| Australian Idol | |
|---|---|
| Season 7 | |
| Broadcast from | 9 August 2009–22 November 2009 |
| Judges | Ian Dickson Marcia Hines Jay Dee Springbett Semi Finals Onwards Kyle Sandilands Auditions Only |
| Host(s) | Andrew G Ricki-Lee Coulter |
| Broadcaster | Network Ten |
| Finals venue | Fox Studios, Sydney Sydney Opera House (Grand Final) |
| Winner: Stan Walker |
|
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Song | "Black Box" |
| Genre(s) | R&B, Soul |
| Runner-up | |
| Hayley Warner | |
| Chronology | |
| ◄ 2009 | |
| Australian Idol (season 7) | |
| Finalists (with dates of elimination) |
|
| Stan Walker | Winner |
| Hayley Warner | Runner-up |
| James Johnston | 15 November |
| Nathan Brake | 8 November |
| Toby Moulton | 1 November |
| Kate Cook | 25 October |
| Kim Cooper | 18 October |
| Scott Newnham | 11 October |
| Tim Johnston | 4 October |
| Sabrina Batshon | 27 September |
| Casey Barnes | 20 September |
| Ashleigh Toole | 13 September |
The seventh and final season of the Australian Idol series began on 9 August 2009, to determine who would succeed Season 6 winner, Wes Carr. Beginning amid controversy, judge Kyle Sandilands was replaced by Sony Music record executive, Jay Dee Springbett. It was the first season where all four final contestants were eighteen years old or younger. Stan Walker was declared the winner on 22 November 2009.
Contents |
Ian Dickson, and Marcia Hines returned as judges, however long term judge Kyle Sandilands was sacked after causing controversy on his radio show prior to the premiere, although he was still present for the auditions as they had been prerecorded some weeks earlier. On 23 August 2009, it was announced on the Idol show that the new judge taking over Kyle Sandilands' spot would be Jay Dee Springbett. Andrew G returned as host, with assistance from Ricki-Lee Coulter due to the departure of James Mathison. The first auditions saw guest judge Brian McFadden join the panel, and his fiancee Delta Goodrem acted as a guest judge for the Sydney auditions.
A further change was also decided for the Top 12 round eliminations. The Monday night elimination show was axed in favour of a two hour 'super Sunday' elimination/ performance show, in which a contestant was eliminated according to votes tallied the previous week, followed by performances.
The premiere episode which saw auditions in both Melbourne and Brisbane, achieved an audience of 1.3m. This was considerably lower than previous first episodes. In 2006, the premiere garnered 1.4m, the 2007 reached 1.65m and 2008 achieved 1.4m. The peak audience however of 1.77 was the biggest seen in years. The show won the night in the 18- 49 demographic.[1]
| # | Title | Airdate | Timeslot | Ratings[nb 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Audition 1" | 9 August 2009 | Sunday 6:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1,300,000 (5th)[2] |
| 2 | "Audition 2" | 16 August 2009 | 1,171,000 (8th)[3] | |
| 3 | "Top 100" | 23 August 2009 | 1,086,000 (8th)[4] | |
| 4 | "Semi Final 1" | 24 August 2009 | Monday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1,110,000 (10th)[4] |
| 5 | "Semi Final 2" | 25 August 2009 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1,049,000 (14th)[4] |
| 6 | "Semi Final 3" | 26 August 2009 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1,049,000 (12th)[4] |
| 7 | "Semi Final 4" | 27 August 2009 | Thursday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1,153,000 (5th)[4] |
| 8 | "Verdict Semi Final 4/Wildcard" | 30 August 2009 | Sunday 6:30 pm–8:30 pm | 992,000 (10th)[5] |
| 9 | "Verdict Wildcard/Final 12" | 6 September 2009 | 883,000 (11th)[6] | |
| 10 | "Live Verdict/Final 11" | 13 September 2009 | 990,000 (12th)[7] | |
| 11 | "Live Verdict/Final 10" | 20 September 2009 | Sunday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 976,000 (9th)[8] |
| 12 | "Live Verdict/Final 9" | 27 September 2009 | 984,000 (10th)[9] | |
| 13 | "Live Verdict/Final 8" | 4 October 2009 | 926,000 (11th)[10] | |
| 14 | "Live Verdict/Final 7" | 11 October 2009 | 978,000 (14th)[11] | |
| 15 | "Live Verdict/Final 6" | 18 October 2009 | 1,064,000 (8th)[12] | |
| 16 | "Live Verdict/Final 5" | 25 October 2009 | 1,003,000 (9th)[13] | |
| 17 | "Live Verdict/Final 4" | 1 November 2009 | 942,000 (9th)[14] | |
| 18 | "Live Verdict/Final 3" | 8 November 2009 | 890,000 (11th)[15] | |
| 19 | "Live Verdict/Final 2" | 15 November 2009 | 924,000 (10th)[16] | |
| 20 | "Grand Finale" | 22 November 2009 | 1,108,000 (10th);[17] Peak: 1,471,000 (3rd)[17] | |
| Average series ratings (ongoing) | 1,030,300 | |||
The auditions were held at the following locations:
^ Auditioning contestants were required to be between the ages 16 and 30 on 30 June 2009 (born between 1 July 1979 and 1 July 1993).
