Bevin exits Idols…as top 5 is announced

Bevin Samuels has exited Idols

THE race to the finish line is on.

It was smiles, hugs and good vibes when Idols bid farewell to 19-year-old Bevin Samuels from Port Elizabeth, who did not receive enough votes this week to keep him in the competition.

After last night, Idols SA contestants can be counted on one hand and Lucia, Thami, Noma, Tebogo and Terra Cox are this season’s official Top Five.

Like last week, each contestant performed twice with different themes. Round One’s theme was How It Should Have Been Done and saw the Top Five picking butchered songs by Wooden Mic performers. Round Two was called My Idol, and contestants chose a song by their musical inspiration.

Lucia was up first, singing R. Kelly’s If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time followed by Lira’s Ngaphakade. Gareth gave her a glowing report, praising her consistency and “beautiful” performances. “You deserve to record your own album and conquer the SA music industry,” was Somizi’s take. Randall agreed, saying no matter what happens in the next weeks, Lucia has a career post-Idols.

Thami’s performance of Hero by Enrique Iglesias saw him show a rare emotional connection with the song and audience. He continued to surprise when he chose James Brown’s So Good for his second act. The performance was on fire – complete with the stage shimmying and a split at the end of the performance! The crowd went wild and Unathi and Gareth gave him a standing ovation. “Ladies and gentlemen, the hardest working man on Idols this season!” declared Randall.

Noma chose Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up, followed by Heaven by Beyoncé. Her rousing rendition of the first song earned her a standing ovation from three of the judges, with Proverb proclaiming that she was “taking us to church!” She continued with the sentimental ballads by dedicating her second song to a recently deceased friend. Randall was not crazy about both being slow songs.

Tebogo brought out the acoustic guitar for both performances – We Found Love by Ed Sheeran and Asa’s There Is Fire on The Mountain. Unathi gave him a thumbs up “for reminding us that you are the only person who plays an instrument in the Top Five”, adding “I’m so happy you didn’t get this far last year because you wouldn’t have been able to deliver what you are giving us now.”

Terra Cox closed off the show with Adele’s Hello, followed by Mariah Carey’s If It’s Over. He received mixed reviews from the judges. “I didn’t love the Adele earlier, but you brought out the drama this time around. And when you do bring out the drama it’s really dramatic,” said Gareth. Somizi advised him to “be patient with yourself and choose songs that will show us a different side to you”, while Randall cautioned that having good and bad performances “don’t win you Idols”.

It remains to be seen who will survive the chop next week.

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