- Idols (South Africa)
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Idols South Africa 
Format Interactive talent show
Reality showCreated by Simon Fuller Presented by ProVerb (2010-present) Judges Randall Abrahams (2002-present)
Unathi Msengana (2011-present)
Gareth Cliff (2003–present)Country of origin South Africa No. of seasons 7 Production company(s) MultiChoice
FremantleMedia
19 TelevisionDistributor FremantleMedia Enterprises & MNet Broadcast Original channel MNet (English Seasons)
KykNet (Afrikaanse Season)Original run June 11, 2002 – present External links Website Idols is a television show on the South African television network M-Net, based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show is a contest to determine the best young singer in South Africa.
It was presented by Candy Litchfield and Matthew Stewardson in Season 1. Halfway through the season Stewardson was replaced by Sami Sabiti. After Colin Moss and Letoya Makhene hosted together in Season 2, Moss went solo for season 3. Liezl van der Westhuizen became the host in season 4 and was sidekicked by ProVerb in season 5 who hosted the semifinal rounds.
In 2006 the show had a spin-off on sister channel KykNet where exactly the same format was executed. However the entire programme was in Afrikaans as well as the songs that were performed. So far there has only been one season of Afrikaans Idols. It was hosted by Sean Else.
After several auditions the performers are narrowed down to 100 in the theatre rounds. After that the semifinalists perform live and are chosen by the audience to qualify for the round of the last 10-12 finalists. There were four judges (Randall Abrahams, Dave Thompson, Marcus Brewster and Penny Lebyane in season one; Brewster and Lebyane did not return for the second season and were replaced by Mara Louw-Thomson and Gareth Cliff) who provided critiques of each contestant's performance. Viewers have several hours following the broadcast of the show to vote by phone, SMS or online for their favourite contestant. On the following night's episode, the contestant(s) with the fewest votes is sent home.
Contents
Judges and Presenters
Bold denotes current Judges and Presenters.
- Judges
English Series
- Randall Abrahams (2002-present)
- Marcus Brewster (2002)
- Dave Thompson (2002–2009)
- Penny Lebyane (2002)
- Mara Louw (2003–2010)
- Gareth Cliff (2003–present)
- Unathi Msengana (2011-present)
Afrikaans Series
- Taliep Petersen (2006)
- Deon Maas (2006)
- Mynie Grové (2006)
- Presenters
English Series
- Matthew Stewardson (2002 first half)
- Candy Litchfield (2002)
- Sami Sabiti (2002 second half)
- Letoya Makhene (2003)
- Colin Moss (2003–2007)
- Liezl van der Westhuizen (2009–2010)
- ProVerb (2010–present)
Afrikaans Series
- Sean Else (2006)
Season Synopsis
Season 1
Main article: Idols South Africa (season 1)The first season of Idols South Africa started in March 2002. Auditions were held in January. After Poland, it was the second international spin-off of the original Pop Idol series that went on air. However the South African show did last shorter than the polish version and therefore Heinz Winckler became the second Idol winner worldwide on June 17 2002. He triumphed over Brandon October who came second and Melanie Lowe who finished third.
Season 2
Main article: Idols South Africa (season 2)The second season ran from June to October 2003 and was won by then 20-year old Anke Pietrangeli who was given the nickname The Kimberley Diamond by the viewers during the show. Half of the judging panel were replaced as were the two hosts, with Colin Moss and Letoya Makhene now hosting. It was also the first time worldwide on an Idol show that only two male singers managed to advance to the top 12.
Season 3
Main article: Idols South Africa (season 3)Season three aired in the second half of 2005 with an unchanged judging panel and Colin Moss as the only host of the show. The Grand Final took place at Gold Reef City, Johannesburg on 27 November 2005 between Karin Kortje and Gift Gwe. Each contestant sang a favourite song chosen by them, a favourite song chosen by the judges, and a brand new single. After a record number of votes cast, Karin Kortje was crowned as the 2005 Idol with 62.58% of the votes.
Season 1 (Afrikaans Idols)
Main article: Idols South Africa (Afrikaanse season)In 2006 the English format of Idols took a break to make room for the Afrikaans version. Season 1 of Afrikaans Idols represented a unique change in Idols format on a global scale by replacing all previous judges and hosts, moving networks (M-Net to sister station KykNet) and therefore changing the lingua franca of the show from English to Afrikaans as KykNET is solely an Afrikaans network.
Season 4
Main article: Idols South Africa (season 4)On April 13, 2007, M-Net announced the series would return to their network for a fourth season in English. The initial auditions were completed on August 6 with the judging and public vote stages due to start on 19 August. The results from each show display a merge of the judges (49%) and audience (51%) vote. Jody Williams, a 17 year old from Cape Town, emerged as the eventual winner. Her best performances included moving ballads such as "Greatest Reward" by Celine Dion and "Dance with my Father" by Luther Vandross. However, she proved her versatility and impressed the judges with excellent renditions of more up-tempo songs such as "Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston and "Ain't no Other Man" by Christina Aguilera. Her first single, which she and fellow finalist, Andriette Norman, performed at the finale, was called "Love is All Around" and was sold out the day after the finale.
Season 5
Main article: Idols South Africa (season 5)M-Net announced a fifth season of South African Idols which premiered on Sunday, 1 February 2009, with a summer vibe and new rules.
In addition to upping the heat of the selection process the strict a capella rule was abandoned. Instead auditioners were allowed to bring instruments to the casting. The judges do not seem too pleased with the instruments, especially guitars which are very rarely played in tune.