These aired on the week of 24 to 27 August, allowing viewers to vote. The "Wildcard" Performance Show followed on Sunday, 30 August, with live results revealed the following week, on 6 September.
| Females | Males |
|---|---|
| Nicole Banks | Casey Barnes |
| Sabrina Batshon | Jason Bartlett |
| Kate Cook | Nathan Brake |
| Kim Cooper | Seth Drury |
| Jamila Ioane | Adam Eckersley |
| Lucie Johnson | James Johnston |
| Aliqua Mao | Tim Johnston |
| Tenielle Muslin | Toby Moulton |
| Lauren Street | Scott Newnham |
| Ashleigh Toole | Daniel Raso |
| Marijana Topalovic | Stan Walker |
| Hayley Warner | Ed Zaidan |
|
|
Advancing to the Top 12: Stan Walker & Kate Cook
Wild Card Contenders: Hayley Warner & Toby Moulton
|
|
Advancing to the Top 12: Ashleigh Toole & Nathan Brake
Wild Card Contenders: Lauren Street & Casey Barnes
|
|
Advancing to the Top 12: Sabrina Batshon & Scott Newnham
Wild Card Contender: Aliqua Mao
|
|
Advancing to the Top 12: James Johnston & Kim Cooper
Wild Card Contenders: Ed Zaidan, Lucie Johnson, Tim Johnston & Tenielle Muslin
|
|
Advancing to the Top 12 through the Public vote: Toby Moulton and Hayley Warner
Advancing to the Top 12 through the Judges picks: Casey Barnes and Tim Johnston
| Date | Week | Theme | Mentor/Guest Judge |
| 6 September | Top 12 | Contestant's Choice | none |
| 13 September | Top 11 | Rock Night | Suzi Quatro |
| 20 September | Top 10 | Top 10 Hits | Brian McFadden |
| 27 September | Top 9 | 80's | Ross Wilson |
| 4 October | Top 8 | P!nk Song Hits | none |
| 11 October | Top 7 | Big Band | James Morrison / Harry Connick, Jr. |
| 18 October | Top 6 | Movie / Theatre Night | Liza Minnelli |
| 25 October | Top 5 | Contestant's Choice | none |
| 1 November | Top 4 | Noughties Week | Joel and Benji Madden |
| 8 November | Top 3 | Power Anthems | Pete Wentz (Guest Judge) |
| 15 November | Top 2 | Contestant's Choice and Winner's Single | Michael Bublé |
| Week | Performer(s) | Title |
| Top 12 | none | N/A |
| Top 11 | Suzi Quatro | Devil Gate Drive |
| Top 10 | Top 11 | Don't Stop Believin' |
| Top 9 | Top 10 | Girls On Film |
| Top 8 | Top 9 | Get The Party Started |
| Top 7 | Top 8 | (If I Could) Whisper Your Name |
| Top 7 | Harry Connick, Jr. | The Way You Look Tonight |
| Top 6 | Liza Minnelli | Cabaret |
| Top 5 | Top 6 | Before the Worst |
| Top 4 | Joel and Benji Madden | Dance Floor Anthem |
| Top 3 | Top 4 | We Built This City |
| Top 2 | Top 3 | Medley – Purple Rain, Crazy & Somebody Told Me |
Stan Walker is 19 years old. Although residing in Australia for the past three and a half years, Stan grew up in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand. He works in retail. He has the Māori word ataahua (meaning "beautiful"") tattooed on his neck.
Hayley Warner is a 18-year-old from the south of Sydney. She is the lead singer of her band, Bleached Academy and works in retail at a surf shop. She is also related to a young and upcoming New South Wales cricket player David Warner.
James Johnston (born 26 November 1990) is an 19-year-old from Wingham, New South Wales. He was a part of Starstruck in 2005, performing in front of thousands. He prefers the acoustic/rock style of music.
Nathan Brake (born 27 July 1991) is a 18-year-old from Guildford, Sydney. He is a student at the Australian International Performing Arts High School. He is the lead singer of his band, Ackolade. Nathan has since performed at a number of events including the 2009 Melbourne Christmas carols with Ricki Lee Coulter.
