The final night of Transformation Week left the judges floored as the last four contestants scored their coveted spot in the Australian Idol Top 12.
Over three epic nights, the contestants stunned with mind-blowing make overs and serious vocal power, delivering outstanding performances to prove why they belong in the Top 12.
Judges Kyle Sandilands, Marcia Hines and Amy Shark were allocated one fast pass each to advance someone directly to the Top 12, despite what their fellow judges thought.
Imogen Spendlove, 23 from Victoria, knocked it out of the park and secured Marcia’s fast pass with her performance of From This Moment On by Shania Twain.
Supermarket worker Isaac McCallum, 23 from Ulladulla, NSW, was left in tears after Amy awarded the “underdog” her fast pass for his performance of Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur.
Emotional, Amy said:
“To see you shine tonight is so incredible. We need to protect people like you. You are such a superstar.”
After Kyle’s harsh words following the trolley pushers’ recent stumbles, he told Issac:
“That was excellent. I love your voice. You’ve got a gift… My wife said to me when we were watching the show back ‘oh nice empathy’ when I had a go at you for forgetting the words.
“You and I have something in common, the homelessness. I forget sometimes how invisible we want to feel when we’re there. You want to shrink into the smallest thing. You don’t want to be noticed, you don’t want to speak, you just want to live.”
Kyle continued:
“You do have something special we want to hear what you have to say. Don’t be quiet don’t be nervous just be you, you did a great job.”
Grateful, Issac said:
“Thank you for allowing me to come this far in the competition, I love you guys. Thank you for all the support.”
Kyle used his fast pass to ensure 21-year-old Sunshine Coast surfer Tyler Hammill progressed in the competition, after his performance of Waves by Dean Lewis fell short of his best.
Seventeen-year-old Kiani Smith, from Bribie Island, Queensland, stepped out of her comfort zone performing without her guitar.
“I want to show the judges age doesn’t stop me,” Kiani declared, before her rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon – her mum Michelle’s favourite song – received a standing ovation.
Wowed, Marcia said:
“That was spellbinding.”
Hip-hop star TJ Zimba’s mesmerising take on Justin Bieber’s Peaches had the crowd chanting his name as the 24-year-old from Karratha, WA, revealed: “Being different is not a set back at all, it’s a superpower.”
While the judges agreed TJ still has work to do on his vocals, Kyle called him a “genius.
” Amy said “you blew my mind … I could watch you all night.”
After making the Top 12, a shocked TJ fell to his knees:
“I don’t cry, this is crazy… I really wanted to show people like me can do what I do and show that you need to stop ignoring WA because no one comes to us, no one gives us opportunities and today that changes!”
Twenty-four-year-old Amy Reeves from Broome, WA, delivered a breathtaking rendition of Aretha Franklin’s Think, leaving the judges impressed. Especially taken was Marcia, who noted “the show must go on,” after Amy revealed she was unwell in the lead up to her performance.
Kyle said:
“If I wasn’t on this show, I would sign you to a 10-million-dollar deal immediately.”
Australian Idol’s Top 12 have collaborated to release a soulful rendition of George Michael’s iconic Freedom! ’90, available to stream or download here from Friday, 23 February. Don’t miss their epic live group performance in Tuesday’s live results show.
Next week on Australian Idol: Live TV is back! The Top 12 compete live-to-air to fight for their place in the competition.
Australian Idol on Channel 7
Watch performance highlights:
Australian Idol on Channel 7 and 7plus – Performance shows 7.00pm Sunday and 7.30pm Monday Live Results Tuesday
The Australian Idol Top 12:
• Amy Reeves, 24, Broome, WA
• Denvah Baker-Moller, 23, Rockhampton, QLD
• Drea Onamade , 25, Perth, WA
• Dylan Wright, 30, Bangalow, NSW
• Imogen Spendlove, 23, Melbourne, VIC
• Isaac Mccallum, 23, Ulladulla, NSW
• Ivana Ilic, 20, Mill Park, VIC
• Kiani Smith, 17, Bribie Island, QLD
• Ripley Alexander, 19, Brisbane, QLD
• TJ Zimba, 24, Karratha, WA
• Trent Richardson, 22, Emu Park, QLD
• Tyler Hammill, 21, Sunshine Coast, QLD
About the Show
Idol is calling. Australian Idol returns Monday, 29 January. This is where stars are made: welcome to Australian Idol!
Twenty-one years after Guy Sebastian pipped Shannon Noll to become Australia’s first Idol, the international star-making sensation returns to Seven and 7 and 7plus for a second big season on Monday, 29 January.
Radio king Kyle Sandilands and TV WEEK Logie Award winner and acclaimed singer Amy Shark will be joined by a new judge: Australian Idol OG and pop legend Marcia Hines. The trio will traverse the country to find the next Guy, Casey or Royston.
Set to be the toughest season yet, with only room for the best of the best, the judges are looking for the complete package: a singer with the sound and style to woo the nation.
Excited to be unearthing Australia’s next singing superstar, Marcia is looking for a strong, pure and melodic voice “that makes the hairs on your body stand up,” regardless of the genre.
The celebrated singer is also looking forward to re-joining Kyle and Amy on the judges’ desk following her guest judging role on the series last year.
“I consider Kyle a good friend and Amy is one-in-a-million and a real individual, without trying to be. Also, Kyle’s a Gemini, Amy’s a Taurus, and I’m the Cancerian in the mix and those three star signs get along very nicely.”
Returning to the Idol judges’ desk for his sixth season, Kyle admits there’s no definitive formula for the ultimate performer, but they have a presence and energy that’s hard to ignore: “The ultimate performer is someone that you admire for their talent, and they’ve got a little swagger or a pizzazz about them that just makes them stand out from the crowd.”
Amy added:
“I’m usually blown away if someone can potentially showcase their personality, voice, style and direction in the space of 10 minutes and leave me wanting more. If I want to learn more about you, I’m interested.”
During their audition, contestants will be on the hunt to score a Golden Ticket to progress to the next round, but with just 30 Golden Tickets across the whole auditions, only the most talented performers will claim their coveted spot in the Top 30.
A global success since 2001, the Idol franchise has launched the celebrated careers of Aussie hitmakers including Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Matt Corby, Ricki-Lee, Anthony Callea, Stan Walker, Casey Donovan and Courtney Act.
International music icons Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert also launched their brilliant careers on the Idol stage.
Australian Idol is hosted by multiplatinum-selling, ARIA Award nominated singer-songwriter Ricki-Lee – who was discovered on Australian Idol in 2004 – and internationally renowned entertainment presenter and former E! host Scott Tweedie.
Media Release – Seven
Australian Idol on Channel 7
Australian Idol on Channel 7
Australian Idol on Channel 7
TV Central Seven content HERE
Australian Idol on Channel 7