On the official finale Sasha Lee Davids was announced the winner, with 52.77% of the votes. Four days later, Idols announced that there had been problems with the voteline, and some of the votes that were sent before the cut-off time were not counted. The investigation hit the front page of the Times on 8 May 2009 and later in the day it was announced on www.mnet.co.za/idols/ that the recount had showed that Jason Hartman had received 200000 more votes than Sasha Lee Davids(of 2.3 million total votes in the finale (recount)). After discussion between M-Net and FremantleMedia (the format owners), Jason Hartman and Sasha Lee Davids were declared winners. They both received identical full prizes.
Season 6
Main article: Idols South Africa (season 6)Despite the previous seasons voting fiasco in the finale, M-Net announced a sixth season of South African Idols which premiered on 18 July 2010. Idols judge Dave Thompson did not return to the panel this season. During the auditions, which started in April, he was replaced with guest judges from the South African music industry, similar to the American Idol (Season 9) audition stages. For the first time since Season 2 the jury has no impact on the outcome which now reflect a 100% viewer's verdict. On the 2nd November 2010, 30 year old Elvis Blue from George in the Western Cape was declared the winner.
Season 7
Main article: Idols South Africa (season 7)It was announced during the Season 6 finale that the show had been renewed for a seventh season in 2011. Auditions are to take place in February and March 2011. On 20 January 2011 it was announced that Mara Louw would not return to the judging panel for the seventh season. The decision came after she was reprimanded for mixing painkillers and alcohol before a show. She was also involved in a racism scandal after she said the show should be moved to SABC3 so that a black person could win Idols, as many black people did not have DStv and could not send hundreds of SMSes to vote for their favourites. She was replaced by Metro FM personality and songwriter Unathi Msengana.
Controversy
The show has gone through a lot of controversies since its first broadcast. In Season 1, Matthew Stewardson was replaced halfway through the show by Sami Sabiti. Soon after that Stewardson checked himself into a drug rehab center.[1]
The outcome of Idols I was followed by a row of complaints about Heinz Wincklers victory as many viewers saw the result as injustice and racially biased.[2]
Season 3 winner Karin Kortje was not so lucky in her personal life after the contest ended as her boyfriend was charged of robbery and murder just months after the show. In difference to the other finalists of her season, Kortje was not invited to take part of the final of the next season.[3]
In the final showdown of Season 5 there have been problems with the voteline, and some of the votes that were sent before the cut-off time were not counted. The investigation hit the front page of the Times on 8 May 2009 and later in the day it was announced on the official Idols website that the recount had showed that Jason Hartman had received 200 000 more votes than Sasha Lee Davids, who was originally declared as the winner on the grand finale, with 52.77% of the votes. Four days later, Idols announced that After discussion between M-Net and FremantleMedia (the format owners), Jason Hartman and Sasha Lee Davids were declared winners. They both received identical full prizes.[4] This was the first time a win was shared on an Idol show.
See also
External links
References
- ^ "Remember Matthew Stewardson?". http://www.channel24.co.za/Gossip/Remember-Matthew-Stewardson-20090210.
- ^ "BBC NEWS". BBC News. 25 June 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2065167.stm.
- ^ "News - Media: Snubbed Karin signs the Blues". http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3015&art_id=vn20071208095006487C482250.
- ^ "Sasha-Lee and Jason to share Idols' crown". http://multimedia.timeslive.co.za/audio/2009/05/sasha-lee-and-jason-to-share-idols-crown/.
Hosts CurrentProVerb (2010-present)FormerCandy Litchfield (2002) • Matthew Stewardson (2002 first half) • Sami Sabitiin (2002 second half) • Letoya Makhene (2003) • Colin Moss (2003-2007) • Sean Else (2006) • Liezl van der Westhuizen (2009-2010)Judges CurrentGareth Cliff (2003-present) • Randall Abrahams • Unathi Msengana (2011-present)FormerMarcus Brewster (2002) • Dave Thompson (2002-2009) • Penny Lebyane (2002) • Taliep Petersen (2006) • Deon Maas (2006) • Mynie Grové (2006) • Mara Louw (2003-2010)Winners Heinz Winckler • Anke Pietrangeli • Karin Kortje • Dewald Louw • Jody Williams • Jason Hartman / Sasha-Lee Davids (co-winners) • Elvis Blue • Dave van VuurenWinner's Singles "Once in a Lifetime" • "Silver Lining" • "I'm So Ready" • "In Jou Oë" • "Love is All Around" • "Break the Silence" • "Things My Father Said" • "Hall of Mirrors"Related Articles Idol series National franchises United Kingdom (original) • Armenia • Australia • Belgium • Brazil • Bulgaria • Canada • Croatia • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France • Georgia • Germany • Greece • Iceland • India • Indonesia • Kazakhstan • Macedonia • Malaysia • Netherlands • New Zealand • Nigeria • Norway • Philippines • Poland • Portugal • Puerto Rico • Russia • Singapore • Slovakia • South Africa • Sweden • Turkey • United States • Vietnam
Regional franchises Pan Arab • Asia • Czech Republic & Slovakia • East Africa • Latin America • Serbia, Montenegro & Macedonia • West Africa • World IdolCategories:- Idol television series
- 2002 television series debuts
- 2007 television series endings
- South African reality television series
- M-Net programmes
- KykNET programmes
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