Nathan Brake has an unofficial fan site Nathan Nation where upcoming events are mentioned and contains a forum for fans.
Toby Moulton is a 30-year-old primary school teacher, born in Melrose, South Australia. He teaches at Star of the Sea primary school in Henley Beach.
Kate Cook is a 26-year-old from Lowood, Queensland. She works as a meat cutter at an abattoir. Her mother, who is her biggest musical influence, committed suicide when Kate was 16. Kate wrote her first single release about her mother, "Make You Stay" (released independently and available to Australian radio in April 2010).
Kim Cooper (born 29 November 1987) is a 21-year-old born in Melbourne. At age 17, she moved to Townsville, Queensland, after her father was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. She works in fashion retail.
Scott Newnham is a 20-year-old from Melbourne. He works as a bricklayer, and before Idol, had never sung in front of another person except his best friend.
Tim Johnston (born in 1981) is a 28-year-old from Newcastle, New South Wales. He auditioned for The X Factor, Series 5, while living in the United Kingdom. He advanced to the bootcamp round, but failed to make the cut for the Visit to the Judges' houses. He works as a barista.
Sabrina Batshon (born 26 October 1984) is an Australian born singer, songwriter and actor from Rhodes, Sydney. She began singing and dancing at the age of two at the Johnny Young Talent School. She had roles on Australian television including Water Rats, G.P. and Home and Away. She won several talent quests including the McDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge. In 2000, she sang with The Australian Girls Choir and Paulini for the Qantas campaign CD, The Spirit of Australia.[18] She was understudy to Nikki Webster as Dorothy in a 2000/2001 stage performance of The Wizard of Oz and was cast as the 'Little Girl' in the 2001 production of The Witches of Eastwick (musical) in Melbourne. She attended the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and was named in November 2004 in Parliament by Andrew Refshauge as being one of Australia’s best singers.[19] During 2005 and early 2009 Batshon experienced chronic depression, agoraphobia and panic attacks, and was admitted to hospital. Producer Stephen Tate said speaking "openly and honestly" about depression was the way forward for the media and community.[20]
Casey Barnes is a 30-year-old father born in Tasmania. At a young age he became blind in his right eye after an infection. He has opened for Bryan Adams and played alongside Eskimo Joe, Vanessa Amorosi and Diesel during his career.
Ashleigh Toole is an 18-year-old from the Central Coast, New South Wales. A student, she grew up performing in multiple music festivals with her family.
| No. | Performer(s) | Title |
| 1 | Top 12 | Don't Stop Me Now |
| 2 | Michael Bublé with Hayley and Stan | Feeling Good |
| 3 | Wes Carr and Ian Moss | Beat It |
| 4 | Top 12 Girls | When Love Takes Over |
| 5 | Mika | Rain & We Are Golden |
| 6 | Ricki-Lee Coulter | Hear No, See No, Speak No |
| 7 | Top 12 Guys | Take Back the City |
| 8 | Guy Sebastian & Jordin Sparks | Art of Love |
| 9 | Michael Bublé | Cry Me A River |
| 10 | Hayley Warner | Funhouse |
| 11 | Stan Walker | It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World |
| 12 | Stan Walker | Black Box |
| Did Not Perform | Top 24 | Wild Card | Top 12 |
| Stage: | Semi-Finals | WC | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Week: | 24/8 | 25/8 | 26/8 | 27/8 | 30/8 | 6/9 | 13/9 | 20/9 | 27/9 | 4/10 | 11/10 | 18/10 | 25/10 | 1/11 | 8/11 | 15/11 | |||||||||||||||
| Place | Contestant | Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Walker | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Winner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Hayley Warner | Elim | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Runner-Up | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | James Johnston | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Btm 2 | Btm 3 | Elim[2] | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Nathan Brake | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Btm 3 | Btm 3 | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Toby Moulton | Elim | Top 12 | WD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Kate Cook | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Kim Cooper | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Btm 2 | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Scott Newnham | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Tim Johnston[3] | Elim | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Sabrina Batshon | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Casey Barnes | Elim | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Ashleigh Toole | Top 12 | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wild Card |
Lucie Johnson[4] | Elim | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aliqua Mao | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tenielle Muslin[5] | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lauren Street | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ed Zaidan[6] | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Semi- Final 3 |
Nicole Banks | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jason Bartlett | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daniel Raso | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Semi- Final 2 |
Adam Eckersley | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marijana Topalovic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Semi- Final 1 |
Jamila Ioane | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seth Drury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by Season 6 (2008) |
Australian Idol Season 7 (2009) |
Succeeded by None show axed |
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