MTV readies for the launch of Roadies X2

Starting January 24, the twelfth edition of the reality show will air every Saturday at 7 pm.Presented by Hero, Roadies X2 will be 'powered by' Vivo Smartphone.

MTV India, the youth entertainment channel from Viacom18 stable, is gearing for the launch of the twelfth season of its reality property, 'Roadies'.

The show that was earlier judged by Raghu Ram and Rajiv will witness three new judges along with an old Roadie, Ranvijay Singh. Vijender Singh, Esha Deol and Karan Kundra will don the hats of the judges of Roadies X2.

Starting January 24, the twelfth edition of the reality show will air every Saturday at 7 pm. Presented by Hero, Roadies X2 will be 'powered by' Vivo Smartphone. This year the contestants will ride on Karizma ZMR.

The four judges will also be called the 'gang leaders'. This time around, audiences will get to see participants not just competing against each other to become the ultimate 'Roadie', but will compete in gangs. Each 'gang leader' will pick five participants for their own gang. These gangs, and the gang leaders, will then compete against each other through a series of tasks to eliminate each other from the show. The gang leader and the gang member that stays through the end, winning the maximum number of tasks will be adjudged as the winner of MTV Hero Roadies X2.

The channel held auditions for this season of the cult youth reality show in four cities - Pune, Kolkata, Delhi and Chandigarh in the month of December. The show will start with the telecast of the auditions, post which the journey for Roadies X2 will begin in early Feb as the gangs ride along the scenic route from the holiest place in India, Varanasi to the birthplace of the Ganges in Nepal.

Aditya Swamy, EVP and business head, MTV India shares that the channel is not just changing the format this season but is ripping it wide open. "Each personality we have got this time for the show have their own fan following and brand value that they stand for. We are looking at brand new audiences through these people along with the core Roadies audience."

In addition to the new judges and introduction of 'gangs' in the format, the channel is giving liberty to the contestants too to choose which gang he wants to be a part of. Having said that, the basic essence of the show remains the same as it aims at "bringing out the roadie within you, the hero within you," Swamy adds.

Roadies X2 will see participation of 20 contestants (five members in each of the four gangs) and will air for 17 episodes.

As mentioned by the company, while Rannvijay Singh will look for people with discipline, Vijender Singh is on the lookout for people who are all heart. Kundra's focus is on grabbing the best strategists while Deol wants people with their eye on the prize.

MTV Hero Roadies X2 is being supported by a 360 degree promotion plan which includes an extensive online leg, PR activations, on-ground events and much more.

As in the earlier seasons, the uncensored scenes of the auditions or the journey will be uploaded on the show's webpage.