Kevin's prayers pay off.
Four weeks until the finale and five remain.
29-year-old Nqobie Linda hit the exit button on Sunday's Idols at one of the worst times to go.
If you've made the Top 6 you
really want to stay for the Top 5, especially with
Oskido's promise of a recording deal for the five.
But it wasn't to be and now Nqobie must focus her mind elsewhere.
Here's a recap of what happened after her elimination:
The first half of the show saw the contestants strip down some of Mzansi's best hits to their bare essence in line with the unplugged theme.
In the second half of the show, they gave a nod to Pride Month by upping the ante with “impersonations”, performing songs from artists who are part of - or are allies of - the LGBTQI+ community.
Adding that extra layer of flair was the Mzansi Gay Choir, who graced the Idols stage as back-up performers for the third year in a row.
The first round was smooth sailing, with judges Unathi uWeepy (
Ed) and Randall Abrahams, and guest judge Khaya Dladla not holding back on their compliments.
One could say it was a great nod to great talent. Unathi described
Karabo's rendition of Amanda Black's Thandwa Ndim as incredibly powerful, while Randall remarked that everything about
Daylin Sass's performance of Liquideep's Fairytale was good.
S22Kile struck gold with her take on Bucie's Easy to Love, with both Randall and Unathi saying it was her best performance to date, and Khaya calling her “precious”.
The shower of compliments continued, with
Berry being told she was the complete package and overflowing with talent after she sang Craig Lucas's Happy.
After
Kevin's rendition of Afrotraction's Mnike, Khaya called him a superstar and Unathi remarked there was nothing negative she could say about his phenomenal performance.
The second half of the show was, however, met with mixed feedback, with
Karabo (River Deep Mountain High by Tina Turner),
Daylin Sass (Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert) and
S22Kile (Love On The Brain by Rihanna) leaving Randall somewhat unsatisfied even as Unathi and Khaya were full of praise.
However, the judges were unanimous about
Berry and
Kevin's performances.
Berry killed Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory and had the judges calling her “phenomenal” once again, with Randall praising her choice of song.
The audience's reaction to Kevin's performance of George Michael's As said it all and all the judges could do was to put into words the rapturous applause.
Khaya was ready to declare Kevin an Idol, while Randall said it was a great performance. Unathi was reduced to tears at the thought of witnessing him see his dreams come true.
Commenting on the night's performances, Unathi said they were a pleasure to watch and she was proud to witness the evolution of each contestant.
“We have seen them grow and improve week by week and we are proud to see their talent continue to blossom.
"At this stage of the competition, we are confident that all of them are going to make it big in the music industry and it is humbling to have witnessed their journey from hopeful stars to performers in their own right,” she said.
“I don't know who is going to be 2021's Idols SA winner - but all I can say is that they are all already winners,” she concluded.
Next week will see one more contestant exit the competition, but it is up to the viewers to ensure that their favourite Idols SA hopeful returns next week as part of the Top 4.