Australia's Got Talent (season 5)

Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television show, based on the original UK series, claiming to find new talent. The fifth season premiered on the Seven Network on 3 May 2011 and ended on 2 August 2011, where singer Jack Vidgen was crowned the winner of Australia's Got Talent, while illusionist Cosentino became runner-up.[1][2] Judges Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands, and Brian McFadden returned for the series, as well as host Grant Denyer.[1]

Australia's Got Talent
Season 5
Hosted by	Grant Denyer
Judges	Dannii Minogue Brian McFadden Kyle Sandilands
Winner	Jack Vidgen
Runner-up	Cosentino
Release
Original network	Seven Network
Original release	3 May – 2 August 2011
Season chronology

The producer auditions took place in 16 cities across Australia, and ran from October to December 2010.[3] The successful acts from these auditions were then invited back for a second audition in front of the judges and a live audience. These auditions were held in February and March 2011 in four major cities, including one day in Gold Coast and Perth, two days in Sydney, and three days in Melbourne.[4] From over 200 successful auditionees, only 48 acts were selected for the semi-finals.[5] The six semi-final shows began on 31 May 2011 and ended on 5 July. Introduced, was a new format to the show where three acts from each semi-final would advance through to the next round.[6] In previous years only two acts have made it through each semi-final.[6]

One of the most notable performances was by Jack Vidgen, a 14-year-old singer who sang a rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" for his audition. His performance earned a standing ovation from both the judges and the audiences,[7] and has received more than 1.5 million views on YouTube.[8] Vidgen has since been dubbed Australia's answer to Justin Bieber, and has also attracted international and local interest.[8] The show had also sparked controversy, with accusations of contestant Jordan Paris plagiarising other comedians' jokes in his audition, and reports of contestant Chooka Parker's incident backstage following his elimination from the show.

Auditions

The producer auditions took place in 16 cities, throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.[3] These auditions began on 17 October 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010.[3] The successful acts from the auditions were then invited to a second audition in front of the judges and a live audience. These auditions began in Gold Coast on 19 February 2011, followed by three days in Melbourne from 25 February 2011.[4] They also took place in Sydney on 12–13 March 2011, and ended in Perth on 20 March 2011.[4]

Semi-finalists

From over 200 successful auditionees, only 48 acts were selected for the semi-finals.[5]

Key	Winner	Runner up	Finalist	Semi-Finalist (lost judges' vote)

Name	Genre	Act	From	Semi	Position reached
Adam Hynes	Music	Singer/Guitarist	Cairns	5	Finalist
Afrikan Warriors	Performing	Acrobatic Group	Launceston	5	Semi-finalist
Bree De Rome	Music	Singer/Guitarist	Gold Coast	1	Finalist
Belle Air	Performing	Aerialist Duo	Sydney	4	Semi-finalist
Benchmark	Music	Singing Group	Gold Coast	2	Finalist
Ben Price	Comedy	Comedian	Melbourne	3	Finalist
Beau Sargent	Performing	Contortionist	Perth	5	Semi-finalist
Clara Helms	Singing	Opera Singer	Perth	5	Semi-finalist
Chooka Parker	Music	Pianist	Red Lion, Victoria	2	Finalist
Capree	Music	Singing Group	Sydney	3	Semi-finalist
Cosentino	Performing	Illusionist	Lysterfield South, Victoria	2	Runner-Up
Deep Blue	Music	Orchestra	Gold Coast	1	Semi-finalist
Dan Conway	Music	Singer/Guitarist	Tamworth, New South Wales	3	Finalist
Dangerboy & Ivy	Performing	Sideshow Duo	Newcastle, NSW	2	Semi-finalist
Dash & D'Bree	Comedy	Performers	Melbourne	1	Semi-finalist
David De Vito	Singing	Opera Singer	Gold Coast	3	Finalist
Fiona Mariah	Singing	Opera Singer	Perth	1	Semi-finalist
Hazel Phillips	Performing	Entertainer	Gold Coast	2	Semi-finalist
Instant Bun	Dancing	Dance Troupe	Various locations (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Port Macquarie, Sydney, Gosford, and Canberra)	4	Finalist
Jack Vidgen	Singing	Singer	Manly Vale, New South Wales	1	Winner
Jesse Emmanuel	Music	Singer/Guitarist	Coffs Harbour	6	Semi-finalist
Jordan Paris	Comedy	Comedian	Gold Coast	5	Semi-finalist
KLD X–treme Air Force	Dancing	Cheerleading Group	Melbourne	2	Semi-finalist
Ky Baldwin	Dancing	Tap Dancer	Sydney	6	Semi-finalist
Liam Burrows	Singing	Singer	Sydney	4	Finalist
Mac-Cussion	Music	Percussion Group	Brisbane	4	Semi-finalist
Majestic	Performing	Contortionist	Brisbane	6	Finalist
Meriden Rhythmix	Performing	Gymnastics Group	Strathfield	3	Semi-finalist
Misfits Stunt Crew	Performing	Stunt Crew	Adelaide	3	Semi-finalist
Matty Shields	Gymnastics	Pole Dancer	Sydney	1	Semi-finalist
Matty "The Bandit" White	Music	Rapper	Coonabarabran, New South Wales	5	Finalist
Pete the Kabar Rockstar	Singing	Singer	Boonah, Queensland	4	Semi-finalist
Rock 'n' Roll Ropers	Dancing	Rope Jump Team	Queensland	1	Semi-finalist
Rod Collins	Music	Harmonica Player	Cairns	4	Semi-finalist
Rod "The Old Fella" Gregory	Comedy	Comedian	Maitland, New South Wales	4	Finalist
Replicators	Music	Rock Band	Sydney	4	Semi-finalist
SKB	Dancing	Dance Troupe	Sydney	6	Semi-finalist
Steve Romig	Music	Singer/Guitarist	Tootgarook	2	Semi-finalist
Stuart Biggins	Singing	Singer	Albury, New South Wales	6	Finalist
Sisters and Misters	Music	Choir	Melbourne	5	Semi-finalist
Taiko Drum	Music	Drumming Group	Hobart, Tasmania	6	Semi-finalist
Team Rocket	Dancing	Dance Duo	Cairns	1	Finalist
The Flying Lotahs	Performing	Pole Acrobats	Brisbane	6	Semi-finalist
Timomatic	Singing	Singer/Dancer	Sydney	6	Finalist
Tom Ward	Music	Guitarist	Tasmania	3	Semi-finalist
Thomas Crane	Singing	Singer	Perth	3	Semi-finalist
Uprising	Music	Rock Band	Mansfield, Victoria	2	Semi-finalist
Wayne Rogers	Performing	Drag Singer	Sydney	5	Finalist

