| Australian Idol | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
| Broadcast from | 6 August 2006–26 November 2006 |
| Judges | Kyle Sandilands Marcia Hines Mark Holden |
| Host(s) | Andrew G James Mathison |
| Broadcaster | Network Ten |
| Finals venue | Sydney Opera House |
| Winner: Damien Leith |
|
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Song | "Night of My Life" |
| Runner-up | |
| Jessica Mauboy | |
| Chronology | |
| ◄ 2006 ► | |
| Australian Idol (season 4) | |
| Finalists (with dates of elimination) |
|
| Damien Leith | Winner |
| Jessica Mauboy | 26 November |
| Dean Geyer | 13 November |
| Chris Murphy | 6 November |
| Ricky Muscat | 30 October |
| Lisa Mitchell | 23 October |
| Bobby Flynn | 16 October |
| Lavina Williams | 9 October |
| Guy "Mutto" Mutton | 2 October |
| Klancie Keough | 25 September |
| Reigan Derry | 18 September |
| Joseph Gatehau | 11 September |
The fourth season of Australian Idol first episode aired on 6 August 2006 and concluded on 26 November.
Contents |
Changes for the fourth season of Australian Idol included the cancellation of "Inside Idol"; a "streamlined" semi-finals (replaced with a variant of the 12 females, 12 males format popularized by American Idol); and the contestants will be able to bring instruments with them on stage for at least one of the final shows. Also, the fourth season's television promos promised a change in the viewer's role in the show, revealed to be an SMS service called 199-JUDGE which allows viewers to SMS their opinions on the judges' reactions.
The show opened with average ratings (1.4 million) that were on the whole up from last year's ratings. The semi-final shows averaged 1.5 million viewers per night; the ratings remained constant until the Top 8 show, which averaged 1.89 million viewers, much higher than any of the Top 12 shows last year, and was the most watched show on Australian television for that week. The Top 7 Show, which was "acoustic night", was watched by even more - 1.92 million. The final was watched by over 2.1 million people. The audience peaked at 10.13pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) attracting 2.4 million viewers.[2]
The auditions for the fourth season of Australian Idol started in March 2006 in Mount Isa, Queensland, and concluded on 4 June 2006 in Sydney. Auditions were held in thirteen towns and cities across Australia: Adelaide, Albury-Wodonga, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Broken Hill, Byron Bay, Hobart, Melbourne, Mount Isa, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney, and Townsville. Many of the audition sites had a much smaller population than previous seasons' sites, and producers declared that they wanted to "unearth" rural talent in 2006.[1] The auditions identified 124 hopefuls, who participated in a culling process in Sydney. After group performances and a solo performance from each contestant, the judges cut down the number of contestants left in the competition to 24. Also for the first time, contestants were told, face-to-face and usually by themselves, whether they had made it through to the semi-finals (in contrast to previous years when contestants were divided into groups of three, two of which got through).
The fourth season's broadcasts began on Sunday 6 August 2006 with the broadcast of four audition shows and two shows for the Sydney round.
The semi-final process consisted of two male groups and two female groups of six contestants over four days, who performed in front of a live audience for the first time (this being first season in which the semi-finals included a live audience). The semi-finals began on Sunday 27 August 2006 and ran daily until the results show on Thursday 31 August 2006. Two contestants were selected by audience vote each show. Eight contestants were then selected by the judges for another semi-finals show the following week; during the following results show, each judge selected a favorite wildcard contestant, who joined a single wildcard contestant selected by audience vote and the previously selected eight contestants to make up the Final 12.
| Females | Males |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Coogan | Brendon Boney |
| Lydia Denker | Bobby Flynn |
| Reigan Derry | Joseph Gatehau |
| Jessica Griffin | Dean Geyer |
| Klancie Keough | Chris Graffiti |
| Raechel Lee | Damien Leith |
| Jessica Mauboy | Chris Murphy |
| Lisa Mitchell | Ricky Muscat |
| Lyndelle Palmer-Clarke | Guy "Mutto" Mutton |
| Rebecca Pearce | James Steele |
| Amanda Streete | Paul Vercoe |
| Lavina Williams | Nathaniel Willemse |
|
GROUP 1 ~ Sunday 27 August 2006
Advancing to the Top 12: Damien Leith and Dean Geyer |
GROUP 2 ~ Tuesday 29 August 2006
Advancing to the Top 12: Bobby Flynn and Joseph Gatehau |
|
GROUP 1 ~ Monday 28 August 2006
Advancing to the Top 12: Jessica Mauboy and Reigan Derry |
GROUP 2 ~ Wednesday 30 August 2006
Advancing to the Top 12: Lavina Williams and Lisa Mitchell |
|
|
Advancing to the Top 12: Ricky Muscat, Guy Mutton, Klancie Keough and Chris Murphy
| Date | Week | Theme |
| 11 September | Top 12 | Contestant's Choice |
| 18 September | Top 11 | Rock |
| 25 September | Top 10 | Number Ones |
| 2 October | Top 9 | The Year They Were Born |
| 9 October | Top 8 | Disco |
| 16 October | Top 7 | Acoustic* |
| 23 October | Top 6 | Rock Swings* |
| 30 October | Top 5 | Aria Hall of Fame* |
| 6 October | Top 4 | Audience Choice* |
| 13 November | Top 3 | Judge's Choice |
* Shows in which the contestants brought instruments onto the stage with them.
