That's it dear reader... another season, another winner, someone new who has to navigate the crazy reality of Life After Winning Idols.
24-year-old software developer Luyolo Yiba is the person who now has the task of turning a reality show into a real musical career after his win of Idols 15 on Sunday night (17 November).
Here's a look at the Good and the Bad of the season's finale:
THE GOOD
1. The opening number by the Top 8 (minus the Qwabe twins), who preached their way back into our consciousness. I don't like preaching - find it patronising and annoying - but I appreciated the intention of their peace-and-love sentiment, especially because I've been thinking about similar concepts this week.
I've been trying my best to focus on what's Right in the world, in life and in every situation, instead of focusing on what's Wrong.
2. The silence of the judges. What bliss! They literally had half-a-page of dialogue between them and it was more than plenty. Clearly the show's decided they must be quiet to keep social media bullies happy.
3. The Qwabe twins' vanishment. I couldn't help having a chortle at the fact that they were nowhere to be seen. I have it on good authority that only Virginia was invited to the finale but not Viggy.
This is because the Idols policy is that those who've been voted out of the Top 10 are invited back but Viggy willingly withdrew so she wasn't invited and therefore "they" turned down the invite to the finale.
A thankful decision because their reaction to being voted out was an ultimate reality low. The thing that irked me most
about the fiasco with them is how they got some fame and fandom and next thing they thought they owned the place. Puhlease.
4. ProVerb's suggestion that Vusi Nova would become his co-host. I say: "Give him the whole job!" He was much better at presenting than Pro - much less "suitey".
5. Those blindfolded dancers who performed with Yanga who provided thrills as I waited for them to smash into each other with each leap and bump.
6. The fact that Luyolo and Sneziey actually got some finale screen time amongst the overkill of guest acts. Remember last year when final two Yanga and Thato were seen for about 10 minutes max. At least Sneziey and Luyolo got some spotlight with a couple of the guest acts.
Which brings me to...
THE BAD
1. The overkill of guest acts. I truly don't understand why the production insists on bringing in all those musicians when Idols is a reality show first and foremost. They spend all that time on professional musical guest acts instead of focusing on our final two!
They should be visiting their hometowns, speaking to their neighbours, honing in on Who They Are and what winning would mean to them and those who know them. Like they used to do with Big Brother where they would go to people's hometowns where their "people" would be mass watching them for the win.
ProVerb speaking to the cast of The Queen and the cancelled Throne was highly irrelevant and forced - he should have been speaking to Luyolo and Sneziey's family and friends in the audience. The show should be about THEM and not everyone else - they've put in enough to deserve it.
If they're going to insist on musical acts because it's too much effort to send cameras out of the live show they should, at the very least, ensure that every act is a past Idols winner or contestant.
2. And don't get me started on how the finalist who
doesn't win the car has to give Ford a plug too. BAD.
3. Kim Kardashian. Why does that over-exposed family have to force themselves in everywhere?? Oh wait, no, that was Boity!
4. Yanga's earrings. Someone keep her out of a thunderstorm. The good thing about those earrings is that if she lost her DStv signal during a storm she could tune into analogue.
5. Wooden Mic winner Beatrice should have been given more.
6. Luyolo's set of curtains. Such an eyesore from Truworths or whoever has such poor taste to decide that
that was the outfit he should wear to win.
So, yes, those are my impressions on the finale... howz about yours?