On Sunday night Monique Erens came face-to-face with the feeling of being the first Season 17 hopeful to be eliminated from the Live Shows.
The 26-year-old Capetonian leaves behind eight.
Here's a recap of the episode by Mzansi Magic:
Idols alumnus Lloyiso opened the stage with his latest hit Seasons demonstrating just how far talent can take you even if you don’t win the competition.
“Lloyiso’s success after Idols shows what an important platform for uncovering future stars the competition is. The Idols stage is a goldmine for talent and it’s great for current contestants to be reminded of this,” said Nomsa Philiso, M-Net Local Entertainment Channels Director.
Karabo,
Nqobie and
S’22Kile lived up to the judges’ expectations, with all of them receiving full marks for their performances.
Karabo performed US Idols Season 3 winner Fantasia’s When I See U.
“You do it again and again and again; you don’t leave anything unturned,” Unathi said, while guest judge Dineo Ranaka declared the stage was too small for her.
“I love your confidence - I am sold,” she said.
Randall echoed this, saying Karabo held nothing back. “Right out of the gate, you came out storming… very well done,” he said.
Randall was just as impressed with Nqobie’s performance of Soa Mattrix and Soulful G’s Uthando, remarking that he loved her quiet cool, adding she never has to try too hard. “I have never seen someone like you on this show before,” he said.
This was echoed by Dineo, who said she loved the strength Nqobie gave to the song. Unathi said the performance was amazing, but urged her to let go a bit more.
S’22kile sang ‘Xola Moya Wam' by Nomcebo Zikode, a performance which won over all the judges. Dineo said she had the X-factor, while Randall said it was her best performance so far.
Unathi said her performance was both beautiful and powerful.
However,
Sia Mzizi (who sang Lloyiso’s Dream About You) and
Daylin Sass (who sang Justin Bieber’s ‘Yummy’) fell just short of that 100%, according to judges, who gave mixed reviews of both performances.
The judges were, however, in agreement about
Bulelani’s performance of Uyeke by Heavy K featuring Natalia Mabaso. They all urged him to get the negativity out of his head and embrace his talent.
Berry, who performed Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, elicited mixed reactions, with Randall saying her performance was not authentic, while Unathi and Dineo felt she had nailed the song.
Fortunately, for the judges, the last contestant of the evening,
Kevin, closed off the evening with an A+ performance.
His rendition of Teni’s Case bowled everyone over. “You are just amazing to watch,” Unathi said, adding that he was like melted gold - “Africa’s finest resource,” she said - while Dineo declared he was a star.
Randall said he had done an exceptional job of finding his own style.
The competition continues next week, as viewers vote for their Top 7.