[imagesource: Idols SA]

In a country like the US, you can churn out season after season of American Idol and America’s Got Talent and keep an audience interested.

It’s a different story here in South Africa, although I’ve never been one for watching much of Idols SA. Name another winner besides Heinz Winckler – see, you don’t care either.

You can’t blame the contestants for trying and winning might open a door or two. Have a look through the list of past winners and you’ll see it’s anything but a guaranteed stepping stone to success.

I don’t hate the show quite as much as this guy. Still, we enjoy having a poke and there’s no denying our long-running feud with Randall Abrahams.

The wannabe Simon Cowell doesn’t feature as a judge in Idols SA‘s 18th season and he may well be thankful he finally jumped ship.

City Press covers some of the latest drama:

…what used to be the most-loved singing competition is waning. The top 12 were chosen and announced during the Sunday evening show. Fans were outraged by some of the choices made by judges Somizi Mhlongo, Thembi Seete and Thabo “JR” Bogopa.

Who, who, and who? I joke but it’s hardly blockbuster stuff.

Two contestants, in particular – Nandi Ndathane and Lerato Matsabu – will have their work cut out to win over viewers.

The two Idols hopefuls found themselves on top of Twitter trending topics with fans expressing their disappointment in the judges.

In her audition, 21-year-old Ndathane revealed that she was the daughter of the late musician, Shaluza Max Mntambo, who performed with Mhlongo in Sarafina. The Johannesburg-based singer might have won the hearts of the judges, but the viewers wanted her gone because her singing skills did not impress them.

Let us bear witness to the skills of one of the show’s final 12 contestants:

Yeah, sorry, it’s a no from me.

Online, Ndathane was accused of receiving a “Sarafina privilege” because of her father and his connection to Mhlongo.

Aside from the above bickering, there’s the small matter of the show’s plummeting ratings:

Even though the show still trends on Sundays, it was reported that the rating had gone down from over a million to 744 000 views in July. While some could easily blame the low ratings on Mhlongo’s presence because of his allegations against his estranged husband, Mohale Motaung, it should also be noted that the numbers began dropping in season 17 when Mhlongo had taken a break from the show…

Among other reasons for not watching, viewers revealed that they have outgrown the show; the judges lacked chemistry and that it needed more creativity, as it was no longer entertaining since all the seasons were pretty much the same.

18 seasons.

This horse has been flogged. It is time to move on. Also, people in this country are well and truly tired of seeing alleged abusers on their screens.

The South African compiled a few tweets making this exact point:

I cannot stand watching that abusive convicted sex offender Somizi..

Ugh everytime he comes on my TV, I change the channel 😒 https://t.co/RREkWxFejH

— Former Kleva Black🇿🇦 🇿🇦 (@SneKhumaloSA) August 17, 2022

It’s a singing competition and not a single person on that judging Panel is a singer or makes their money from singing. So the whole thing is a gimmick. Also the allegations against Somizi can’t be overlooked just like that. https://t.co/TMOebMwVJP

— Leharé (@_lehare) August 17, 2022

Somizi, I checked out when I first came across the allegations round about this time last year. https://t.co/i6aZCgUxst

— Lerato❤ (@lerrykins_) August 17, 2022

This somehow, incredibly, makes Randall look popular.

The live shows start this Sunday and rest assured that we will not be watching.

Oh, here’s a look at the top 12 in full if you care.

[sources:citypress&southafrican]