Randall Abrahams, Gareth Cliff and Unathi Msengana will be the judges for the new 7th season of Idols on M-Net starting in June, the pay broadcaster just announced.
Dumped from the hit reality show after 6 seasons is the fake Louis Vuitton-wearing, swearing, vodka and energy drink-mixing Mara Louw whose erratic behaviour on the show and non-sensical outbursts about viewer racism increasingly became a public embarrassement for M-Net.
Mara Louw is the 3 Idols judge to be replaced in the TV production over the course of 7 seasons, following Marcus Brewster who left after the 1st season and Dave Thompson who left at the end of the 5th season. Mara Louw is being replaced by Unathi Msengana, a MetroFM DJ.
''We felt a need to review the panel, and considered several options,'' says M-Net about the panel change. ''Unathi Msengana has her finger on the pulse of popular culture, she is charming yet opinionated and is a role model for many youngsters."
"It is a world-wide trend in the franchise to shuffle the judging panel around to ensure that the programme does not become formulaic and stale,'' says Gavin Wratten from Nevermachine that will once again be producing Idols.
The auditions for the 7th season of Idols will kick off again in Cape Town first on 12 February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and the show will be broadcast on M-Net from June as well as on Mzansi Magic (DStv 107).
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