Product Code Database
Australian Idol is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the Idol series, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller. Australian Idol was televised on Network Ten for its first seven series and was broadcast on the Austereo Radio Network between 2005 and 2007. The series returned in 2023 after Seven Network announced they would be picking up the show.
| + Australian Idol finalists (with dates of elimination) | |
| Australian Idol season 1 finalists | |
| Winner | |
| 19 November | |
| 3 November | |
| 27 October | |
| 20 October | |
| 13 October | |
| 6 October | |
| 6 October | |
| 29 September | |
| 29 September | |
| 22 September | |
| 22 September | |
| Australian Idol season 2 (2004) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| 21 November | |
| 8 November | |
| 1 November | |
| 25 October | |
| 18 October | |
| 11 October | |
| 4 October | |
| 27 September | |
| 20 September | |
| 13 September | |
| 6 September | |
| Australian Idol season 3 (2005) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| 21 November | |
| 14 November | |
| 7 November | |
| 31 October | |
| 24 October | |
| 17 October | |
| 10 October | |
| 3 October | |
| 26 September | |
| 19 September | |
| 12 September | |
| 12 September | |
| Australian Idol season 4 (2006) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| 26 November | |
| 13 November | |
| 6 November | |
| 30 October | |
| 23 October | |
| 16 October | |
| 9 October | |
| 2 October | |
| 25 September | |
| 18 September | |
| 11 September | |
| Australian Idol season 5 (2007) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| 25 November | |
| 12 November | |
| 5 November | |
| 29 October | |
| 22 October | |
| 15 October | |
| 8 October | |
| 1 October | |
| 24 September | |
| 17 September | |
| 10 September | |
| Australian Idol season 6 (2008) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| 23 November | |
| 17 November | |
| 10 November | |
| 3 November | |
| 27 October | |
| 20 October | |
| 13 October | |
| 6 October | |
| 29 September | |
| 22 September | |
| 15 September | |
| Australian Idol season 7 (2009) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| 22 November | |
| 15 November | |
| 8 November | |
| 1 November | |
| 25 October | |
| 18 October | |
| 11 October | |
| 4 October | |
| 27 September | |
| 20 September | |
| 13 September | |
| Australian Idol season 8 (2023) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| Runner-up | |
| 26 March | |
| 20 March | |
| 20 March | |
| 20 March | |
| 13 March | |
| 13 March | |
| 6 March | |
| 6 March | |
| 27 February | |
| 27 February | |
| Australian Idol season 9 (2024) finalists | |
| Winner | |
| Runner-up | |
| 25 March | |
| 18 March | |
| 18 March | |
| 18 March | |
| 11 March | |
| 11 March | |
| 5 March | |
| 5 March | |
| 27 February | |
| 27 February | |
| + ! rowspan="2" | Cast member ! colspan="11" | Season |
| Marcia Hines ! colspan="7" ! ! colspan="3" | ||
| Mark Holden ! colspan="5" ! colspan="6" | ||
| Ian Dickson ! colspan="2" ! colspan="2" | ! colspan="3" ! colspan="4" | |
| Kyle Sandilands ! colspan="2" | ! colspan="4" ! ! colspan="4" | |
| Jay Dee Springbett ! colspan="6" | ! ! colspan="4" | |
| Amy Shark ! colspan="7" | ! colspan="4" | |
| Meghan Trainor ! colspan="7" | ! ! colspan="3" | |
| Harry Connick Jr ! colspan="7" | ! ! colspan="3" | |
| Andrew G ! colspan="7" ! colspan="4" | ||
| James Mathison ! colspan="6" ! colspan="5" | ||
| Ricki-Lee Coulter ! colspan="5" | ! colspan="1" ! colspan="5" | |
| Scott Tweedie ! colspan="7" | ! colspan="4" |
In 2007, Dickson again returned to the program, when Holden left at the end of the season. In 2009, Sandilands was replaced by Jay Dee Springbett.
On 28 September 2022, Seven announced that Ricki-Lee Coulter and Scott Tweedie would be the new hosts, with the judging panel consisting of former American Idol judge Harry Connick Jr., former Australian Idol judge Kyle Sandilands, Amy Shark and Meghan Trainor. Original judge Marcia Hines appeared as a guest judge. The revival premiered on 30 January 2023.
