It was oves for Durbanite Sena Mkhwanazi on Saturday evening (23 September) when she was ejected from Idols 19 in the Top 7 live show.
Unlike the others who've gone before, she was still "allowed" to perform her Showstopper number despite her elimination - a much more fair way of doing things considering she'd spent a week preparing for it.
True to form, the production dialled it in yet again, choosing to focus on a poorly conceptualised array of American and local hit makers instead of celebrating our heritage and our own showstoppers in what would have been a perfect link up with Heritage Day.
They should only have sung local showstoppers and
no-one's eyes should have been hidden behind clichéd sunglasses. Such a missed opportunity.
Here's recap of the playlist by Mzansi Magic:
Kicking things off was
Nkosi with Usher’s Good Kisser, to mixed reactions from judges.
While Thembi Seete praised his singing, she said the performance lacked sparkle: “You can’t rely only on your voice, you have to give it your all so that as an audience we feel you, too.”
Next was
Niikiey with Bongo Maffin’s The Way Kungakhona, getting a standing ovation from the audience and judges.
Somizi Mhlongo said: “I’ve said it before that you’re multitalented, and today you proved it. This is how you do a Showstopper, and you deserve a ‘Whoo-shem!’”
For his performance,
Faith took on Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk.
He impressed the judges, with JR Bogopa saying: “This was not Bruno Mars-like at all. This was James Brown-like, Rick James-like, Faith-like. You can take me anywhere with you. You were brilliant, week after week you keep delivering.”
Taking us past the halfway mark was
Thando, who performed Usher’s Caught Up, to a muted response from the judges. “Try to wear your song and performance more, and just be one. You’re thinking too much and you worry too much,” said Thembi.
Next up was
Princess, with Lady Zamar’s Criminal.
She received criticism from Thembi and JR, which saw Somizi coming to her defence: “You fought and you put in effort. I’m sure Thembi and JR didn’t eat breakfast, so it’s the hunger talking. Mntan’am, you did well.”
Envic took on Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love, mostly to praise from the judges.
JR said: “Performing Beyoncé is a tall order. You brought a lot of energy but not a lot of vocals. Thank you for entertaining us but I would have liked to hear the Envic voice I know and love.”
Wrapping up the show was
Thabo, who performed Michael Jackson’s The Way You Make Me Feel.
He received a standing ovation from the audience and a ‘Whoo-shem!’ from Somizi, with a breathless Thembi saying: “You gave it all - performance, vocals, stage presence… everything. From the beginning of the song until the end of it, it was amazing.”
Next week will see contestants belt out two songs each.