In just over two weeks time the Idols 5 search begins in Cape Town and as yet no host has been revealed for the show.
Shortly after
the announcement of the fifth season last month, both M-Net and Colin Moss's agent (and mom) Ronnie Whitaker announced that Colin won't be hosting the new season so that he can focus on his film career.
Since Idols 4 and now Colin's worked on four international films including Surviving Evil, an action horror set for release in the UK and SA this month in which he plays a leading role alongside Billy Zane.
A mole in-the-know has revealed to TVSA that with no Colin in the line-up a contingency panel of 10 selectors has been furiously searching for a replacement host.
Auditionees have apparently included Top Billing presenter
Janez Vermeiren, SABC3 continuity presenter
Liezl van der Westhuizen, television presenter and DJ
Pabi Moloi - most recently seen in SABC1's
The Amazing Date - and Sami Sabiti, co-host of Idols 1.
Sami presented the first season alongside Candy Litchfield when he replaced Matthew Stewardson, who left the show as a result of a battle with drug addiction. Sami hosted the two-hour Idols Extra companion show and stepped in when Matthew left.
This past Saturday night (29 November) Sami once more hosted the 2009 Face Of Africa Finale (he's hosted it since 2002) and he seemed to be warming up for Idols - his body language, his trademark shiny maroon outfit, his tone of voice - all a blast from Idols past.
When we asked if he'll be hosting he was very tight-lipped, offering up only that he didn't know.
Yet.
What makes it seem all the more likely is that long-time Idols director Gavin Wratten will be back for the fifth season and it just so happens that he directed Face Of Africa.
According to M-Net an official announcement will be made soon. We'll keep you posted.
In other Idols news: none of the previous four judges had been confirmed when the season was announced. So far only Randall Abrahams has signed on the dotted line.
The season will kick off on 17 December by scouting for hopefuls on six of Cape Town's beaches. The auditions will happen at the River Club as they always do but the show will spend three days on the beaches scouting for talent to go through to audition.
It looks likely there might be an interational crossover of Idols - with SA swopping with the US etc aka BB Goes Finland.