New Zealand Idol
| NZ Idol | |
| NZ Idol Finalists (with dates of elimination) | |
| Season 1 (2004) | |
| Ben Lummis | Winner |
| Michael Murphy | May 10 |
| Camillia Temple | May 3 |
| Luke Whaanga | April 26 |
| Dave Houma | April 19 |
| Eddie Gaiger | April 12 |
| Robin Johnson | April 5 |
| Jessie Cassin | March 29 |
| Sela Mahe | March 22 |
| Filipo Saipani | March 15 |
| Season 2 (2005) | |
| Rosita Vai | Winner |
| Nik Carlson | October 17 |
| Steven Broad | October 10 |
| Jesse O'Brien | October 3 |
| Teresa Bergman | September 26 |
| Rongo Brightwell | September 19 |
| Frank Andrews | September 12 |
| Ashley Cooper | September 5 |
| Keshia Paulse | August 29 |
| Shelley Paikea | August 22 |
| Season 3 (2006) | |
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NZ Idol, more commonly known as New Zealand Idol, is the New Zealand version of the Idol series originated as the hit British TV series Pop Idol. New Zealand got its first taste of Idol when TV2 aired American Idol 2. After Australian Idol also proved to be a hit, the country decided it was time for its chance to have its very own Idol.
NZ Idol is produced by South Pacific Pictures in association with Grundy & developed by Fremantle Media.
Season synopses
Season one
The show was hosted by popular TV presenter Dominic Bowden and the panel of judges consisted of Frankie Stevens, Fiona McDonald and Paul Ellis.
The competition was tough in the final few rounds of NZ Idol I but it was finally whittled down to the top ten. Nine of these were voted in by the public through three heats (Camillia Temple, Ben Lummis and Filipo Saipani; Michael Murphy, Luke Whaanga and 'Big' Dave Houma; Robin Johnson, Sela Mahe and Eddie Gaiger). Jessie Cassin was added by the judges as a wildcard. Ben Lummis eventually won the competition despite being in the bottom 3 in the first, second and fourth round of the competition, while Michael Murphy who eventually came second in the season had not been in the bottom 3 at all. Camillia Temple, the oldest contestant at 28, who had been a favourite to win, ended up in third place.
Ben Lummis released his idol-winning single "They Can't Take That Away" which spent 7 weeks at #1, selling over 40,000 units. His Album 'One Road' debuted at #1 on the album charts, selling over 30,000 copies. His second single, "I Love You Love Me" failed to make radio playlists and the single was shelved. His video for the single, however, did play on video music channels.
Second-placed finalist Michael Murphy later went on to release his first single 'So Damn Beautiful' which debuted at #1 on the NZ chart, while his album went gold. He has also released two further singles, which failed to chart. He is currently working with his band 'Five Star Fallout'. Sela Mahe appeared as a co-presenter on the TV2 kids show 'Studio 2' in 2005 but did not come back in 2006. She is not as yet engaged to fellow contestant and winner of NZ idol Ben Lummis.
Season two
Auditions for the second series of NZ Idol began in June 2005. The show was once again hosted by Dominic Bowden, with Jackie Clarke replacing Fiona McDonald, who was pregnant with her first child, as one of the three judges. Keshia Paulse, who was one of the favourites to win the competition was voted out unexpectedly in the second round.
Rosita Vai was the eventual winner of NZ Idol 2 and the first female contestant to win the competition. Rosita had not been in the bottom 3 in the whole season. Nik Carlson from Masterton, came second, while Steven Broad finished in third place.
Rosita released her single 'All I Ask' which spent 2 weeks at #1 and went platinum. However her debut album 'Golden' only reached #15 without being certified.
In 2006 Ashley Cooper has enjoyed success with her single 'I Want You' debuting at #19, eventually peaking at #11 on physical sales alone.
The series once again proved a ratings hit in New Zealand, but Sony BMG are reportedly unhappy with the format and are reviewing their role in the program.
