Australian Idol (season 5)

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Australian Idol (season 5)
Finalists
Natalie Gauci Winner
Matt Corby November 25
Carl Riseley November 12
Marty Simpson November 5
Tarisai Vushe October 29
Daniel Mifsud October 22
Ben McKenzie October 15
Jacob Butler October 8
Mark Da Costa October 1
Lana Krost September 24
Brianna Carpenter September 17
Holly Weinert September 10

The fifth season of Australian Idol premiered on August 5, 2007 on Network Ten. It concluded on November 25.

Contents

[edit] Changes to Format

Ian "Dicko" Dickson rejoined the show as one of the judges, along with Mark Holden, Marcia Hines and Kyle Sandilands from 2006. The series is again hosted by Andrew G and James Mathison. The show continued with the format from Season 4 where contestants could use instruments throughout the show and for their audition they could perform original material rather than covering other artist's work.

[edit] Ratings

The premiere episode of the 2007 series had 1.65 million viewers, making it the show's second highest rating series opener and 270,000 ahead of last year.[1] The show was in the top ten most viewed shows for the early part of the series and eventually dropped to around number eighteen and nineteen for quite some time due to hot competition from Channel 7's "Kath and Kim". The season was on a low compared to Season 4. The Top 5 performance show marked the re-commencement of higher ratings for the program and it reached number nine.

[edit] Process

[edit] Auditions

The auditions[2] for Australian Idol (season 5) were run from March to May 2007. They were held in:

[edit] Theatre Rounds (Seymour Centre)

This consisted of each contestant singing one song a cappella of their choice in front of the judges. Contestants were then told, based on that performance, whether they would be moving onto the next round.

Contestants were then put into groups of four. For the first time in Australian Idol history, the groups consisted of two boys and two girls, instead of a same gender group, as in previous seasons. Contestants were once again told whether they would be moving onto the next round based on this performance.

Each person at this point was then to perform a song choice of their own choosing in a solo performance in front of the judges and every other contestant. Based on these performances, each contestant was told, one at a time, whether they would be a part of the top 24 or if their journey would end.

[edit] Semi Finals

The Semi Finals was ran to the same format as Season Four where on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night the four groups of six would perform solo in a live studio. On the Thursday night the first eight finalists were announced and the wildcards were announced. The following Sunday night the wildcards would perform and the Monday night would reveal the remaining four finalists to enter the Top 12.

Here is a list of the Semi Finalists for 2007:

Females Males
Brianna Carpenter Lyall Adonis
Jesse Curran David Andrews
Cheray Doughty Jacob Butler
Natalie Gauci Jack Byrnes
Morgan Hosking Matt Corby
Lana Krost Mark Da Costa
Sarah Lloyde Ben McKenzie
Madison Pritchett Daniel Mifsud
Rosie Ribbons Carl Riseley
Sally Van Der Zwart Marty Simpson
Tarisai Vushe Husny Thalib
Holly Weinert Junior To'o

[edit] Final 12

  • Theme: Contestant Choice
  • Celebrity guest: Damien Leith
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: "22 Steps"
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Ben McKenzie "Sunday Morning" (Maroon 5)
2 Mark da Costa "Vertigo" (U2)
3 Lana Krost "Shiver" (Natalie Imbruglia) Bottom 2
4 Dan Mifsud "Cry Me A River" (Justin Timberlake)
5 Carl Riseley "Waltzing Matilda" (Banjo Patterson)
6 Holly Weinert "Standing In The Way Of Control" (Gossip) Eliminated
7 Matt Corby "The Scientist" (Coldplay)
8 Natalie Gauci "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (Powderfinger)
9 Jacob Butler "When You Were Young" (The Killers)
10 Tarisai Vushe "If I Was Your Woman" (Alicia Keys)
11 Marty Simpson "Can't Stand Losing You" (The Police)
12 Brianna Carpenter "God Only Knows" (The Beach Boys) Bottom 3

