Reality TV Shows in Australia
Australia does love reality tv shows. Some of those shows include:
Australian Idol
Australian Idol premiered in July 2003. The program auditions young singers who are hoping to make it big in the music industry. The Top 100 is narrowed down to the Top 24, then the viewing public gets to vote for their favorites. The singer with the lowest number of votes is sent home until there is one remaining - the Australian Idol. Like the American version of AI, Simon Fuller is the executive producer. The judges for Australian Idol are record exec Ian Dickson (who also was a judge on The Next Great American Band), pop singer and choreographer Marcia Hines, and radio disc jockey Kyle Sandilands. The first season was won by Guy Sebastian, the second season was won by Casey Donovan, the third season was won by Kate DeAraugo, the fourth season was won by Damien Leith, and the fifth season was won by Natalie Gauci.
Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent premiered in February 2007. The second season is currently airing. The show is based on the American version of SYTYCD of the series. The show features all types of performers who are competing for the AUD$250,000 top prize. Acts are chosen to perform on the show, again with the viewing audience voting for their favorite. The two finalists for season 1 were Gum leaf musician Herb Patten and singer Bonnie Anderson, with Bonnie being named the winner.
Latest Reality TV Recaps
Australia's Next Top Model
Australia's Next Top Model is hosted by Jodhi Meares, who replaced the original host, Erika Heynatz. This show features ten women who long to become models. On the show, their natural good looks are highlighted while they are also taught how to be a top model through weekly modeling assignments and challenges. All the women must live in a single home together. Each week, the judges send one girl home until there is only one left. The first season was won by Gemma Sanderson (with Chloe Wilson as runner-up). The second season was won by Eboni Stocks (with Jessica French as runner-up). The third season was won by Alice Burdeau (with Stephanie Hart as runner-up). The fourth season is currently underway.
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars pairs Australian celebrities with professional ballroom dancers. Each week, the dancing duos go head to head in competition. The panel of judges (Todd McKenney, Helen Richey, Paul Mercurio, and Mark Wilson) critiques the dancers then the viewing public votes on who they want to keep in the competition. The pair that receives the lowest number of votes is sent home. The host of the show is Shane Bourne.
Since it began in November of 2004, there have been seven seasons of Dancing with the Stars. The first season was won by Bec Cartwright (an actress who was paired with professional dancer Michael Miziner), the second season was won by Tom Williams (a television presenter who was paired with professional dancer Kym Johnson), the third season was won by Ada Nicodemou (an actress who was paired with professional dancer Aric Yegudkin), the fourth season was won by Grant Denyer (a television presenter and weatherman who was paired with professional dancer Amanda Garner), the fifth season was won by Anthony Koutoufides (a Aussie rules football player who was paired with professional dancer Natalie Lowe), the sixth season was won by Kate Ceberano (a singer who was paired with professional dancer John Paul Collins), and the seventh season was won by Bridie Carter (an actress who was paired with professional dancer Craig Monley). The eight season celebrities have already been announced. Between season two and three, there was a battle of the champions with Ada Nicodemou beating Tom Williams.
It Takes Two
It Takes Two is another dancing show that features celebrities paired with professional dancers. Just like Dancing with the Stars, there are judges (Marina Prior, James Valentine, Amanda Pelman, and Ross Wilson), but the viewing audience helps decide who stays on the show by voting.
There have been three seasons of It Take Two. The hosts are Grant Denyer (who won season four of Dancing with the Stars) and Erika Heynatz. Erika is a model and television personality who was the host of Australia's Next Top Model then became the host of It Takes Two in 2008 after winning the first season with her professional dancer David Hobson. Season 2 was won by Jolene Anderson, an actress who was paired with professional dancer David Campbell. Season 3 is still underway.
So You Think You Can Dance
The Australian version of So You Think You Can Dance premiered on February 3, 2008 and the finale was shown on April 28, 2008. The show held auditions in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney to find the most extraordinary amateur dancers. The top 100 finalists spent a week in Sydney, with more auditions narrowing the field down to the final 20 (10 male and 10 female) dancers. The show is hosted by Natalie Bassingthwaighte and the judges are Jason Coleman, Matt Lee, and Bonnie Lythgoe (the ex-wife of Nigel Lythgoe, a judge on the American version of the show).
The winner of the first season was Jack Chambers from Brisbane. He is 19 years old and specializes in Broadway, Funk, and Hip-Hop dancing. The runner-up was Rhys Bobridge, a contemporary jazz dancer from Melbourne.
