26-year-old Lucia Jakeni lost out on a spot in the coveted Idols Top 4 on Sunday ( 6 November) when viewers decided it was time to eliminate yet another girl.
Here's a recap of the episode by the show:
Lunch at the Union Buildings with high-ranking government officials, mentorship by some of the best artists in the music industry, a four-day working holiday in New York City, and best of all, a one-in-four chance of being crowned 2016’s South African Idol.
This is where Noma, Tebogo, Thami and Terra Cox are at.
Sunday night's live show included a peformance by former Idols contestant, Amanda Black, who made it back on to the stage with her catchy new Afro-pop single, Amazulu, off her soon-to-be-released debut album.
But first, someone had to leave. With host Proverb dangling the New York trip as the proverbial carrot, the stakes had never been higher in this season and with five contestants and only four tickets, the tension in the holding room was as thick as veld fire smoke.
In the end, it was the husky-voiced Lucia Jakeni from the Vaal whose name was called, ending her Idols - and American - dream.
The final four went on to sing for their lives as they tackled songs selected for them by South African music superstars who mentored them for the week.
Noma received a thumbs-up from Simphiwe Dana, who coached her on how to best deliver the chart-topping Ndiredi. She followed it up with the popular love jam, Weakness in Me by Keisha White. Gareth declared: “You’re in it to win it, baby, and I want you to!”
Tebogo received equally enthusiastic feedback for his performances. Helped along by rapper and producer JR, the isiXhosa speaker pushed himself out of his comfort zone with JR’s So Hot by JR feat. Tee Pee. Not only was he rapping, but he was doing it in seTswana.
He followed it up with Anthony Hamilton’s soulful song, Her Heart. “This just earned you performance of the night,” proclaimed Unathi.
Thami also had a good night. His performance of Donald’s Over the Moon received a standing ovation from the audience and the artist himself, who coached him earlier in the week. His follow up was no different.
His rendition of Change Gonna Come by Sam Cooke solidified his popularity among the audience, with Randall pointing out that bringing the spirit of Motown on the Idols stage was working wonders for him. “South Africa will make sure you are in that final!” added Unathi.
Terra Cox closed off the show, first singing Idols Season 8 winner Khaya Mthethwa’s How Do You Love. He also showed off some dance moves, to the delight of the audience and got on the soul train with Sweet Love by Anita Baker. But just like the last few weeks, his reviews from the judges were not quite glowing, with Somizi warning him against flat notes.
The final four jetted off to New York after the show to enjoy mentorship and international exposure before returning to prepare for next Sunday’s performances.