In July 2023, it was officially revealed that the show had been renewed by Seven Network for a ninth season, set to premiere in 2024. It was later revealed that Coulter and Tweedie would return as hosts, and that Sandilands and Shark will be returning to their judging positions. However, Connick Jr. and Trainor will not be returning, with Trainor leaving due to family reasons. Original judge Marcia Hines will return as a main judge. Seven officially confirmed the 2024 judges at their upfronts in October 2023. In November 2024, the series was renewed for a tenth season by Seven with Sandilands, Hines and Shark returning as judges with Coulter & Tweedie returning as hosts. On March 29, 2025, it was confirmed during a live show of the 2025 season, that the show would be renewed for an eleventh season in 2026. Sandilands, Hines and Shark are all slated to return as judges with Coulter & Tweedie returning as hosts.
For seasons 1 to 3, each semi-final took a week, with performances on Sunday night and results on Monday night. For seasons 4 onwards, the semi-finals were all in a single week, because there was greater viewer interest in the finals than the semi-finals.
The formats for the different seasons were:
Season 1 had 5 semi-finalis of 8 contestants each. The top 2 in each semi-final made the top 12. A wild card round decided 2 more finalists (it turned out to be 3 after one contestant withdrew) - one judges' choice, two by public vote.
Seasons 2 and 3 had 3 semi-finals of 10 contestants each, with the top 3 in each semi-final making the top 12. Then a further 3 were progressed from the wild card round (2 by judges' choice, 1 by public vote). (The wild card episode in the 3rd season had a little twist, when the judges announced a third person, namely, Roxanne Lebrasse, who also had the 2nd highest number of votes, would be included in the finals, making it a Top 13.)
Seasons 4, 5, 6 and 7 had 4 semi-finals of 6 contestants each, with the top 2 in each semi-final making the top 12. Then a further 4 made the Top 12 from the wild card round. Seasons 4 and 5 had same gender semi-finals, while Season 6 had 3 males and 3 females in each semi-final. For the wild card show, Seasons 4 and 6 selected 3 by judges' choice and 1 by public vote; Season 5 selected 2 by judges' choice and 2 by public vote;.
Season 8 had 3 semi-finals of 8 contestants each, with the judges putting 4 from each through to the top 12, on the same night. There was no public voting and no wild card round.
For the first five seasons, contestants who made the semi-finals in previous seasons were not eligible to audition. From the 2008 season onwards, only Top 12 contestants from previous seasons were ineligible.
Each week, contestants chose a song to a weekly theme on the Sunday night. (As the number of contestants got smaller, they sang two or three songs each). As in the semi-finals, each performance was critiqued by the judges, and then there was (approximately) 24 hours of voting by phone or SMS, before the results were announced on the Monday night. The eliminated competitor(s) then presented a final song – usually the number they sang the previous night. In Season 8, each of the bottom 4 performed on elimination night, after voting had closed but before the results were announced.
After the first two seasons, the top 12 and top 10 went on a national tour. There were no tours for later seasons. However, there was a "Winner's Journey Tour" involving the winner with some guest performances from the Top 12 for seasons 4 and 5.
During Season 6, due to Holden's departure from the judging panel, the other judges awarded "touchdowns" themselves. The first "touchdown" was delivered by Kyle Sandilands to Chrislyn Hamilton on top 12 night. She later received another on Motown night by guest judge and first series winner, Guy Sebastian. Thanh Bui received one from Marcia Hines during ABBA night and Mark Spano was also delivered one by Ian "Dicko" Dickson during Top 6 Rolling Stones night. Eventual winner, Wes Carr was awarded two; one by Hines and guest judge Jermaine Jackson on Michael Jackson night and another on Top 3 night by Dickson.
An alternate version of a "touchdown" was done by Dickson if he believes the performance was extraordinary saying "big ticko from Dicko". This was used in one of Natalie Gauci's performances and a few other performances when Holden was around.
In the first seven seasons, a "touchdown" did not carry any official status. However, in Season 8, during the Top 24 performances, each judge was allowed one "touchdown", which put a singer immediately through to the Top 12.
