New Zealand Idol

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NZ Idol Logo.
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NZ Idol Logo.

New Zealand Idol is the New Zealand version of the hit British TV series known as Pop Idol. New Zealand got its first taste of Idol when TV2 aired American Idol series II. After Australian Idol also proved to be a hit, the country decided it was time for its chance to have its very own Idol.

Contents

NZ Idol Series II

Auditions for the second series of NZ Idol began in June 2005. The show was once again hosted by Dominic Bowden, with Jackie Clarke replacing Fiona McDonald, who was pregnant with her first child, as one of the three judges.

The series once again proved a ratings hit in New Zealand, but Sony BMG are reportedly unhappy with the format and are reviewing their role in the program. Rosita Vai was the eventual winner of NZ Idol 2 and the first female contestant to win the competition.

Series II Contestants

Series II Eliminated Contestants

(in ranking order)

NZ Idol Series I

NZ Idol I Contestants.
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NZ Idol I Contestants.

NZ Idol finished its first season in 2004, with Ben Lummis taking the title of The New Zealand Idol. Michael Murphy finishing in second place, followed by Camillia Temple in third.

The show was hosted by popular TV presenter Dominic Bowden and the panel of judges consisted of Frankie Stevens, Fiona McDonald and Paul Ellis.

As with its international counterparts, it attracted much controversy, particularly from fans of extant bands who have not made the mainstream, and those who despise manufactured pop.

Series I Contestants

The competition was tough in the final few rounds of NZ Idol I but it was finally whittled down to the top ten. Nine of these were voted in by the public through three heats (Camillia Temple, Ben Lummis and Filipo Saipani; Michael Murphy, Luke Whaanga and 'Big' Dave Houma; Robin Johnson, Sela Mahe and Eddie Gaiger), and Jessie Cassin was added by the judges as a wildcard.

Series I Results

Ben Lummis Winner
Crowned on the 10th of May, 2004
Michael Murphy Runner-up
Eliminated on the 10th of May, 2004
Camillia Temple Placed third
Eliminated on the 3rd of May, 2004
Luke Whaanga Placed forth
Eliminated on the 26th of April, 2004
Dave Houma Placed fifth
Eliminated on the 19th of April, 2004
Eddie Gaiger Placed sixth
Eliminated on the 12th of April, 2004
Robin Johnson Placed seventh
Eliminated on the 5th of April, 2004
Jessie Cassin Placed eighth
Eliminated on the 29th of March, 2004
Sela Mahe Placed ninth
Eliminated on the 22nd of March, 2004
Filipo Saipani Placed tenth
Eliminated on the 15th of March, 2004

NZ Idol in the charts

  • Ben Lummis' took the Idol winners' single They Can't Take That Away to number one in the New Zealand charts and stayed there for seven weeks before dropping rather rapidly and disappearing from the Top 20 altogether. Lummis was dropped from Sony BMG in May 2005.
  • Ben's album One Road is currently also out of the charts but held the number one spot for five weeks.
  • Idol runner-up Michael Murphy released his debut single entitled So Damn Beautiful which he performed nightly on the massively popular Idolised '04 tour. It was number one in the New Zealand charts for only one week.
  • Michael's album No Place To Land was released a few months after the release if So Damn Beautiful but failed to make much of an impression.


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