[edit] Final 11

  • Theme: Rock
  • Celebrity guest: NA
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: NA
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Matt Corby "Immigrant Song" (Led Zeppelin)
2 Carl Riseley "Clocks" (Coldplay)
3 Brianna Carpenter "The Logical Song" (Supertramp) Eliminated
4 Marty Simpson "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" (Paolo Nutini) Bottom 2
5 Lana Krost "Come On, Come On" (Little Birdy)
6 Jacob Butler "Morning Glory" (Oasis) Bottom 3
7 Tarisai Vushe "Hard to Handle" (The Black Crowes)
8 Ben McKenzie "Bodies" (Little Birdy)
9 Dan Mifsud "Fire" (Jimi Hendrix)
10 Natalie Gauci "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Guns N' Roses)
11 Mark da Costa "High Voltage" (AC/DC)

[edit] Final 10

  • Theme: Disco
  • Celebrity guest: Anthony Callea
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: "Undiscovered"
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Tarisai Vushe "Hot Stuff" (Donna Summer) Bottom 2
2 Ben McKenzie "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" (Michael Jackson)
3 Mark da Costa "Nutbush City Limits" (Ike & Tina Turner)
4 Lana Krost "Sing It Back" (Moloko) Eliminated
5 Jacob Butler "Canned Heat" (Jamiroquai)
6 Marty Simpson "You Sexy Thing" (Hot Chocolate)
7 Dan Mifusd "Miss You" (The Rolling Stones) Bottom 3
8 Carl Riseley "September" (Earth Wind & Fire)
9 Matt Corby "Got To Get You Into My Life" (Earth Wind & Fire)
10 Natalie Gauci "I Will Survive" (Donna Summer)

[edit] Final 9

  • Theme: Acoustic
  • Celebrity guest: Kelly Clarkson & Ian Moss
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: "Never Again" (Kelly) & "Choir Girl" (Ian)
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Mark Da Costa "Yellow" (Coldplay) Eliminated
2 Natalie Gauci "Man In The Mirror" (Michael Jackson)
3 Carl Riseley "It's All Right with Me" (Harry Connick, Jr.)
4 Jacob Butler "Somewhere Only We Know" (Keane) Bottom 2
5 Dan Mifsud "I Was Made For Lovin' You" (Kiss) Bottom 3
6 Matt Corby "The Blower's Daughter" (Damien Rice)
7 Ben McKenzie "Hide and Seek" (Imogen Heap)
8 Tarisai Vushe "Kissing You" (Des'ree)
9 Marty Simpson "Open Your Eyes" (Snow Patrol)

[edit] Final 8

  • Theme: Britpop
  • Celebrity guest: Damien Leith
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: "All I Want Is You"
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Carl Riseley "Can't Buy Me Love" (The Beatles) Bottom 2
2 Tarisai Vushe "Somebody to Love" (Queen)
3 Ben McKenzie "Wonderwall" (Oasis)
4 Jacob Butler "Let It Be" (The Beatles) Eliminated
5 Marty Simpson "Naive" (The Kooks)
6 Dan Mifsud "Message in a Bottle" (The Police) Bottom 3
7 Natalie Gauci "Rehab" (Amy Winehouse)
8 Matt Corby "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (The Verve)

[edit] Final 7

  • Theme: Song From Birth Year
  • Celebrity guest: Chris Murphy
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: "What's Next To The Moon?"
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Ben McKenzie "Higher Ground" (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) Eliminated
2 Marty Simpson "Now We're Getting Somewhere" (Crowded House) Bottom 3
3 Natalie Gauci "Endless Love" (Diana Ross)
4 Carl Riseley "Turn Your Love Around" (George Benson)
5 Matt Corby "Another Day In Paradise" (Phil Collins) Bottom 2
6 Tarisai Vushe "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (Aretha Franklin)
7 Dan Mifsud "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson)

[edit] Final 6

  • Theme: Judges Choice/Contestant Choice
  • Celebrity guest: Young Divas
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: "Turn Me Loose"
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Tarisai Vushe "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe" (Taylor Dayne)
"I Believe In You And Me" (Whitney Houston)		 Bottom 2
2 Marty Simpson "No Woman, No Cry" (Bob Marley)
"Last Kiss" (Pearl Jam)		 Bottom 3
3 Carl Riseley "It's Not Unusual" (Tom Jones)
"Jealous Guy" (John Lennon)
4 Dan Mifsud "Fragile" (Sting)
"From The Sun" (Eskimo Joe)		 Eliminated
5 Matt Corby "Music of the Night" (Michael Crawford)
"Transatlanticism" (Death Cab For Cutie)
6 Natalie Gauci "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince)
"Umbrella" (Rihanna)