Guy Sebastian has released ten top 10 albums, with eight reaching the top 5, including three No. 1's. His debut album Just As I Am was certified 6× platinum and sold in excess of 480,000 units. Beautiful Life, Closer to the Sun and Like It Like That were all platinum sellers, with The Memphis Album, Twenty Ten reaching 2x platinum. Armageddon has been certified 3x platinum. ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums Retrieved 8 June 2010 ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2012 Albums . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 January 2013 ARIA Album Certifications 2014 . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 31 October 2014 Madness has been certified gold. His most recent album, T.R.U.T.H. became his third number one album and has been certified platinum. He has also released 23 top 20 singles, with 14 reaching the top ten, including six No. 1's. Sebastian is the only Australian male artist in Australian music history to achieve six No. 1 singles, and is third overall for all Australian acts.Ryan, Gavin (19 August 2012). Guy Sebastian Equals Abba For Number 1 Hits In Australia. Noise11. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. His debut single Angels Brought Me Here was the highest selling single in Australia in 2003, reaching 5× platinum certification. ARIA Charts Top 100 Singles 2003 Retrieved 13 October 2009 It won the 2004 ARIA for Highest Selling Single, and in 2010 ARIA announced it was the highest selling song of the previous decade. Daily Telegraph Delta Goodrem's talents top the charts 7 January 2010 – retrieved 7 January 2010 Winners by year – 2004. ARIA Awards. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. "Like It Like That" the title track from his fifth album reached 5× platinum and was the highest selling Australian artist single of 2009. ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2014 Singles . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 March 2014 ARIA Charts Top 50 Australian Artist Singles 2009 . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 December 2010. "Who's That Girl", Twenty Ten's only single, reached 6× platinum certification and won the 2011 ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single. ARIA Charts Top 50 Australian Artist Singles 2010. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 February 2011. Yahoo!7. 27 November 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. "Don't Worry Be Happy, the lead single of Sebastian's seventh album Armageddon reached 5× platinum. ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Singles . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 15 June 2012. The third single "Battle Scars" featuring Lupe Fiasco debuted at No. 1, becoming his sixth No. 1 single in Australia, and achieved 14× platinum certification in 2023. ARIA Accreditations – 2019 Singles. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 30 March 2019. Sebastian has been awarded 82 platinum and seven gold certifications for albums and singles in Australia, the highest for any Australian Idol contestant. aria.com.au Accreditations – albums and singles Retrieved 13 October 2009
"Angels Brought Me Here" reached No. 1 in Malaysia, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia and New Zealand. Guy Sebastian biography. Guy Sebastian official site. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Beautiful Life & Guy Facts. opensubscriber.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Sebastian achieved a second No. 1 on the RIANZ with "Who's That Girl", and reached the Top 10 with his debut album and five other singles, and has ten platinum and five gold certifications there. Guy Sebastian in the NZ charts.Charts.org.NZ. Retrieved 13 April 2010. RIANZ Archived Charts 1999–2011 .Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). Retrieved 17 September 2012. Latest Gold/Platinum Singles. RadioScope New Zealand. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012. Official New Zealand Music Charts – 26 November 2012.Recording Industry Association New Zealand (RIANZ). Archived from the original on 25 November 2012. Sebastian is currently the Australian Idol contestant to chart in the US. "Battle Scars" reached No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 23 on the Billboard Digital Songs Chart and No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-hop Digital Song Chart.Adams, Cameron (11 September 2012) Guy Sebastian's ARIA number one song Battle Scars with Lupe Fiasco hits 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100.news.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013.Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. It spent 20 weeks in the Hot 100 and has been certified triple platinum in the US for sales of three million. Guy Sebastian and Lupe Fiasco - Battle Scars.aCharts.US. Retrieved 29 January 2013. Gold Platinum searchable database. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 August 2025 "Battle Scars" also reached No. 2 in Norway. VG Lista – Top 20 Singles. Issue 49 2012.VG Lista. Archived from the original on 7 December 2012. In 2015 Sebastian was selected to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest. He finished 5th, and his song "Tonight Again" charted in the top 50 in a number of European countries, including No.6 in Iceland and 16 in Austria. Guy Sebastian – Tonight Again, Chartlist week 21, 2015. Tonlist. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again. AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved 4 June 2015. During his career Sebastian has received 32 ARIA Award nominations, winning six of them, including Best Pop Release and Best Live Act. ARIA Awards History by Artist. