Season 11
This season episodes are two hours long and a fourth member has been added to the judging panel: flamboyant entertainer Somizi Mhlongo joins Randall Abrahams, Unathi Msengana and Gareth Cliff in the search for South Africa's next singing sensation.
In the first episode we see how Somizi made his first appearance at the State Theatre in Pretoria, where the countrywide auditions for Idols SA Season 11 kicked off this year.
While the show on M-Net and Mzansi Magic features some of the best – and worst – singers who eagerly awaited the judges' comments, all the auditions will once again be played on the Idols Extra channel (199 on DStv), from the time the show's end credits roll.
In the second week the auditions move to the GrandWest Casino and World of Entertainment in Cape Town and the following two episodes feature the good, bad – and ugly – at The Playhouse Theatre in Durban and Carnival City on the East Rand.
The lucky few who receive a precious Golden Ticket then face the music again at Idols SA's gruelling Theatre Week before the Top 16 sing for the voting public.
Among the slate of performers in the first episode is a former drama student who entered the competition as his female alter-ego; the handsome son of a famous South African musician; a singer-songwriter who busks to make a living; a young man who supports his entire family; and a n ecstatic Idols fan who has a big crush on presenter ProVerb.
But can they sing? And, will they go home with a coveted Golden Ticket?