Paula Abdul Facing Off Against Idol. Nice Knowing Ya!

Live to Dance slated to premiere this January with a permanent home on Wednesday nights, pitting it in direct competition with her old show

By Gina Serpe Oct 29, 2010 7:45 PMTags
Ryan Seacrest, Paula AbdulE! Entertainment/Brett Panelli; James Diddick/Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com

Well, that answers that question. With a "no."

Putting the friendly back into competition, CBS revealed this week that it has decided when it will air Paula Abdul's new dance-competition show, Live to Dance: directly against American Idol.

Those programmers must have some sense of humor.

Abdul's reality show looks like it will face off against the most popular show in the country when it debuts early next year. Here's where things stand:

Live to Dance kicks off with a two-hour special Jan. 4 before moving to its regular hourlong slot Wednesdays, starting Jan. 5.

And while Fox has technically not yet announced the premiere dates for its midseason replacements, you can set your calendars to the fact that the now Simon-less Idol typically debuts in the second week of January and commandeers Tuesday and Wednesday nights, meaning after a one-week grace period, the old friends and new foes will most likely be facing off.

Abdul would have a slight upper hand in terms of drawing people in, as her show will air at 8:30 p.m., to Idol's 9:00 p.m.

Yeah, this is going to get interesting. May the best reality show win.