‘Power Rangers’ actor sent home on ‘Building the Band’

Blame it on Lord Zedd: Power Rangers alum Chance Perez was one of the first contestants sent home during the premiere of Netflix’s new reality singing series, Building the Band.

The actor and singer — who starred as Javi Garcia/the Black Ranger in Power Rangers Dino Fury and Power Rangers Cosmic Fury — failed to secure five votes from his fellow contestants in order to continue on in the competition after he delivered a rocky rendition of Shawn Mendes’ 2017 hit, “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.”

While Perez didn’t highlight his Power Rangers connection on the show, the 26-year-old father of two did reveal that he was a member of two different boy bands in the past. One of his previous projects was In Real Life, a five-member group that was put together on ABC’s aptly-titled 2017 series, Boy Band.

After releasing a handful of singles, In Real Life announced that they were going their separate ways in 2020 — but Perez wasn’t quite ready to give up on his childhood dream. 

“I loved being in a band with other people who have the same passion as I do,” he explained prior to his performance. “That’s something that I really want to be a part of again, so that’s why I’m here.” 

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Taking a page from Love is Blind, Building the Band tasks its aspiring singers with creating bands without meeting face-to-face. Instead, the hopefuls are all enclosed in their own respective cubicles that allow them to listen to each other’s auditions and buzzers to confirm their interest in potentially forming a band together. 

Perez’s nervous performance, however, raised some technical alarm bells among the other contestants. “He’s slipping off pitch a little bit, but I like his tone,” one noted. A second participant added, “I’m not hearing a lot of control.” 

And a third admitted, “I didn’t really hear a confident singer.”

When asked by host AJ McLean to share his thoughts on his audition, Perez confessed that it wasn’t the “best performance” that he could’ve delivered. He continued, “I felt like I was screaming the notes instead of singing them.” 

The Backstreet Boys star explained that in order to remain in the competition, Perez needed at least five additional singers to want to create a band with him. “I’m so sorry buddy, but you only got three likes,” McLean said. “That’s not enough to carry you on in the competition. I am so, so sorry. Chance, I’m afraid it’s your time to go home.”

Perez appeared visibly emotional in an interview after his elimination. “That wasn’t the best portrayal of my voice, so… it’s hard,” he said, wiping tears away from his eyes. “I want to be singing music for the rest of my life, but it didn’t work out, you know?”

After his departure, a photo of Chance was sent to the rest of the contestants. “I had Chance in my likes!” one contestant exclaimed. Another added, “I could see him in a boy band, you know? He’s got the look!”

Building the Band releases new episodes Wednesdays on Netflix.