[edit] Final 5

  • Theme: Australian Made
  • Celebrity guest: Guy Sebastian
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: April Song In Cuba
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Tarisai Vushe "When It All Falls Apart" (The Veronicas) Eliminated
2 Marty Simpson "These Days" (Powderfinger) Bottom 3
3 Carl Riseley "Reminiscing" (Little River Band)
4 Matt Corby "20 Good Reasons" (Thirsty Merc)
5 Natalie Gauci "Boys In Town" (Divinyls) Bottom 2

[edit] Final 4

  • Theme: Big Band
  • Celebrity guest:
  • Song performed by celebrity guest:
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Marty Simpson "Light My Fire" (The Doors)
"American Baby" (Dave Matthews Band)		 Eliminated
2 Carl Riseley "Just Kiss Me" (Harry Connick Jr)
"Me and Mrs Jones" (Billy Paul)		 Bottom 2
3 Matt Corby "Beyond The Sea" (Bobby Darin)
"How Sweet It Is" (Marvin Gaye)
4 Natalie Gauci "Orange Coloured Sky" (Nat King Cole)
"How High The Moon" (Ella Fitzgerald)

[edit] Final 3

Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Carl Riseley "You Give Me Something" (James Morrison)
"For Once In My Life" (Stevie Wonder)		 Eliminated
2 Matt Corby "It's Too Late" (Evermore)
"Across The Universe" (The Beatles)		 Bottom 2
3 Natalie Gauci "Ray Of Light" (Madonna)
"Nobody Knows" (Pink)

[edit] Finale

  • Theme: Contestant Choice/Contestant Choice/Winner's Single/Grand Final Performance
  • Celebrity guest: Divinyls
  • Song performed by celebrity guest: Boys In Town
Order Artist Song (original artists) Results
1 Matt Corby "Mind's Eye" (Wolfmother)
"High and Dry" (Radiohead)
"Here I Am" (new)
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" (The Verve)		 Runner Up
2 Natalie Gauci "Apologize" (OneRepublic)
"Running Up That Hill" (Kate Bush)
"Here I Am" (new)
"Man In The Mirror" (Michael Jackson)		 Winner

[edit] Doing It For The Kids

On October 19 2007 there was a special Australian Idol telecast, Doing It For The Kids, to raise money for Ronald McDonald House and Telstra Child Flight. There were performances from the Top 6 as well as other artists. The concept is based on the "Idol Gives Back" special for American Idol

Top 6:

Special Guests:

[edit] Commercial Releases

The day following the Grand Finale, Australian Idol Season 5 Winner Natalie Gauci released the winner's single "Here I Am". The single debuted at #2 on the ARIA Charts behind hugely popular international act Timbaland. The single was considered to have sold not as well as expected with only 8,000 copies sold in its first week. Its second week it stayed put at #2 and sales proved better with close to 11,000 copies sold making a total of 19,000 copies sold. Also in its second week the single was certified with Gold status. In its third week it dropped to #7 and its fourth week dropped down to #18. It fell into even greater obscurity in its fifth week dropping down to #29. Its sixth week faired better with #27.

Natalie's debut album "The Winner's Journey" was released on December 8 of 2007. In its first week it debuted on the charts at #12 and sold just over 11,000 copies. It was also certified with Platinum status meaning 70,000 units were shipped off, but going by sales figures the album did not meet these expected sales. In its second week it moved up to #11 and total sales figures bumped up to just over 18,000. In its third week Natalie's album stayed at #11 and sales reached just under 20,000 copies. Its fourth week was a disappointing week with the album dropping down to #18. In its fifth week it reached #19.

[edit] Grand finalists

[edit] Natalie Gauci

For more details on this topic, see Natalie Gauci.

[edit] Matt Corby

For more details on this topic, see Matt Corby.

[edit] Finalists

[edit] Carl Riseley

Carl Riseley (born December 21, 1982 is a 25-year-old from Sydney, New South Wales. He was advanced by the four judges to the Final 12 through the Wildcard show. He has been awarded one "touchdown" from Mark Holden. Before Idol, Carl was a member of the Royal Australian Navy, where he plays the trumpet in the Navy Band. Carl was the final eliminee on November 12, 2007 when Natalie Gauci and Matt Corby proceeded into the Grand Final. He has a younger brother called Anthony. He is currently signed to Universal Records and will release his debut album "The Rise" in April 2008. Carl Riseley vocally supported axed judge Mark Holden on his departure in March 2008. Carl is referred to as the "swing king" and has been marketed in a Tom Jones type way.

