Nigeria Content Online

The theatre stage of the Nigerian Idol
was as gut-wrenching as the producers had promised. This was the stage
where the 100 contestants who made it up from the audition stage were
trimmed down to 50. The mood was as ominous as could be. The judges
were no longer smiling and the tension was clearly apparent on the
faces of the contestants. Imagine coming all the way from Abuja, Enugu,
or Calabar and being asked to go home after the first stage.

To ease the
tension, judges Jeffrey Daniel and Audu Maikori teased the contestants
a bit. “Step forward,” Daniel said to some contestants. “Turn to your
left, then to your left again. Hug the person in front of you because
you are all staying.” The relief was so great for a contestant that she
immediately fell to the floor rather than do as she was told.

Audu Maikori on
his part toyed with the viewers too, sometimes eliminating the
contestants whom he asked to step forward and other times the ones at
the back instead. He also used the opportunity to dish out advice to
those whom he felt did not play up to their strengths.

However, the lone
female judge, Yinka Davies, had no time for such shenanigans. “You did
not make it. You are going home,” she would say bluntly to the
eliminated contestants. (At this point and even though the judges
remain less than brutal, it would be safe to say we have found our
Simon Cowell, but He is a She.)

After the 100
contestants from the auditions had been trimmed down to 72, they were
asked to form groups of three. Following performances that were judged
based on individual strengths, another set of contestants were sent
home. The rest were further asked to form duos. Finally, the lucky 50
were chosen.

The undoing of
most of the contestants were the songs which were selected for them by
the show producers. During the individual performances, for example,
the male contestants were asked to sing ‘Kiss From a Rose’ by Seal, a
song that went beyond the range of most of them.

However, an
ability to “own” the song and perfect it within your range would be a
true test of a true performer, an ability which, frankly speaking, very
few displayed. Thankfully for everyone involved in this tension-filled
stage, including viewers, the judges were able to recognise those
voices that were skilled enough, despite how much they were tasked by
the songs.

However, starting from last Thursday,
the judges were finally relieved from making the tough choice of who
gets to go and who stays as the Nigerian Idols entered the third stage:
the Top Fifty/Elimination stage. Each week, ten contestants would
perform in front of a studio audience at the end of which viewers would
be asked to vote. The top two from each week would then move to the
last stage: the Top Ten, which is always filled with high performances
as contestants battle to be the next Nigerian Idol. </