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. ARIA Nominations. Australian Recording Industry Association. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. ARIA Award nominees announced for 2011.thevine.com.au. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Winners of the 2011 ARIA Awards. Sydney Morning Herald. 27 November 2011. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012.Zuel, Bernard (2 December 2013). No Idol threat as Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy beat curse at ARIAs. Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original [49] on 2 December 2013.Smith, Sarah (6 October 2014). Chet Faker and Violent Soho lead 2014 ARIA nominations. Faster Louder. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014.Cronin, Seanna (5 October 2016). Flume leads nominations for 30th annual ARIA Awards. Retrieved 5 October 2016. Here are all the winners from the 2019 ARIA Awards.The Music Network. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
Shannon Noll has released five top 10 albums. australian-charts.com Shannon Noll Albums in Australian Charts Retrieved 13 October 2009 His debut album That's What I'm Talking About gained 5× platinum certification and his second album Lift reached 3× platinum, both debuting at No. 1 on the ARIA charts. Australian Recording Industry Association Accreditations – 2006 Albums Retrieved 13 October 2009 His third album, Turn It Up, peaked at No. 3 and achieved platinum certification, aria.com.au ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Albums Retrieved 13 October 2009 His fourth album reached No. 7, with his fifth album A Million Suns peaking at #8. Neither of these albums have gained certification. Between 2004 and 2007 Noll released ten top 10 singles including three #1's, and he is the only Australian male artist to have achieved 10 consecutive top 10 singles. australian-charts.com Shannon Noll Singles in Australian Charts Retrieved 13 October 2009 Shannon Noll Biography. Musical Theatre Australia. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Since then he has released seven more singles, with two reaching the top 50, the highest one peaking at #26. "What About Me" was the highest selling single in Australia in 2004 and he received ARIA nominations for highest seller for it and his debut album at the 2004 Aria Awards. ARIA Charts Top 100 Singles 2004 Retrieved 13 October 2009 He also received nominations for best pop release for his second album Lift and a highest selling single nomination for its lead single "Shine" in 2006. Winners by year – 2006. ARIA Awards. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. "Don't Give Up" a duet with Natalie Bassingthwaighte was nominated for highest selling single at the 2007 ARIA Awards. Winners by year – 2007. ARIA Awards. ARIA Awards. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. He has a total of 17 platinum and three gold certifications for albums and singles in Australia. Noll's first single "What About Me" also reached No. 2 in Ireland and No. 10 in New Zealand, with his debut album peaking at No. 31 in NZ. Shannon Noll – What About Me.acharts.us. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. newzealandcharts.com Shannon Noll in the New Zealand Charts Retrieved 13 October 2009
Paulini who came fourth has released two albums as a solo artist, One Determined Heart which reached No. 1 and gained platinum certification, and Superwoman which peaked at #77. She has also released four top 50 singles including the No. 1 "Angel Eyes", a platinum seller which was nominated for highest selling single at the 2004 ARIA Awards. In 2007, Paulini was nominated for "Urban Music Awards" for "Best R&B Album" & "Best Female Artist" for Superwoman. Paulini was also a member of The Young Divas, who released two Top 10 albums and four Top 50 singles.
The other top 5 contestants in season one were Cosima De Vito who came 3rd, & Rob Mills who finished in 5th place. After Idol it was these five, the Final 5, who were the most successful out of the Top 12. Other Idol contestants from Season 1 to release music were Levi Kereama, Rebekah LaVauney, Peter Ryan and Courtney Act. All of these independent acts achieved limited success.
| 22 September | Mathew Chadwick | Peter Ryan | Kelly Cavuoto |
| 29 September | Cle Wootton | Lauren Buckley | Kelly Cavuoto |
| 6 October | Kelly Cavuoto | Rebekah LaVauney | Levi Kereama |
| 13 October | Levi Kereama | Paulini Curuenavuli | Shannon Noll |
| Bottom Two | |||
| 20 October | Rob Mills | Cosima De Vito | |
| 27 October | Paulini Curuenavuli | Guy Sebastian | |
| 3 November | Cosima De Vito | ||
| 19 November | Shannon Noll | Guy Sebastian | |
The winner was Casey Donovan. The runners up (in descending order) were Anthony Callea, Courtney Murphy, Hayley Jensen & Chanel Cole. The final two, as well as Ricki-Lee Coulter (7th), were the only contestants from the Top 12 to be signed to a record company. Callea was the highest seller of the three, with his first release "The Prayer" spending five consecutive weeks at No 1, and becoming the second highest selling song in Australia last decade overall and for an Australian artist. Chanel Cole and Daniel Belle teamed up under the name Spook to release an album in October 2005; a bootleg album for Chanel was also released in November 2005. Top 30 contestants Ngaiire Joseph and Marty Worrall each released a single in late 2005, and Hayley Jensen an album in September 2007. Daniel O'Connor, another of the Top 12, gained a role on Neighbours.
