Daryl Brunt

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Daryl Milton Byron Brunt is a Greater Sudbury, Ontario resident and was contestant on the third season of the hit reality show Canadian Idol. He began his high school career in 2002 as a vocal major at Sudbury Secondary School and left the vocal program to became a drama major in his third year. Daryl wowed audiences with his rendition of "When You Believe" which earned him a spot in the Top 10 as he received the highest number of votes that week. Despite what some considered a heart-wrenching version of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" on his final night, Daryl did not make it past the Top 7 in the competition.

Songs that Daryl performed include:

Top 32: "When You Believe" (Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey)
Top 10: "With These Eyes" (Roch Voisine)(Canadian Hits week)
Top 9: "Superstition" (Stevie Wonder week)
Top 8: "Tainted Love" (Gloria Jones, as performed by Soft Cell) (Eighties week)
Top 7: "What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong) (Big Band week)

After his Top 7 performance on August 9, both fans and non-fans of Daryl bashed the program's judges for what was perceived by some to be unfair criticism. Jake Gold called his performance of "What a Wonderful World" the cheesiest he had ever seen, while Zack Werner compared it to Tiny Talent Time, a 1970s Toronto television show. Daryl received the least amount of votes from the Canadian viewers that night and was sent home.

Daryl was also named Sudbury Newsmaker of the Year by both the Sudbury Star and Northern Life newspapers for 2005. Regarding Canadian Idol, Daryl says that "this is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is all I think about when I go to bed and it is the first thing I think about when I wake up." His online fanbase called themselves the "Brunty Bunchians" and held various discussions on the CTV forums. Daryl loves Queen Latifah, Family Guy, meat pie and the Toronto Maple Leafs and says he could not live without his karaoke machine. He plays baseball and soccer and likes to fish, hunt and camp.