Idols is Back, Again Poses the Question: Which Ordinary Male Will Take the Crown?
Its season 12, folks.
All four judges are back for the new season, including Gareth Cliff, fresh from getting axed by M-Net and reinstated by a court of law. Hopefully, the drama on camera can at least rival all the behind the scenes action – holding thumbs. Because, face it, we’re all just watching for the drama, and they seem to know it.
Will this season be same old, same old? The same type of dude winning another season? It’s very likely, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, no?
Durban is up first!
The ratio of good to wooden mic worthy auditions is completely off when after the first half hour; we’ve seen one solid audition. The wooden mic auditions are starting to wear thin. Surely, there has to be enough talented kids out there that deserve the screen time more.
That’s why our weekly recaps will focus more on the successful auditions, rather than the flops propped in for entertainment value.
Audition of the Night:
Ah, Noma Khumalo has a nice story: a teacher who wants to sing. Noma has a beautiful voice primed for an album. If the producers play it right, they can have a nice little narrative with her. A shy teacher, who does not yet believe in her abilities, breaks free from her cocoon to become a confident diva. Here’s hoping Noma can play that part well.
The rest of the Golden Tickets (of which about a handful got valuable screen time):
Thamsanqa Mathonsi, Matthew Gardiner, and Sanele Mkhize all received golden tickets.
Melody Ndlovu received tremendous praise from the judges. Randall could hear her future records and she was Unathi’s favourite of the night. She has a good voice but I’m not fully convinced yet.
Sophisticated Lindo Sithole has his own A capella group. Randall called him CeeLo Green in a non insulting manner, and he went through. Finally, the show gives us only the second person of the night that can sing. He has the voice and the personality to do well, but actually winning might be a ways off.
Nosihe Zulu’s adorable 10-year-old brother encouraged her to audition. She had to prove that she wasn’t a chicken, so here she is. Thank you, little Joshua. Nosihe did a solid job taking on a song from possibly the best female vocalist in the world right now. Of course she went through.
From Clash of the Choirs, to waitressing, to Idols, our first contestant, Luke Ntombela, is done serving other people. That’s good for us too, because she was really good. We were off to a nice start.
19 Golden tickets were handed out in total.
The Best Worst Audition of the Night:
Phumzile Shusha only wants her boyfriend back. He probably ran away to salvage what is left of his hearing. She’s an earful, alright. If her audition wasn’t enough, Somizi accompanied the budding songstress for a song and dance number. She was a good sport.
The Big Dramatic Moment:
Nqobile Gumede collapsed after an audition that went from bad to worse. She subsequently left in the back of an ambulance. Sometimes, wanting something too much can be painful. It’s a cautionary tale. According to the Idols SA Facebook page, Nqobile recovered well.
What did you think of the premiere? Were you as underwhelmed as I was? Chime in!