The Grand finale of this series remains the highest rated show out of all broadcast over the five seasons.
On a darker note, Telstra, a major sponsor of the series, made an embarrassing error when they issued a series of half-page advertisements in major newspapers congratulating Donovan on her victory, with a reference to her website. However, the address was incorrect, leading to a website about homosexual porn star Casey Donovan, rather than the singer's. The company issued a prompt apology upon realising their mistake.
After this season, judge Ian Dickson left the series, later to appear in the Seven Network reality TV shows My Restaurant Rules, Dancing with the Stars and most recently, Australian Celebrity Survivor. The 2004 season was also notable for an Asian contestant named "Flynn", who sang the Freestylers song "Push Up" after being found from a terrible audition, in the same vein as William Hung.
| 6 September | Australian Made | Angeline Narayan | Emelia Rusciano | Amali Ward |
| 13 September | Pop | Dan O'Connor | Hayley Jensen | Marty Worrall |
| 20 September | 1960s | Amali Ward (2) | Hayley Jensen (2) | Marty Worrall (2) |
| 27 September | Disco | Emelia Rusciano (2) | Marty Worrall (3) | Casey Donovan |
| 4 October | Contestant's Choice | Daniel Belle | Chanel Cole | Hayley Jensen (3) |
| 11 October | The Beatles | Ricki-Lee Coulter | Chanel Cole (2) | Marty Worrall (4) |
| 18 October | 1980s | Marty Worrall (5) | Casey Donovan (2) | Hayley Jensen (4) |
| 25 October | R&B | Chanel Cole (3) | Courtney Murphy | |
| 1 November | Big Band | Hayley Jensen (5) | Casey Donovan (3) | |
| 8 November | 1970s | Courtney Murphy (2) | ||
| 21 November | Finale | Anthony Callea | Casey Donovan (3) |
On 21 November 2005, the winner was announced and it was Kate DeAraugo. Kate was an outside chance to win throughout the whole season and after the show had ended Kate released a No. 1 single, a platinum selling album and a further Top 10 hit single through Sony BMG. Kate is currently working with all-girl group Young Divas, which is made up of past Idol contestants which include Paulini Curuenavuli, Jessica Mauboy and Emily Williams. Runner up Emily Williams lost by 1% in the closest percentage ever in an Idol finale. She was originally signed to Sony BMG as a solo artist, but the agreement fell through. She is also a member of Young Divas and has had much success with them.
Lee Harding finished in third position and was signed to Sony BMG and released a # 1 single and a platinum selling album. His second single from his debut album proved to be less successful and in mid-2006 Harding was released from his contract with the label. He is currently touring and performing with Bedrock.
Dan England came 4th and didn't score a recording contract with a major label but recorded several independent releases and has toured with Season 2 winner Casey Donovan and Season 1 runner-up Shannon Noll.
Anne Robertson who finished in sixth position was negotiating a deal with Sony BMG, but it was rumoured that Sony BMG was reluctant in signing her as they believed she was too similar to Season 1 contestant Paulini Curuenavuli who had been signed to the label for several years. Other Idol contestants from Season 3 have released numerous independent material and have toured and performed with several bands and music groups.
Although averaging around the 1.5 million viewer mark, ratings were down by up to 40% on average during the third season compared to the first two seasons, which regularly drew more than 2.5 million viewers during the latter half of the competition. This created a serious situation for Ten, which was airing three Australian Idol shows every week at the time, and forced them to give away free commercial airtime to program sponsors expecting higher ratings. Commentators has theorised over the reasons why this has occurred, ranging from the viewing public being tired of the format due to Sandilands replacing the popular Dickson. This caused a major Idol revamp for Season 4 which meant Season 4 being one of the highest rating seasons yet.