Damien Leith (born 18 January 1976) is the winner for 2006. Originally from Dublin, Ireland and raised in County Kildare, he moved to Sydney, prior to Idol. He and his Australian born wife, Eileen, have two sons. Leith scored four of Mark Holden's Touchdowns over the course of the series and is the only contestant in the show's history to score two in one night when he scored one for each of his final 4 performances.
Jessica Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is the runner-up for 2006. Hailing from Darwin, Northern Territory, high school student, Jess auditioned in Alice Springs.
Jessica received the first Touchdown of the year from Mark Holden for her performance of "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera during the Final 10 week. She also received a second Touchdown during the Final 5 week for her performance of "Words" by The Bee Gees. Although she finnished as runner-up to Leith, Mauboy has since gone on to become the highest selling contestant from this series of Idol as well as the highest selling female Australian Idol alumni.
Dean Geyer (born 20 March 1986) finished in third place. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dean auditioned successfully in Melbourne.
Chris Murphy (born 25 March 1976) finished in fourth place. Auditioning in his hometown of Perth, Western Australia, Chris, like his younger brother, Courtney Murphy (from Season 2), was unanimously invited through to the theatre rounds.
Ricky Dean Muscat (born 19 October 1983 in Darwin), from Werribee, Melbourne, Australia, was placed fifth. Of Maltese descent, Ricky lives with his mother, and works at a chemical factory. He also participates in the Western Region Football League.
From age 9, Ricky would often accompany his father, a drummer, to the local pub where he would sing '60s hits for the locals. In later years, with a love of music, Ricky continued to develop his singing, by performing in choirs before joining a covers band, playing the local circuit and gaining invaluable experience as a performer. Lately, Ricky has found his voice, concentrating on urban music and house.
Ricky gained first attention at the Melbourne auditions of Australian Idol 4 by singing Shai's "If I Ever Fall in Love" and winning the judges over to make the Top 124 in Sydney. Following a controversial falling out on day two of the theatre round with trio member Jorge Bec, Ricky gained a place in the Top 24. During the first semi final round, Ricky did not accrue enough votes to advance. He was later chosen by the judges as a wildcard.
On 27 September, the top 12 performed at Federation Square. This was a huge day for him as he performed in front of an estimated 10,000 people.
Lisa Mitchell (born 22 March 1990 in Canterbury, England), came in sixth place. Originating from Albury, New South Wales, Lisa immediately wowed the judges with her unique voice and talent.
Bobby Flynn (born 22 January 1981 in Brisbane, Queensland), finished seventh.
Lavina Rose Williams (born 13 June 1978) finished eighth in the contest. She is of Samoan descent and the older sister to Season 3 runner-up Emily Williams. In high school she became a member of the New Zealand R&B girl group, Ma-V-Elle with hits that charted successfully in New Zealand. As a professional stage performer, Williams played the role of Shenzi in The Lion King from 2004 to 2006.
In February 2007, Williams took over Ricki-Lee's spot in Young Divas temporarily while Coulter went overseas to record her second studio album. In 2009, Williams featured on her brother, J.Williams single, "Stand With You" charting successfully well in New Zealand. Lavina currently lives in Melbourne with her family.
Guy Mutton (born 17 October 1976) nicknamed "Mutto", finished in ninth place. A rock enthusiast, Guy was teaching until his band Soulframe rising in popularity, gained national recognition that he was encouraged to focus on music.
Klancie Keough (born in 1982 in Mount Isa, Queensland,), placed tenth. At the Mount Isa auditions, Klancie was the first successful contestant into the Top 124 in Sydney, and later the final 24. She did not initially make the final twelve, but returned for the wildcard show and was successfully chosen by the public vote.
Klancie is a farm hand and jillaroo on her sister's farm. Before auditioning for Idol, Klancie completed senior studies at The Cathedral School in Townsville and studied Commerce at The University of Queensland in Brisbane. After working in finance, she returned to work as a governess on her sister's property.
In December 2006, she was signed by the man behind Keith Urban's success, Greg Shaw, to a management deal. She is rumored to travel to Nashville soon with him.
Reigan Elisse Derry (born 19 September 1988) finished in eleventh place. Born in Maida Vale, Western Australia, Reigan attended Perth Modern School on a vocal scholarship. Prior to Idol, she was a member of a duo called Djreamz with Justin Low.
