Daryl Brunt
| Daryl Brunt | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Daryl Milton Byron Brunt |
| Born | December 16, 1988 |
| Origin | Sudbury, Ontario, Canda |
Daryl Milton Byron Brunt (born December 16, 1988) is a resident from Sudbury, Ontario 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. Daryl did not make it past the Top 7 in the competition; his version of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" was not enough to convince the voting public that he should advance 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 and unnecessary 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 Hamilton television show. Daryl received the least amount of votes from the Canadian viewers that night and was sent home.
Daryl was also named Sudbury News maker 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 fan base called themselves the "Brunty Bunchians" and held various discussions on the CTV forums. Daryl says he loves Queen Latifah, Family Guy, meat pie, French fries and gravy, 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.