| 12 September | Australian Artists | Tarni Stephens | Chris Luder | Milly Edwards |
| 19 September | 1960s | Natalie Zahra | Laura Gissara | James Kannis |
| 26 September | Rock Supergroups | Laura Gissara (2) | James Kannis (2) | Daniel Spillane |
| 3 October | Contestant's Choice | Roxane LeBrasse | Milly Edwards (2) | Daniel Spillane (2) |
| 10 October | Big Band | Milly Edwards (3) | Dan England | James Kannis (3) |
| 17 October | 1980's | James Kannis (4) | Emily Williams | Daniel Spillane (3) |
| 24 October | Motown | Anne Robertson | Daniel Spillane (4) | Dan England (2) |
| 31 October | 1970's | Daniel Spillane (5) | Lee Harding | |
| 7 November | Elvis Presley | Dan England (3) | Lee Harding (2) | |
| 14 November | Number Ones | Lee Harding (3) | ||
| 21 November | Finale | Emily Williams (1) | Kate DeAraugo |
Damien Leith was named the winner of Australian Idol 2006 on 26 November, beating Jessica Mauboy for the title. Leith is the fifth most successful Australian Idol contestant behind Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll, Mauboy and Anthony Callea. He has been awarded 7 platinum and one gold certification and achieved sales of 525,000+. He has the third highest album sales for a contestant. He achieved two No. 1 albums, The Winner's Journey which sold 4× platinum and Where We Land which gained platinum certification. His first single, Night of My Life stayed at No. 1 for four consecutive weeks and was certified platinum after one week of sales. It was the fastest selling debut single for 2006. Leith won 4 ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards, and the 2007 ARIA Award for Highest Selling Album for The Winner's Journey. His third studio album peaked at No. 2, reaching gold status. His fourth album Remember June released in 2009 peaked at No. 25. In 2010 Leith released a covers album of Roy Orbison songs titled Roy which reached No. 2 and platinum certification. His sixth album Now and Then released in 2012 peaked at #12. He has also released two novels and hosted Network Ten's television series "Saving Kids".
Jessica Mauboy went on to join ex-Idol girl group Young Divas, after member from season 2, Ricki-Lee Coulter, left the group. Mauboy has since gained much success as a solo artist. Her first studio album Been Waiting peaked at No. 11, spent 59 weeks on the charts and achieved 2× platinum status. Mauboy has also enjoyed success with her singles "Running Back" which was certified 2× platinum and second single "Burn" which reached No. 1 and achieved platinum status. Her third single "Been Waiting" peaked at No. 12, fourth single "Because" peaked at No. 9 and her 5th single "Up/Down" peaked at #11. These three singles all reached gold certification. Her second studio album Get 'Em Girls peaked at No. 6 and achieved gold certification. Five top 20 singles were released from the album, including 2 which achieved platinum and 2 double platinum certification. Mauboy has achieved 11 platinum and 5 gold certifications and received 12 ARIA Award nominations, including one win during her career as a recording artist. Third place getter Dean Geyer later released his debut album Rush and top ten single "If You Don't Mean It" and starred on the Australian long-time running soap Neighbours from 2008 to 2009.
| 11 September | Contestant's Choice | Joseph Gatehau | Lavina Williams | Reigan Derry |
| 18 September | Rock | Reigan Derry (2) | Ricky Muscat | Guy Mutton |
| 25 September | Number Ones | Klancie Keough | Dean Geyer | Lavina Williams (2) |
| 2 October | Birth Year | Guy Mutton (2) | Lisa Mitchell | Jessica Mauboy |
| 9 October | Disco | Lavina Williams (3) | Chris Murphy | Ricky Muscat (2) |
| 16 October | Acoustic | Bobby Flynn | Lisa Mitchell (2) | Ricky Muscat (3) |
| 23 October | Rock Swings | Lisa Mitchell (3) | Dean Geyer (2) | Ricky Muscat (4) |
| 30 October | ARIA Hall of Fame | Ricky Muscat (5) | Dean Geyer (3) | Damien Leith |
| 6 November | Audience Choice | Chris Murphy (2) | Dean Geyer (4) | |
| 13 November | Judge's Choice | Dean Geyer (5) | ||
| 26 November | Finale* | Jessica Mauboy | Damien Leith |
Natalie Gauci went on to win the series, beating Matt Corby for the title. Natalie released her debut platinum selling album "The Winner's Journey". After the winner's single "Here I Am" debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA Charts, and the album debuted at No. 11. Natalie released her second album in 2012.
