This highly entertaining talent show first aired on the fox network from July 17, 2002 to June 26, 2003. It was hosted by Craig "CJ" Jackson, which some will also remember from his stint hosting the Vh1 hit I Love Money. The contestants on 30 Seconds To Fame were only allowed half a minute to show off their talents. There were no single themes like other television talent shows. On 30 Seconds to Fame one could see contortionists, ventriloquists, singers, beat boxers, dancers, and many other talents all on the same stage.

One of the major twists in this show was there were no traditional judges. The audience judged the show using the "Eliminator" scale. They were given a device that allowed them to click red, yellow, or green in order to show how much they enjoyed the act. Once a persons act got too many red marks they were eliminated from the show.

At the end of 30 Seconds to Fame the audience got another chance to vote for their favorite acts. The top three were given another opportunity to take part in a further 30 second act. The ones that were voted the highest were given a cash prize of $25,000.

In January 2011 fox began running re-runs of this short lived series to fill in the spot where Running Wilde was playing after it got cancelled.