Boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync fought hard to be perceived as musicians rather than manufactured product assembled by record executives. O-Town didn't have to worry about that, as the group's entire formation was chronicled in the ABC reality series Making the Band in 2000. The brainchild of teen-pop Svengali Lou Pearlman (former manager of the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync), Making the Band offered viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a boy band, from the singers' first audition to the signing of their first record deal.

The program started with a cattle call of over 1,800 applicants. With television cameras rolling, the group was pared down to 25 contestants, then down to eight, then down to the final five members. After months of auditions, Pearlman and his team of vocal/dance instructors selected the line up and the group was quickly signed to a record deal by former Arista kingpin Clive Davis and released a debut album, Liquid Dreams, in 2001. Cameras continued rolling throughout the whole process, capturing the boys' career with two more seasons of Making the Band.

O-Town scored two Top 10 hits with their first album, which sold over three million copies worldwide.