US5

US5 were one in a long line of boy bands (Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, O-Town) managed by impresario Lou Pearlman. Pearlman assembled the group in conjunction with the reality series Big in America, which premiered on German television network RTL 2 in 2005. With an international membership roster, US5 entered the Top Ten in Austria and Czechoslovakia with their debut single, "Maria." Their 2005 debut album, Here We Go, was also a blockbuster, buoyed by several follow-up singles, and the 2006 sophomore effort In Control returned US5 to the upper reaches of the German charts via singles "In the Club" and "One Night with You." However, the band was forced to put things on hold in 2007 when Pearlman's years of fraudulent investments landed him in jail. ~ Jason Ankeny