melvin "Saint Nick" Coleman

| chronology = TLC

| prev_title = Come Get Some

| prev_year = 2003

| next_title = Let's Just Do It

| next_year = 2009

}}

"I Bet" is a song by American girl group TLC. It was written by band members Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas along with Rico Love and Melvin "Saint Nick" Coleman, with production helmed by the latter. The uptempo track features rapper O'so Krispie, the winner of R U the Girl, a 2005 UPN reality show whose purpose was to find a singer that would record a song with TLC.

Before Krispie was announced as the winner of the show, she and fellow finalist and eventual runner up Mirrah Fay-Parker each recorded separate versions of the song, each contributing backing vocals and a rap that they had composed themselves. However, despite the Krispie version being released as a single, Krispie's songwriting contributions are uncredited on the single.

The resulting track was titled "I Bet," which was commercially released as a single in October 2005. The physical CD single sold 2,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, while the digital download of the song has moved over 4,000. The record was later added to the digital reissue of TLC's compilation album Now & Forever: The Hits.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/58342/ask-billboard|title=Ask Billboard: Answers to readers' questions about Pet Shop Boys, TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and a pop-leaning LeAnn Rimes|publisher=Billboard.com|access-date=2013-10-06}}

= Track listing =

;Digital download

"I Bet" – 3:23

=Credits and personnel=

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Now & Forever: The Hits.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-bet-mw0000673319/credits|title=R U the Girl, I Bet|publisher=Allmusic|access-date=2013-10-06}}

Songwriting – Richard Butler, Melvin Coleman, Rozonda Thomas, Tionne Watkins, O'so Krispie (uncredited)
Production – Melvin "Saint Nick" Coleman
Mixing – Leslie Brathwaite, Carlton Lynn
Engineering – Kori Anders, Wyatt Coleman
Mastering – Chaz Harper