With the goofy Dominic Neill dumped from Idols during the live results show on Tuesday evening on M-Net, the one thing Idols won't be having again is a white male winner. Idols voters previously made winners of Heinz Winckler, Jason Hartman and Dave van Vuuren - of course all white men.
It's led to charges several times in the past of racial undertones to the reality show - all unfounded of course since anyone is allowed to vote if they're willing to spend the money. Last month Lucy Holborn from the South African Institute of Race Relations said issues of race are still "a strong social cleavage in South Africa" when asked about Idols.
Idols now has Melissa Allison, Simphiwe Gwegwe, Monde Msutwana, Tshidi Tenyane, Shekhinah "Sheki" Donnell and Khaya Mthethwa, left in the competition which will announce a new winner in October.
Idols has undergone numerous incremental yet noticeable changes over the past few seasons, fuelling ongoing industry rumours that the current 8th season would be the last on M-Net before Idols will be moved permanently to Mzansi Magic (DStv 108).
Idols is currently, for the second year in a row, a co-budgeted production between the M-Net channel and Mzansi Magic, exposing the reality show for a second consecutive year to the pay-TV audience on the lower-tiered DStv Compact who doesn't have access to the premium M-Net channel.
Besides Idols being screened on Mzansi Magic for that channel's target demographic, over the past few seasons viewers saw ProVerb being added as a co-presenter. Then Liezel van der Westhuizen left, leaving ProVerb as the sole Idols presenter. Soweto was added as a audition destination to increase the catchment area of possible talent and also this season saw stage performances in the new Soweto Theatre for the first time as the production incorporated the specific venue into the show.
Idols is of course often featured in the weekly entertainment magazine show All Access Mzansi on Mzansi Magic where ProVerb is a presenter, who happens to also be a co-producer of Idols since the beginning of this year.