  1. "Home" by Michael Bublé - (Top 24)
  2. "Bye Bye Love" by The Everly Brothers - (Wildcard)
  3. "Waltzing Matilda" by Banjo Paterson - (Contestant's Choice Top 12)
  4. "Clocks" by Coldplay - (Rock Top 11)
  5. "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire - (Disco Top 10)
  6. "It's Alright with Me" by Harry Connick, Jr. - (Acoustic Top 9)
  7. "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles - (Brit pop Top 8) Bottom 2
  8. "Turn Your Love Around" by George Benson - (Year you were born Top 7)
  9. "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones - (Judge's Choice - Ian "Dicko" Dickson Top 6) TOUCHDOWN!
  10. "Jealous Guy" by John Lennon - (Contestant's Choice Top 6)
  11. "Reminiscing" by Little River Band - (Australian Made Top 5)
  12. "Just Kiss Me" by Harry Connick Jr - (Big Band Top 4)
  13. "Me and Mrs Jones" by Billy Paul - (Big Band Top 4) Bottom 2
  14. "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison - (Audience Choice Top 3)
  15. "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder - (Contestant's Choice Top 3)

[edit] Marty Simpson

Marty Simpson is a 21-year-old from the Central Coast, New South Wales. He plays guitar, writes his own songs and has been described as a "bloke's bloke" by Mark Holden. Before Idol, he worked with his father as a brick-layer. He was eliminated on November 5, 2007. Marty was described by judges as lazy, something which he himself acknowledged. He finished in 4th place, and was in the bottom 3 five times before being eliminated. Although not initially named by Today Tonight as vote-rigging, he was later named and subsequently became the 4th in a row named that was eliminated. On leaving, Marty Simpson stated that he had been approached by Sony BMG in relation to a recording contract.

  1. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" by The Fray - (Top 24)
  2. "Can't Stand Losing You" by The Police - (Contestant's Choice)
  3. "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" by Paolo Nutini - (Rock) Bottom 2
  4. "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate - (Disco)
  5. "Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol - (Acoustic)
  6. "Naïve" by The Kooks - (Brit pop)
  7. "Now We're Getting Somewhere" by Crowded House - (Year you were born) Bottom 3
  8. "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley - (Judge's Choice - Marcia Hines)
  9. "Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam - (Contestant's Choice) Bottom 3
  10. "These Days" by Powderfinger - (Australian Made) Bottom 3
  11. "Light My Fire" by The Doors - (Big Band)
  12. "American Baby" by Dave Matthews Band - (Big Band)

[edit] Tarisai Vushe

Tarisai Vushe is a Zimbabwe born, 20-year-old who auditioned in Sydney, New South Wales. Before Idol, she worked in her family store and studied psychology at university, whilst attending Hillsong Church affiliate Shire Live. She was eliminated on October 29, 2007. She was known for her powerful vocals, which were described by the judges at audition and throughout the series as "sending shivers down the spine" when she sang. She was criticised by judges for not improving and not really listening to the judges when she said "thank you" in response to criticism. She was briefly the favourite to win the competition, the only person other than Matt Corby to be favourite in the whole series. She was evicted amidst claims that she was "fake", which led to great controversy. She sang at the Sydney New Year's Eve concert, performed an original song at a Sydney Martial Arts contest in January 2008 and in March 2008 she went on tour with South African band Malaika.She currently has a nine piece band, Method which specialises in soul music.

  1. "River Deep - Mountain High" by Ike & Tina Turner - (Top 24)
  2. "If I Was Your Woman" by Alicia Keys - (Contestant's Choice)
  3. "Hard to Handle" by The Black Crowes - (Rock)
  4. "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer - (Disco) Bottom 2
  5. "Kissing You" by Des'ree - (Acoustic)
  6. "Somebody to Love" by Queen - (Brit pop) TOUCHDOWN!
  7. "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)" by Aretha Franklin and George Michael - (Year you were born)
  8. "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" by Taylor Dayne - (Judge's Choice - Marcia Hines) Bottom 2
  9. "I Believe in You and Me" by Whitney Houston - (Contestant's Choice) Bottom 2
  10. "When It All Falls Apart" by The Veronicas - (Australian Made)

[edit] Daniel Mifsud

Daniel Mifsud is a 23-year-old from Sydney, New South Wales. He was advanced by the public to the Final 12 through the Wildcard Show. He has been awarded one "touchdown" from Mark Holden. Before Idol, Daniel was a music teacher in a primary school. Daniel was eliminated on October 22, 2007.