Season three
The third season of NZ Idol was confirmed in January 2006. Dominic Bowden will host the third season. It has been put forward that Iain Stables, a popular radio dj from the ZM station, and Megan Alatini, a former member of girlgroup TrueBliss, the first band created from the popular TV show Popstars, will replace Paul Ellis and Jackie Clarke, leaving Frankie Stevens as the only original judge. They have along with a recording contract also added $50,000 and a Daihatsu SUV awarded to the winner of NZ Idol. They have also increased the maximum age limit to enter from 28 to 30. On May 31, 2006, South Pacific Pictures announced that SonyBMG is to discontinue its association with NZ Idol, thus leaving the entire production in turmoil.[1]
On the 31st of July, the Top 18 were announced:
- Alyce Burr
- Aroha Robinson
- Ashlee Fisher
- Ben Hazlewood
- Cameron Clayton
- Clinton Randell
- Emilie Harwood
- George Gates
- Indira Moala
- Kali Kopae
- Lenken Issac
- Matthew Saunoa
- Rebecca Wright
- Stephen Wilton
- Victor Sulfa
- Wiremu Hohaia
- Toni Baird
- Vicki (replaces Georgina who fell pregant and was forced to drop out)
Bottom three trivia
Season 1
| Date | Bottom Three | ||
| March 15 | Filipo Saipani | Eddie Gaiger | Ben Lummis |
| March 22 | Sela Mahe | Eddie Gaiger | Ben Lummis |
| March 29 | Jessie Cassin | Robin Johnson | Eddie Gaiger(3) |
| April 5 | Robin Johnson(2) | Luke Whaanga | Ben Lummis |
| April 12 | Eddie Gaiger(4) | Luke Whaanga(2) | Dave Houma (3) |
| Bottom Two | |||
| April 19 | Dave Houma(2] | Camillia Temple | |
| April 26 | Luke Whaanga(2) | Camillia Temple(2) | |
| May 3 | Camillia Temple(3) | ||
| May 10 | Michael Murphy | Ben Lummis | |
Season 2
Criticism
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Critics have said that contestents in all seasons are musically not as strong as other idol performers such as in American Idol and is referred the performances as 'karaoke'. They have also critized the format itself, having no live band, bad lighting and other minor reasons.
It has also attracted much controversy, particularly from fans of extant bands who have not made the mainstream, and those who despise manufactured pop.
NZ Idol in the charts
DVD
- (2004) NZ Idol 1 - Greatest Moments - #4
Albums
- (2004) NZ Idol: The Final 10 - Homegrown - #3
- (2004) Ben Lummis - One Road - #1
- (2004) Michael Murphy - No Place To Land - #22
- (2005) Rosita Vai - Golden - #15
Singles
| Date | Artist | Title | Chart | Accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Season one: | ||||
| 2004 | NZ Idol: Final 10 | "Yesterday Was Just The Beginning Of My Life" | #4 | Gold |
| 2004 | Ben Lummis | "They Can't Take That Away" | #1 (7weeks) | Platinum x4 |
| 2004 | Ben Lummis | "I Love You Love Me" | - | - |
| 2004 | Jessie Cassin | "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" | - | - |
| 2004 | Michael Murphy | "So Damn Beautiful" | #1 (1week) | Gold |
| 2005 | Michael Murphy | "Music Without A Song" | - | - |
| 2005 | Michael Murphy | "How Good Does It Feel?" | - | - |
| From Season two: | ||||
| 2005 | NZ Idol 2: Final 10 | "Dedicated To The One I Love" | #5 | - |
| 2005 | Rosita Vai | "All I Ask" | #1 (2weeks) | Platinum |
| 2005 | Rosita Vai | "Golden" | - | - |
| 2005 | Nik Carlson | "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" | - | - |
| 2006 | Ashley Cooper | "I Want You" | #11 | - |
References
- ^ Trevett, Claire (June 1, 2006). "Record giant scratches NZ Idol". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2006-06-01.