The big discrimination on the sixth season of Idols on M-Net is blatantly shocking, patently unfair, cringe-worthy to watch, utterly unbelievable and makes no sense: the way in which the Idols co-host Liezel van der Westhuizen has literally been pushed to the back for the new co-presenter ProVerb getting the lion's share and all the on-screen glory.
I've gone and counted the entire dialogue of both Liezel van der Westhuizen and Proverb in tonight's episode of Idols on M-Net after its became painfully obvious in the previous Sunday show and the first Tuesday Results show that the producers NeverMachine and executive producer Gavin Wratten have blatantly decided to relegate the beautiful Liezel van der Westhuizen to the back and make ProVerb the main presenter. Similar to last Sunday and this past Tuesday, Liezel van der Westhuizen has very little to do and say, while ProVerb has the run of the stage and even the auditorium.
Earlier this evening Liezel van der Westhuizen had only a shocking 434 words in total. ProVerb on the other hand had a massive 1 752 words, got to interact with the guest judge, the judges and the audience while Liezel van der Westhuizen got precious little screentime and was stuck behind the scenes asking brief questions of the contestants.
It defies believe that M-Net would allow the Idols producers to so blatantly marginalize the role of the competent and well-liked Liezel van der Westhuizen who was the sole presenter of Idols last year during the fifth season. It was the broadcaster themselves who chose her and built her up as an integral part of the reality show - just to now seemingly jettison her. What is going on here?? Why have co-hosts if its just to dump the one behind the scenes with even less to do than what Sandy Ngema did on SABC2's Stricly Come Dancing? It's wrong, its unfair, and from having produced this show before Gavin Wratten - and M-Net should know better.
I have nothing against either Liezel van der Westhuizen or Proverb. I've met and shared laughs with both in person. I like them both. I could say equally. Which is not what M-Net and the Idols producers are doing, or a word they can use, because Liezel van der Westhuizen and Proverb are definitely not being treated as equals. Of course Liezel van der Westhuizen would have too much class to complain or say anything about the shocking way she's being dumped behind the scenes.
M-Net, NeverMachine and Gavin Wratten need to rectify this blatant discrimination immediately by bringing Liezel van der Westhuizen back to the front of house on Idols. She and ProVerb can share introductions as well as the other presenting duties. Co-hosting implies ''co-operation'' and doing things together. Idols is openly not doing this and giving ProVerb more exposure and Liezel van der Westhuizen less. What Idols is doing is letting ProVerb be the de facto Idols presenter (who should rightly be backstage in terms of experience and seniority if someone had to do this menial time-wasting job) while Liezel van der Westhuizen is just sitting pretty at the back.