  1. "Tip of My Tongue" by Diesel - (Top 24)
  2. "Lay Your Love on Me" by Roachford - (Wildcard)
  3. "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake - (Contestant's Choice)
  4. "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix - (Rock)
  5. "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones - (Disco) Bottom 3
  6. "I Was Made for Lovin' You" by Kiss - (Acoustic) TOUCHDOWN! Bottom 3
  7. "Message in a Bottle" by The Police - (Brit pop) Bottom 3
  8. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson - (Year you were born)
  9. "Fragile" by Sting - (Judge's Choice - Mark Holden)
  10. "From the Sea" by Eskimo Joe - (Contestant's Choice)

[edit] Ben McKenzie

Ben McKenzie is a 17-year-old from Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Ben was a favourite to win the competition until he was eliminated on October 15, 2007 which led to judge Marcia Hines threatening to quit the show in relation to his eviction and the treatment of him by the other 3 judges. Ben was named by Today Tonight as being involved in vote-rigging and was the first of 4 in a row who were eliminated. He had never been in the bottom 3 until his elimination night. Ben's film production company 'Dreams Unleashed Productions' has filmed 'Submerged'. The film will be a unique combination of horror and supernatural thriller with influences from 'The Ring' and 'Silent Hill'. The soundtrack for the film will all be Ben's original music. There is currently one teaser out. Ben performed at Sydney's New Year's Eve concert to end 2007. Ben's most recent gig was performed in Melbourne on the 10th of February, when he performed several originals, including an original song 'Stitches'.

  1. "Mad World" by Tears for Fears - (Top 24)
  2. "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5 - (Contestant's Choice)
  3. "Bodies" by Little Birdy - (Rock)
  4. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson - (Disco)
  5. "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap - (Acoustic)
  6. "Wonderwall" by Oasis - (Brit pop)
  7. "Higher Ground" by Red Hot Chili Peppers - (Year you were born)

[edit] Jacob Butler

For more details on this topic, see Jacob Butler.

[edit] Mark Da Costa

Mark Da Costa is a 28-year-old from Sydney, New South Wales, thus was the oldest finalist. He was advanced by the public to the Final 12 through the Wildcard show. He was eliminated on October 1, 2007, finishing in 9th place. Although already eliminated, Mark was named by Today Tonight as being involved in vote-rigging. Since leaving Idol, Mark da Costa has gone back to performing regularly, and has been on tour with his band for most of 2008.

  1. "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin - (Top 24)
  2. "Evie (Part 1)" by Stevie Wright - (Wildcard)
  3. "Vertigo" by U2 - (Contestant's Choice)
  4. "High Voltage" by AC/DC - (Rock)
  5. "Nutbush City Limits" by Ike & Tina Turner (Disco)
  6. "Yellow" by Coldplay - (Acoustic)

[edit] Lana Krost

Lana Krost is a 17-year-old student from Western Australia. She auditioned in Perth. She is adopted and her birth mother was a Vietnamese opera singer who travelled around China singing with her grandparents. [3] She was eliminated on September 24, 2007. Since leaving Idol, Lana graduated from her high school St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls and is currently attending WAAPA doing a contemporary music course.

  1. "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie - (Top 24)
  2. "Shiver" by Natalie Imbruglia - (Contestant's Choice) - Bottom 2
  3. "Come On, Come On" by Little Birdy - (Rock)
  4. "Sing It Back" by Moloko - (Disco)

[edit] Brianna Carpenter

Brianna Carpenter is a 21-year-old from Brisbane, Queensland. Before Idol, Brianna was studying music production at the Conservatorium. She was eliminated on September 17, 2007.

  1. "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor - (Top 24)
  2. "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys - (Contestant's Choice) - Bottom 3
  3. "The Logical Song" by Supertramp - (Rock)

[edit] Holly Weinert

Holly Weinert is a 20-year-old from Mildura, Victoria. Before Idol, Holly worked in a bar in Mildura. She was eliminated on September 10, 2007, finishing in 12th place.

