Dominic Bowden
When the judges of “The Next Great American Band” were announced, most people had heard of Sheila E and John Rzeznik. But the third judge – Dominic Bowden – might have been an unfamiliar name to many Americans. Dominic is a well know New Zealand television presenter and has been for the past 7 years. New Zealanders love him as the host of “New Zealand Idol.”
Dominic or Dom as most New Zealanders know him, was born Dominic Joseph Bowden on December 15, 1976. He started his career in New Zealand, but moved to Sydney for a while. He also worked a few months in Shanghai when he followed his now fiancée Claire Robbie there. He was the host of “Squirt,” in 1999, a New Zealand kid’s show that was on every Saturday morning. He co-hosted the late night music show “Space” along with Jaquie Brown. He also appeared on the 15th anniversary show of “Shortland Street,” the longest running New Zealand soap opera and on “Celebrity Treasure Island: Series 1.” a reality show in which contestants are isolated on an island and compete for prizes. Dominic hosted the 38th Annual New Zealand Music Awards in 2001. He also fronted the special “Robbie Williams: Be Here Now.”
Dominic’s career really took off when he began hosting “New Zealand Idol.” Now in its third season, it has made Dominic a household name there. He is also the host of the new show “Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old?” (which is based on the American show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?”).
Dominic was named a judge of “The Next Great American Band” on August 30, 2007. After he found out he had gotten the job, he pulled out of another reality show titled “Intrepid Journeys,” just hours before leaving, which caused a bit of a sensation. The last day of filming for “Intrepid Journeys” overlapped with the first day of filming for “The Next Great American Band,” so Shane Cortese stepped in for Dominic. Dominic paid for Shane’s airfare as well as other production costs to cover his absence.
Dominic hosted his own Most Wanted nighttime radio show on More FM until 2005. While there, he interviewed many big name celebrities including Jon Bon Jovi and Will Smith. Along with fellow Idol judge Paul Ellis, he hosts the Idol Live show.
Dominic was a finalist in the 2000 competition for Cleo Bachelor of the Year. But, he became engaged to television reporter Claire Robbie in 2006 while the two were staying in Bangkok. She played a small part on “Shortland Street” as Courtney Williams and while she is currently a reporter for TV3, she is still pursuing acting work as well as a degree in political studies. The two planned to wed in 2007, but have not as of yet.
Read these other great entries