During the preliminary period 40,000 participants tried out for a spot in the group but Diddy narrowed it down to six artists. For several weeks the group was subjected to vigorous and sometime demeaning tasks, including walking from midtown Manhattan to Brooklyn to purchase a Junior's cheesecake for Diddy, and Ness' battle with Harlem rapper Jae Millz. The group's story was documented by three seasons of MTV's Making the Band 2 reality series. Their debut album, Too Hot for TV, was released in September 2003.