  1. "Easy" by Commodores - (Top 24)
  2. "Standing in the Way of Control" by Gossip - (Contestant's Choice)

[edit] Elimination Chart

Date Theme Bottom Three
September 9 Contestant's Choice Holly Weinert Lana Krost Brianna Carpenter
September 16 Rock Brianna Carpenter (2) Marty Simpson Jacob Butler
September 23 Disco Lana Krost (2) Tarisai Vushe Daniel Mifsud
September 30 Acoustic Mark Da Costa Jacob Butler (2) Daniel Mifsud (2)
October 7 Britpop Jacob Butler (3) Carl Riseley Daniel Mifsud (3)
October 14 Birth Year Ben McKenzie Matt Corby Marty Simpson (2)
October 21 Judges'/Contestant's Choice Daniel Mifsud (4) Tarisai Vushe (2) Marty Simpson (3)
October 28 Australian Hits Tarisai Vushe (3) Natalie Gauci Marty Simpson (4)
November 4 Big Band Marty Simpson (5) Carl Riseley (2)
November 11 Viewers'/Contestant's Choice Carl Riseley (3) Matt Corby (2)
November 25 Finale Matt Corby (3) Natalie Gauci

[edit] Results show performances

  1. Special Performance - "22 Steps" by Damien Leith
  2. Top 12 - "Kids" by Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue - (Contestant's Choice)
  3. Top 11 - "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple - (Rock)
  4. Special Performance - "Undiscovered" by Anthony Callea, originally by James Morrison
  5. Top 10 - "Can You Feel It" by The Jacksons - (Disco)
  6. Top 9 with Ian Moss - "Choir Girl" by Cold Chisel - (Acoustic)
  7. Special Performance - "Never Again" by Kelly Clarkson
  8. Special Performance - "All I Want Is You" by Damien Leith
  9. Top 8 - "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks - (Brit pop)
  10. Top 7 - Medley "I Shot The Sheriff" by Eric Clapton and "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads - (Year of birth)
  11. Special Performance - "What's Next to the Moon" by Chris Murphy, originally by AC/DC
  12. Top 6 - "Kiss" by Prince - (Judge's Choice)
  13. Special Performance - "Turn Me Loose" by Young Divas, originally by Loverboy
  14. Special Performance - "Love Is All Around" by Ricki-Lee Coulter, originally by Agnes Carlsson
  15. Top 5 - "April Sun in Cuba" by Dragon - (Australian Hits!)
  16. Special Performance - Guy Sebastian originally by Various Artists
  17. Top 4 - "I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles - (Big Band)
  18. Special Performance - "Believe Again" by Delta Goodrem
  19. Special Performance - "Everybody Hurts" by Marcia Hines, originally by R.E.M.

[edit] Grand Finale performances

  1. Special Performance - "Turn Me Loose" by Young Divas, originally by Loverboy
  2. Special Performance - "All I Want Is You" by Damien Leith
  3. Special Performance - "In Pieces" by Shannon Noll
  4. Special Performance - "Boys in Town" by Divinyls
  5. Special Performance - Winner of Pascall My Mum Rocks Competition
  6. Special Performance - "I Never Liked You" by Rogue Traders
  7. Special Performance - "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie with Top 12 and State Schools Singers Choir
  8. Top 12 - A medley of songs and "Hands Open", originally by Snow Patrol
  9. Matt Corby - "Bitter Sweet Symphony", originally by The Verve
  10. Natalie Gauci - "Here I Am" and "Man in the Mirror", originally by Michael Jackson

[edit] Controversies

Australian Idol (season 5) was dominated by a number of major controversies, primarily as a result of various stories shown on the Australian current affairs show Today Tonight. These controversies had a major impact on the popularity of the show, greatly increased ratings, and also affected who was voted off each week.

