How would you react in this moment? Smile or throttle your opponent?
22-year-old professional singer Dinky
Kunene Swartz Kunene was eliminated from Idols
again on Sunday night (29 September) when she became the latest Season 15 casualty.
Dinky, who was on Idols 14 and has a habit of changing her name (she also calls herself Dalene Swartz), lost out to 24-year-old Mmangaliso Gumbi who secured the episode's final Top 8 spot.
Here's a rundown of events by the show:
Sunday's episode was a celebration of the LGBTQI+ community, which was especially fitting since Idols judge Somizi Mhlongo finally tied the knot this Saturday (28th).
The finalists started the show with Lady Gaga’s Born this Way, accompanied by the Mzansi Gay Choir. The choir is no stranger to Idols, having accompanied one of their own, Thula, to the auditions for this season’s edition of the competition.
The choir returned to the show to accompany the contestants as they belted out songs from both South Africa and abroad.
The Idols contestants who got to perform were the ones chosen by viewers, whose 16-million votes had decided who would be in the Top 8.
Sneziey Msomi
Sneziey led the Top 8 picks, with her rendition of Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse’s Burn Out, which Unathi uWeepy -
Ed! - and Somizi called amazing.
Sneziey received kudos for her range, though Randall cautioned her about over singing. “You just need one or two great notes. You have a great voice, so there is no need to over sing,” he said.
Viggy Qwabe
Viggy impressed the judges by showing off her versatility with her performance of Sia’s Chandelier.
Somizi said it was her most powerful performance yet, while Unathi said she was perfect. Randall said the song seemed to have connected with her.
Luyolo Yiba
Luyolo sang Green Light by John Legend. The judges commended him for changing up his performance while remaing his soulful self.
Somizi said his performance was smooth, while Randall said it had a distinctive and different energy even as he remained soulful. Unathi called it a charged and electrifying performance.
Nqobile Gumede
Nqobile performed Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman and the judges were mixed in their feedback.
Randall said she was over-powered by the Mzansi Gay Choir, while Unathi said it was a beautiful performance of who she was. “I’m happy that you didn’t try to be Chaka Khan or Whitney Houston,” she said.
Somizi said it wasn’t a great performance and advised her to go home to fix her errors.
Nolo Seodisha
Nolo sang past Idols winner Musa’s cover of Umkhaya Lo and the judges were unanimous in their praise.
Unathi commended him for a beautiful performance, while Somizi said he loved his authenticity, while Randall called it an energetic performance.
Virginia Qwabe
Virginia stayed with David Guetta and Sia’s Titanium. The judges were happy with her performance. Randall said her singing had improved and it showed she was working hard, while Somizi said she did what needed to be done to ensure a beautiful performance.
While Unathi agreed with the other judges, she advised her to remain present throughout the song.
Micayla Oelofse
Micayla also sang a past Idols winner’s song - Paxton’s Angifuni. The judges said it was the perfect song for her, with Randall saying it worked perfectly and Unathi saying she gave it more meaning.
Somizi called her the full package and said she was going to sell records with or without Idols.
Mangaliso Gumbi
The final contestant to secure a spot in the Top 8 was Mangaliso with Lady Marmalade from the movie Moulin Rouge
.
For the judges, it was the performance of the night, with Somizi calling Gumbi an amazing yet humble vocalist.
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How do you feel about Dinky's ousting?
And... do you agree Mangaliso delivered the performance of the night or did someone else out-perform her?