Top 3 for Australian Idol finale
Royston Sagigi-Baira, Phoebe Stewart, and Josh Hannan in the running for 2023 talent title.
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23-year-old Royston Sagigi-Baira, 15-year-old Phoebe Stewart, and 20-year-old Josh Hannan will compete for the Australian Idol title this Sunday, 26 March live (AEDT) on Seven.
But it was farewell to 19-year-old Anya Hynninen, 24-year-old Ben Sheehy, and 16-year-old Amali Dimond, who were eliminated after failing to secure enough public votes last night.
“I can’t believe this. This is crazy!” Royston said. “This is a testament [to the fact] that no matter where you come from, as long as you work hard, you can follow your dreams and they can come true.”
“Thank you everyone for taking the time out of your life to appreciate music, the show and me. And I’m really happy I’m here. Thank you,” said Phoebe.
“It’s a bit emotional,” said Josh. “Everyone who voted for me. It is an absolute dream for me to be here.”
The winner of Australian Idol will receive a recording contract with industry giant Sony Music and $100,000 in prize money.
Sunday’s finale will include performances by Harry Connick Jr. and former Idol success story, Jessica Mauboy.
Voting is now open for the 2023 title. SMS the name of your chosen “Idol Contestant” to 0457 500 700 *Standard text message rates apply* Voting closes 26 March 2023 at 7.35pm AEDT.
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9 Responses
Josh better win, because he’s the only one out of the three who has a shot at succeeding in the business.
I think the true winner is Amali. Kyle has taken a shine to her and has used his connections to get her introduced to some big wigs eg Calvin Harris.
Hi David on the topic of Australian Idol and the passion you’ve shown toward Scott Tweedie in the past, how have you found him as host?
I think they need to let him loose a bit more, Ricki-Lee has been given a bit more freedom to banter than Scott’s links, but they have clicked together pretty well.
I’ve been really impressed with Rickie Lee; slightly less so with Scott, but i have little familiarity with him. Ricki Lee seems so much more comfortable in her skin and it is great to see her genuine connection and care for the contestants. Being an alumni herself has been as asset. I think she and Scott have some chemistry. I wish i could say that about the judges. I could do without Kyle altogether. Harry is just a brilliant presence and has so much of value to add. And Amy has been great to get to know (i’m not into her music) but like her down to earth warmth. Meghan’s antics… a little goes a long way. My 10 cents….
Disclaimer, I haven’t watched Idol this year. With three eliminations in one night does that mean Seven are cutting the series shorter than they originally planned?
No, it was never going to run as long as the previous, especially with international judges. It was designed to screen and wrap in Q1 as it is.
+1. When Australian Idol originally aired on Network Ten in the 2000’s, I watched the show but never voted due to the $0.55 charge per vote. I wanted Amali to win as well, so I voted no less than 300 times between late Sunday night and all throughout yesterday. I firmly believe she will make it one day as she is very young but is star material.
Really disappointed Amali didn’t make it, as I thought she was going to win it. Although the device they used to pare them down last night was mostly obvious, it was smart to leave Josh and Amali til the end, but it did signal an upset whichever way that went. I hope Phoebe wins.