Carl Riseley, who finished third in the contest went on to release a swing-style album titled "The Rise", debuting at No. 5 on the ARIA Charts. Carl Riseley's 2nd cd "the stillest hour" was released 24 April 2009 and peaked at NO#1 on the ARIA jazz chart.
| 9 September | Contestant's Choice | Holly Weinert | Lana Krost | Brianna Carpenter |
| 16 September | Rock | Brianna Carpenter (2) | Marty Simpson | Jacob Butler |
| 23 September | Disco | Lana Krost (2) | Tarisai Vushe | Daniel Mifsud |
| 30 September | Acoustic | Mark Da Costa | Jacob Butler (2) | Daniel Mifsud (2) |
| 7 October | Brit Pop | Jacob Butler (3) | Carl Riseley | Daniel Mifsud (3) |
| 14 October | Birth Year | Ben McKenzie | Matt Corby | Marty Simpson (2) |
| 21 October | Judge's Choice/Contestant's Choice | Daniel Mifsud (4) | Tarisai Vushe (2) | Marty Simpson (3) |
| 28 October | Australian Made | Tarisai Vushe (3) | Natalie Gauci | |
| 4 November | Big Band | Marty Simpson (4) | Carl Riseley (2) | |
| 11 November | Audience Choice/Contestant's Choice | Carl Riseley (3) | ||
| 25 November | Finale | Matt Corby (1) | Natalie Gauci (1) |
| 14 September | Idols' Idols | Jonny Taylor | Teale Jakubenko | Sophie Paterson |
| 21 September | '80s Music | Brooke Addamo | Sophie Paterson (2) | Thanh Bui |
| 28 September | Aussie Hits | Tom Williams | Teale Jakubenko (2) | Madam Parker |
| 5 October | ABBA | Madam Parker (2) | Chrislyn Hamilton | Roshani Priddis |
| 12 October | Rock | Thanh Bui (2) | Teale Jakubenko (3) | Sophie Paterson (3) |
| 19 October | Motown | Sophie Paterson (4) | Mark Spano | Teale Jakubenko (4) |
| 26 October | The Rolling Stones | Roshani Priddis (2) | Luke Dickens | Teale Jakubenko (5) |
| 2 November | Michael Jackson | Chrislyn Hamilton (2) | Mark Spano (2) | |
| 9 November | American Hits | Teale Jakubenko (6) | Wes Carr | |
| 16 November | Contestants Choice | Mark Spano (3) | ||
| 23 November | Finale | Luke Dickens (1) | Wes Carr (1) |
James Mathison announced on 31 March 2009 that he was leaving the show after six seasons. Andrew G continued hosting along with Ricki-Lee Coulter who was once again co-host.
On 1 June 2009, musical director John Foreman announced that he was also leaving the show after six seasons. Foreman's right-hand man, David Pritchard-Blunt, was announced as his replacement.
On 3 August, Kyle Sandilands was let go as a judge on Australian Idol, after an on-air radio stunt went wrong. "Australian Idol is very much a family program and its appeal is very much right across the board, and we'd like to think that all families can enjoy the program in front of the TV," Idol Executive David Mott stated on the daily news.
It was announced on 3 August 2009, via a press statement from Network Ten, that Sandilands had been sacked from Australian Idol due to this incident. He was replaced by Jay Dee Springbett, a Sony music executive.
A Network Ten spokesman said of Sandilands' firing:
"Idol has remained a family-focused show, even more so this year with the 6.30 pm Sunday timeslot. His radio persona has taken on a more controversial position ... which is not in the interest of the show."Of being fired from Australia Idol, Sandilands said in a statement that "I'm disappointed at Channel Ten's decision to remove me from Australian Idol. I have truly loved being a part of the show." Network Ten had held crisis talks with advertisers in the days prior to his firing amid concerns Sandilands would damage their brands. Idol creator Simon Fuller reportedly gave Ten his blessing to fire Sandilands. It was believed Sandilands earned $1 million of his estimated annual $2.8 million income from Idol.
The promotional commercial for the season featured various "Legends". It featured impersonations of Elvis, Madonna, Michael Jackson, the Supremes, Christina Aguilera, and Mariah Carey among others. The Australian Idol hopefuls were featured covering Mariah Carey's "Emotions" as the soundtrack to this commercial.
The 7th season began on 9 August at 6.30 pm. This was the first year that previously rejected contestants could return to audition again. The only ineligible contestants were those who previously made the Top 12/13. Semi-finalists (Top 24/30) had the opportunity to re-audition for the show.
