Nigerian Idol: 30 scale through next round

IT was nail-biting excitement in the New Year as one of Africa’s most entertaining reality television show, Nigerian Idol, made the leap into 2013 on the 5th and 6th of January.

The first elimination round began, whittling 88 contestants down to just 30. While some contestants struggled through tough criticism and were unable to please the judges, others sailed through to the next round with ease. All in all, 58 contestants failed to make it, but an exciting mix of hopefuls took one step closer to that top prize.

“This year, the competition is even fiercer. The group stage can get very emotional as contestants try to accomplish so much in such short amount of time. Sadly, we saw a lot of great voices go, but only the toughest and most talented deserve a place in Nigerian Idol Top 12, and I can’t wait to see who they will be,” said Tiwa Medubi, project manager for the show.

Episode six started with the judges Femi Kuti, Yinka Davies, and Jeffery Daniels eliminating more than a third of the contestants, as 38 were sent home after their individual performances. Contestants came on stage in groups of 10 and individually took on popular R ‘n’ B and pop songs including, ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ by Alicia Keys, ‘Heal the World’ by Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’ and many more. The judges made their decisions quickly, and 50 excited singers made it into the next round.

Their joy was short lived however, as they again faced possible dismissal by the judges. In episode seven, contestants had to form groups of fivemany with people they were meeting for the first timeand perform songs from a pre-selected list with only a piano as accompaniment. Some teams struggled with harmonising, while others had members forget their words, but all in all, the judges seemed pleased with many of the performances . Group three got a glowing review from the judges with their version of Whitney Houston’s ‘Dance With Somebody’, and group five also got positive remarks. Group seven, on the other hand, were left wondering as they wound down their performance and the judges looked less than pleased.

Then came the pronouncement, and 20 more were let go. Early favourites like Henry Mac-John looked distraught as the Yinka broke the bad news that they failed to make it. Contestants Obinna Michael and Modele Fatoki could not contain their glee when it was announced they made it

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