Her eclectic musical tastes include jazz and drum & bass, and she is an enthusiast of music from the 1960s, a little bit of progressive metal, opera, classical and contemporary jazz and has studied for the past three years with West Australian based opera singer Elisa Wilson. It has been perceived that her elimination on 18 September was the result of a too obscure song choice.
In October 2007, Derry along with Hayley Aitken and Tamara Jaber signed a US recording contract with Def Jam Recordings as a group called, Scarlett Belle. In 2008, the group was dropped from the label with rumours that one of the members, Tamara was in trouble with the label and Aitken left the group. The group carried on with the two remaining members and released their debut single, "Closure", followed by "Freak Tonight". The group disbanded in May 2011.[2]
Joseph Gatehau (born in 30 March 1988 in New South Wales), finished in twelfth place.
Of Tongan and New Caledonian descent, he is the oldest of seven children, all of whom live in a single-story Sadleir home. From the age of 8, Gatehau has played acoustic guitar and sung, but as the family was not able to afford formal music lessons until he was 14, he is essentially self-taught. With a love of music, he has also taken an interest in songwriting. Joseph attended a few schools during his secondary school years, but completed his final years at Ashcroft High School. Coming from a very musical family and heritage, his mother conducts a Tongan Catholic choir, in which several of his siblings also participate. His grandfather, Lemisio Lolesio Paunga, is distinguished by being the first to bring Tongan music to Australia.
He now has a new album out called "Move On" that was made with Donald Tauvao aka Boy Shy from The X Factor winning band "Random" in 2005. He is now a contestant on The X Factor in a group called Three Wishez
The Australian Idol Grand Final was held on 26 November at the Sydney Opera House as is traditional. The show included performances by Shannon Noll, Anthony Callea, Marcia Hines, Deni Hines, Guy Sebastian, Young Divas and Australian Idol 2006 finalists. Damien Leith was voted the winner, with Jessica Mauboy the runner-up. Leith's first single "Night of My Life" was released soon thereafter.
| Did Not Perform | Top 24 | Wild Card | Top 12 |
| Stage: | Semi-Finals | WC | Finals | ||||||||||||||
| Week: | 28/8 | 29/8 | 30/8 | 31/8 | 4/9 | 11/9 | 18/9 | 25/9 | 2/10 | 9/10 | 16/10 | 23/10 | 30/10 | 6/11 | 13/11 | 26/11 | |
| Place | Contestant | Result | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damien Leith | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Winner | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Jessica Mauboy | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Runner-Up | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Dean Geyer | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Elim | ||||||||||
| 4 | Chris Murphy | Elim | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Elim | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Ricky Muscat | Elim | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Btm 3 | Btm 3 | Btm 3 | Elim | |||||||||
| 6 | Lisa Mitchell | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Elim | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Bobby Flynn | Top 12 | Elim | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Lavina Williams | Top 12 | Btm 2 | Btm 3 | Elim | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Guy Mutton | Elim | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Elim | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Klancie Keough | Elim | Top 12 | Elim | |||||||||||||
| 11 | Reigan Derry | Top 12 | Btm 3 | Elim | |||||||||||||
| 12 | Joseph Gatehau | Top 12 | Elim | ||||||||||||||
| Wild Card |
Brendon Boney | Elim | Elim | ||||||||||||||
| Chris Graffiti | Elim | ||||||||||||||||
| Amanda Streete | Elim | ||||||||||||||||
| Nathaniel Willemse | Elim | ||||||||||||||||
| Semi- Final 4 |
Lydia Denker | Elim | |||||||||||||||
| Jess Griffin | |||||||||||||||||
| Raechel Lee | |||||||||||||||||
| Rebecca Pearce | |||||||||||||||||
| Semi- Final 3 |
James Steele | Elim | |||||||||||||||
| Semi- Final 2 |
Atlanta Coogan | Elim | |||||||||||||||
| Lyndelle Palmer-Clarke | |||||||||||||||||
| Semi- Final 1 |
Paul Vercoe | Elim | |||||||||||||||
In 2006 Fremantle Australia's digital media division launched Idol Backstage, a companion show to Australian Idol distributed by Telstra and promoted in clips on the main show. It followed the pranks, gags and interviews of host Josh Zepps as he roamed behind the scenes of the Australian Idol set while the show went to air.
Idol Backstage marked a clear break in style from the rest of the Idol franchise, appealing to a young, tech-savvy audience.[3] The clips were edited overnight each Sunday and Monday into roughly one commercial half-hour per week (22–24 minutes) over four episodes. There were 54 episodes in total, with additional content available on mobile phones and on BigPond's Idol Backstage Online website.
Idol Backstage was a popular success, with viewer numbers climbing strongly week-on-week and total Idol web video downloads reaching a record 2.5 million throughout the season. Traffic to the Idol website was up 40% on the previous year with more than 26 million page impressions, and Australian Idol became the most popular television program website in the country.[4]
| Preceded by Season 3 (2005) |
Australian Idol Season 4 (2006) |
Succeeded by Season 5 (2007) |
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