From a media release:
Season 6 of Canadian Idol Blows the Lid Off Summer, June 3 on CTV
The official start to Summer is set for Tuesday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET when the remarkable sixth edition of Canadian Idol premieres on CTV (go to idol.CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Over the past five years, Canadian Idol has changed the lives of hundreds of singers, and the Canadian music industry as well. Last year, nearly 15 million Canadians watched some part of Canadian Idol, more than 50% of Canada’s English-language population.* Now, Summer’s No.1 program returns with the first of three audition episodes featuring new cast member Jully Black and the best and worst performances captured from this year’s cross-Canada audition tour. Nearly 10,000 tried out, but only one will continue through the Top 10 and into September, when the newest Canadian Idol winner will be crowned. In the meantime, get ready for another roller coaster musical ride, including a dramatic format switch-up that will change the course of the series this summer.
“Over five seasons, Canadian Idol has distinguished itself as a leader and innovator of the franchise around the world,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc. “Once again, Canadian Idol will continue to evolve, keeping viewers engaged with even more changes and surprises this summer.”
“We’re ready to get the summer rolling,” said Executive Producer John Brunton. “It continues to amaze me how the caliber of talent can continue to go up after five seasons, but it has. The competitors are excited, Ben is ready, the judges are pumped, and newest Idol team member Jully Black is fired up to offer her advice and support to this year’s participants.”
The all-new broadcast season begins with a one-hour episode on June 3 at 9 p.m. ET with highlights from the Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton auditions. Some of the very best – and the downright worst – of the nearly 10,000 auditions will once again launch the season. The broadcast schedule then unfolds as follows (all times ET; times and dates subject to change; go to idol.CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times):
- Monday, June 9 at 9 p.m. – Highlights from auditions in Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver
Tuesday, June 10 at 9 p.m. – Highlights from auditions in Hamilton, Ottawa, St. John’s and Halifax, plus featured online submissions - Top 200 episodes air Monday, June 16 and Tuesday, June 17 at 9 p.m.
- Top 22 performance episodes air Mondays and Tuesdays beginning June 23
- Top 22 results episodes air Wednesdays beginning June 25
- Top 10 performance episodes air Mondays beginning July 14
- Top 10 results episodes air Tuesdays beginning July 15
New: Format Changes
Last season, Canadian Idol introduced an innovative change to the series that saw singers accompany themselves with instruments, an experiment that was cloned to great success in the current season of American Idol. It’s a format change that has resulted in more than 1 in 2 Canadian Idol Gold Ticket winners that play instruments and, for the first time ever, more male Gold Ticket winners than female.
This season, Canadian Idol switched it up once again, becoming only the second Idol franchise in the world to hold online auditions. The result was enormously successful, with almost 1,000 people auditioning via the Canadian Idol website – and several online auditioners moving quite far through the
audition process.
This summer, Canadian Idol will institute another format change that will continue to distinguish it from other Idol franchises around the world and engage viewers like never before. Viewers have got to see it to believe it!
New: Jully Black
Also new this year is the addition to the cast of critically acclaimed recording artist, JUNO Award-winner and eTalk correspondent Jully Black. Debuting during the audition episodes and appearing throughout the entire season, Black will serve as mentor, confidant, coach and voice of the people to competitors while she pulls back the curtain and takes Canadian Idol viewers behind the scenes of their favourite Summer pastime.
New: Expanded Video Content at idol.CTV.ca
Additionally, this season will see major changes to the go-to online web portal for the series, idol.CTV.ca. The source for everything Idol, the site will offer expanded video streaming and on demand content, including extended cuts of select competitors from the audition episodes. As well, for the first time ever, an idol.CTV.ca crew was sent along on the Season 6 Audition Tour, resulting in tons of exclusive video content viewers won’t see on the show, including “Road Movies” from every stop on the tour. Finally, in addition to exclusive weekly video interviews with competitors, for the first time ever idol.CTV.ca will offer, on demand on the CTV Video Player, every performance from every competitor from the Top 22 on, as well as Top 10 results, to the end of this season’s finale.
Five years after its premiere season, Canadian Idol continues to hold the title of the most-watched, original Canadian series (English language) of all time, and Summer’s No.1 show overall. Season 5 of Canadian Idol continued to deliver a blockbuster show to millions of viewers throughout the Summer of 2007. Twelve sensational guest stars were featured, including Queen, Rihanna and Bon Jovi, and more than 37 million votes were cast over the course of the season – more than one for every man, woman and child in the country.
Last September’s finale saw nearly five million viewers tune in to some or all of the broadcast when Hamilton, Ont. native Brian Melo was crowned the 2007 Canadian Idol champion. Now as the new season is set to begin, the reigning Idol champion begins a month-long concert tour on Saturday, June 7 in Toronto before traveling to B.C. and back again (full concert tour details available at www.brianmelo.com.)
Host Ben Mulroney also returns, offering a healthy dose of charm and light-hearted fun to the show. Music industry experts Farley Flex, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan and Zack Werner are back with as many opinions as ever to offer as Canadian Idol’s four-member judging panel.
