Todd Sarvies of John Boy's Courage, a finalist of "P. Diddy's StarMaker"

The latest St. Louis performer making his way into the reality-show realm is Todd Sarvies of local band John Boy’s Courage.

He’s one of 14 finalists on “P. Diddy’s StarMaker,” where the music mogul is shaping his next star.

Producers of “StarMaker” came to Blueberry Hill last August looking for talent, and Sarvies stood in line for six hours to get his shot.

“I’ve never been the kind of guy to think about auditioning for an ‘American Idol’ kind of thing,” says Sarvies, who looks tailor-made for a televised talent contest.

“I’ve been doing this indie music thing for a long time, making CDs and driving around the country performing, and this seemed like an opportunity to expand my horizons, build a fan base. I’d rather be on MTV in front of millions than in clubs in front of a handful.”

Sarvies performed Radiohead’s “High and Dry” and his original song “Indian Summer” during auditions, which included one in New York in front of Diddy and fellow producer Mark Burnett.

Sarvies says it was hard to get a read on Diddy.

“It was impossible to tell if he thought I did good or bad,” Sarvies says of Diddy. “He was just stone-faced.”

But Diddy did ask Sarvies whether he listens to rap and how he would react to living in a house with strangers.

Filming has wrapped, and the winner has been determined. Sarvies, of course, is mum on how things turned out.

Sarvies says he would love to be on Diddy’s Bad Boy label, though he says he doesn’t listen to much R&B and hip-hop. But just getting to be on the show has been a rush.

“Whatever happens, happens. The worst-case scenario is I go back to doing what I was doing,” he says, referring to John Boy’s Courage, which has been “laying low, waiting for the show to air.”

“P. Diddy’sStarMaker” debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday on MTV.