Broadcast from | 5 August – 25 November 2007 |
---|---|
Judges |
Mark Holden Ian Dickson Marcia Hines Kyle Sandilands |
Host(s) |
Andrew G James Mathison |
Broadcaster | Network Ten |
Finals venue |
Fox Studios, Sydney Sydney Opera House (Grand Final) |
Natalie Gauci | |
Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
Song | "Here I Am" |
Genre(s) | Rock, Pop rock, Soft rock, Blue-eyed soul |
Matt Corby |
Australian Idol (season 5) | |
Finalists | |
Natalie Gauci | Winner |
Matt Corby | 25 November |
Carl Riseley | 12 November |
Marty Simpson | 5 November |
Tarisai Vushe | 29 October |
Daniel Mifsud | 22 October |
Ben McKenzie | 15 October |
Jacob Butler | 8 October |
Mark Da Costa | 1 October |
Lana Krost | 24 September |
Brianna Carpenter | 17 September |
Holly Weinert | 10 September |
The fifth season of Australian Idol premiered on 5 August 2007 on Network Ten. It concluded on 25 November.
The series was again hosted by Andrew G and James Mathison, with Ian "Dicko" Dickson returning to the show as one of the judges, along with Mark Holden, Marcia Hines and Kyle Sandilands. The show continued with the new format from Season 4, where contestants were permitted to perform original material for their audition and throughout the season, and play instruments as part of their performances.
The premiere episode of the 2007 series had 1.65 million viewers, making it the show's second highest rating series opener and 270,000 ahead of last year. The show was in the top ten most viewed shows for the early part of the series and eventually dropped to around number eighteen and nineteen for quite some time due to hot competition from Channel 7's Kath & Kim. The season was on a low compared to Season 4. The Top 5 performance show marked the re-commencement of higher ratings for the program and it reached number nine.
The auditions for Australian Idol (season 5) were run from March to May 2007. They were held in:
As in previous years, the theatre week, held at Sydney's Seymour Centre, consisted of three gruelling elimination rounds. For the first round, each contestant singing a cappella one song of their choice in front of the judges, before being told, based on that performance, whether they would be moving onto the next round.
The second round, (for the first time in Australian Idol history), the group rounds consisted of two boys and two girls, instead of a same gender group, as in previous seasons. Contestants were once again told whether they would be moving onto the next round based on these performances.
In the third and final round, each contestant was then to perform a song choice of their own choosing, in a solo performance in front of the judges and every other contestant. Based on these performances, each contestant was told, one at a time, whether they would become a part of the Top 24, or if their journey would end.