Season 7 was also broadcast in New Zealand, five days after the initial airing in Australia. This marked the return of the show to New Zealand screens after a 4-year absence.
| 6 September | Contestant's Choice | Ashleigh Toole | Casey Barnes | Tim Johnston |
| 13 September | Rock | Casey Barnes (2) | Sabrina Batshon | Kim Cooper |
| 20 September | Top 10 Hits | Sabrina Batshon (2) | Kim Cooper (2) | Nathan Brake |
| 27 September | '80s | Tim Johnston (2) | Scott Newnham | |
| 4 October | Pink | Scott Newnham (2) | Nathan Brake (2) | |
| 11 October | Big Band | Kim Cooper (3) | Hayley Warner | Kate Cook |
| 18 October | Movie/Theatre | Kate Cook (2) | Stan Walker | |
| 25 October | Contestant's Choice | Toby Moulton* | Nathan Brake (3) | |
| 1 November | Noughties Week | Nathan Brake (4) | Hayley Warner (2) | |
| 8 November | Power Anthems | James Johnston | ||
| 15 November | Contestant's Choice & Winner's Single | |||
| 22 November | Finale | Hayley Warner (3) | Stan Walker (1) |
On 28 September 2022, Ricki-Lee Coulter and Scott Tweedie were announced as the new hosts. Harry Connick Jr. alongside Amy Shark, Meghan Trainor and Kyle Sandilands were announced as the judging panel for the revived series. On 24 October 2022, Marcia Hines was announced as a guest judge for the season.
Filming for the auditions took place in October 2022 in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and the Gold Coast. Filming for the top 50 took place at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre.
| 27 February | Global Number One Hits | Jasey Fox | Maya Weiss | Ben Sheehy | Noora H | ||
| 5 March | Judges' Song Contest | Sash Seabourne | Harry Hayden | Ben Sheehy (2) | Anya Hynninen | ||
| 12 March | Heroes & Tributes | Noora H (2) | Angelina Curtis | Amali Dimond | Phoebe Stewart | ||
| 19 March* | Viewers' Choice | Anya Hynninen | Ben Sheehy (3) | Amali Dimond | Royston Sagigi-Baira | Phoebe Stewart | Josh Hannan |
| 26 March | Grand Finale | Phoebe Stewart | Royston Sagigi-Baira |
Ricki-Lee Coulter and Scott Tweedie were announced as the returning hosts. Harry Connick Jr. and Meghan Trainor will not return as judges. Amy Shark and Kyle Sandilands were confirmed as returning judges from the previous season. It was also confirmed that Marcia Hines will return as a main judge for the series, after being a member of the original seven seasons of the show. On March 24, Guy Sebastian temporarily filled in for Hines, who was sent to hospital after collapsing, but returned for results night.
Filming for the auditions took place in October 2023.
| 27 February | Party Anthems | Imogen Spendlove | Ripley Alexander | TJ Zimba | Ivana Illic | ||
| 5 March | Judges’ Choice | TJ Zimba (2) | Tyler Hammill | Kiani Smith | Ivana Illic (2) | ||
| 11 March | Public’s Choice | Drea Onamade | Kiani Smith (2) | Dylan Wright | Denvah Baker-Moller | ||
| 18 March* | Viewers' Choice | Ivana Illic (3) | Issac McCallum | Trent Richardson | Dylan Wright (2) | Amy Reeves | Denvah Baker-Moller (2) |
| 25 March | Grand Finale: Aussie Classics | Denvah Baker-Moller (3) | Amy Reeves (2) | Dylan Wright (3) |
Ricki-Lee Coulter and Scott Tweedie were announced as the returning hosts with Amy Shark, Kyle Sandilands and Marcia Hines returning as series judges. The season began airing on 2 February 2025.
| 11 March | Movies | Mzuki | Aaliyah Duchesne | Bony Onynango | Hannah Waddell |
| 18 March | Superstar | Hannah Waddell (2) | Bony Onynango (2) | Jake Whittaker | John Van Beek |
| 24 March | Public's choice | John Van Beek (2) | Emma Jones | Jake Whittaker (2) | Jaymon Bob |
| 31 March | Heroes & Tributes | Jake Whittaker (3) | Jaymon Bob (2) | William Le Brun !- | |
| 7 April | Grand Finale: Solos and Celebrity Duets |
In 2003, it was estimated that viewers cast 20 million votes. At 55 cents for each telephone call or text message, that equated to $11 million. Network Ten paid around $13 million for each season.
|
|