[edit] Hillsong vote-rigging allegations

On the 5 October 2007 episode of Today Tonight, it was alleged that Sydney's Hillsong Church, and its affiliated pentecostal Assemblies of God churches, including Shire Live were stacking votes for Australian Idol, pushing forward their contestants and encouraging members of their church to vote for them. [1] [2]

The show was aired at the Final 7 stage of the competition, and at the time Today Tonight alleged that 4 of the 7 members of the show (Tarisai Vushe, Matt Corby, Daniel Mifsud and Ben McKenzie) were either members of the Hillsong Church or else affiliated with the church. At this stage of the competition, Matt Corby and Tarisai Vushe were equal favourites to win the competition, with Ben McKenzie as the 3rd favourite. Today Tonight specifically named Tarisai Vushe as encouraging church rigging, due to her constant referrals to her voice being "a gift from God" and various prayers that she indulged in before and after performances.

In the wake of the Hillsong Church vote-rigging allegations, large sections of the Australian public turned against the people named by Today Tonight, labelling them as cheats, and voted against them, favouring the 2 who were not named, Carl Riseley (who finished 3rd) and Natalie Gauci (who won). Ben McKenzie was the first of the named people to be evicted in 7th place, which led to judge Marcia Hines threatening to quit Australian Idol on air, as she felt that it was wrong to have him be evicted as a direct result of the Hillsong allegations. Following his eviction, Daniel Mifsud was evicted in 6th place, with Tarisai Vushe, previously a favourite to win the competition, evicted in 5th place. In a follow up piece Today Tonight named Marty Simpson also as a member of Hillsong Church, and he was then evicted in 4th place. Matt Corby, the only person named who seemed to avoid repurcussions, became a shock runner up in spite of being favourite for all but a few weeks of the competition and being overwhelming favourite to win going into the final round. Judge Mark Holden had also told Matt Corby in the final weeks that he should give up, and had told Australian Idol audiences that he wanted Natalie Gauci to win instead.

The basis of these allegations was partially that the first season's winner (2003 winner Guy Sebastian) was a member of an affiliate to the Hillsong Church, and that the two favourites for the 2007 season, Tarisai Vushe and Matt Corby, were members of Shire Live, who is an affiliate to the Hillsong Church (on 22 October 2007 they prayed for Tarisai and Matt to "continue to progress with dignity and honour" in response to the allegations by Today Tonight). There has been no evidence that any of the other named members were members of Hillsong Church or any affiliate, and Shire Live has strongly denied that they had anything to do with vote rigging. [3]. The Hillsong Church said that they would consider suing Today Tonight over the allegations. [4]

[edit] Tarisai Vushe "fake" claims

Tarisai Vushe was initially criticised for referring to her voice being "a gift from God" and praying too much, initiating a ban on religious references on the show. Later, judge Marcia Hines in particular referenced Tarisai Vushe being overly polite when she was criticised by judges, and she was encouraged to be more open and honest. Tarisai Vushe continually stated "thank you" in a polite voice, without apparently listening to any of the various criticisms by the judges.

During the week leading up to the Final 5 performances, a radio caller to 2DayFM, hosted by judge Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O, called to state that Tarisai Vushe was "fake" in reference to her overly polite responses to judge's comments. [5].

On the show, during the lead up to her performance, Mark Holden was seen commenting to Tarisai to encourage her to "use her anger in a positive way". After the performance of "When it All Falls Apart", judge Kyle Sandilands made lengthy comments about how she had been treated very unfairly in relation to that, and at how difficult it was for her to deal with being called fake. Before Kyle Sandilands could make his comment about the performance itself, he was interrupted by judge Mark Holden, who said "in saying that, I think it was fake". After Mark's comment, and preventing a return to Kyle Sandilands for a comment about the performance itself, judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson commented that he would "put the boot in" and said that he thought she was fake too. Finally, judge Marcia Hines stated "I have nothing to say". [6]

That night after the show, Tarisai was so angry that she approached judge Mark Holden to confront him about what he had said, and how inappropriate it was. Footage of this, and of Mark Holden smirking and saying "This is what I wanted her to show in the song" was shown live on the final night, prior to the final votes being counted. [7]

Of all of the incidents, this drew the most publicity, with reactions ranging from disgust at the treatment by the judges, especially Mark Holden, through to an agreement that others had thought all along that she was being fake with her comments, and that she deserved to be treated so harshly.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Aussie Idol enjoys second-best debut (2007-8-6). Retrieved on 2007-08-06.
  2. ^ "Audition Locations", Australian Idol official site, 2007
  3. ^ Idol lifts the bar by plucking the pros. The Sun Herald. Retrieved on September 24, 2007.

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