Semi-final summary

The "Order" columns lists the order of appearance each act made for every episode.

Key	Buzzed out	|Judges' choice}}	Won the public vote	Won the judges' vote

Semi-final 1

Order	Semi-Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	Fiona Mariah	Opera Singer				Lost judges vote
2	Rock 'n' Roll Ropers	Jump Rope Group				Eliminated
3	Bree De Rome	Singer/Guitarist				Won public vote
4	Matty Shields	Pole Dancer				Eliminated
5	Dash & D'Bree	Performers				Eliminated
6	Team Rocket	Dance Duo				Won judges vote
7	Deep Blue	Orchestra				Eliminated
8	Jack Vidgen	Singer				Won public vote

Semi-final 2

Order	Semi-Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	KLD X–treme Air Force	Cheerleading Group				Eliminated
2	Hazel Phillips	Entertainer				Eliminated
3	Dangerboy & Ivy	Sideshow Duo				Eliminated
4	Steve Romig	Singer/Guitarist				Eliminated
5	Uprising	Rock Band				Lost judges vote
6	Benchmark	Singing Group				Won judges vote
7	Cosentino	Illusionist				Won public vote
8	Chooka Parker	Pianist				Won public vote

Semi-final 3

Order	Semi-Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	Thomas Crane	Singer				Eliminated
2	Ben Price	Comedian				Won judges vote
3	Meriden Rhythmix	Gymnastics Group				Eliminated
4	David De Vitto	Opera Singer				Won public vote
5	Tom Ward	Guitarist				Eliminated
6	Capree	Singing Group				Lost judges vote
7	Misfits Stunt Crew	Stunt Group				Eliminated
8	Dan Conway	Singer/Guitarist				Won public vote

Semi-final 4

Order	Semi-Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	Replicators	Rock Band				Eliminated
2	Mac-Cussion	Percussion Group				Eliminated
3	Rod Collins	Harmonica Player				Eliminated
4	Instant Bun	Dance Troupe				Won judges vote
5	Pete the Kabar Rockstar	Singer				Eliminated
6	Rod "The Old Fella" Gregory	Comedian				Won public vote
7	Belle Air	Aerialist Duo				Lost judges vote
8	Liam Burrows	Singer				Won public vote

Semi-final 5

Order	Semi-Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	Sisters and Misters	Choir				Eliminated
2	Afrikan Warriors	Acrobatic Group				Eliminated
3	Clara Helms	Opera Singer				Eliminated
4	Beau Sargent	Contortionist				Lost judges vote
5	Adam Hynes	Singer/Guitarist				Won public vote
6	Matty "The Bandit" White	Rapper				Won judges vote
7	Jordan Paris	Comedian				Eliminated
8	Wayne Rogers	Drag Singer				Won public vote

Semi-final 6

Order	Semi-Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	Kỳ Baldwin	Tap Dancer				Lost judges vote
2	Stuart Biggins	Singer				Won public vote
3	The Flying Lotahs	Danger Act	^2	^2	^2	Eliminated
4	Jesse Emmanuel	Singer/Guitarist				Eliminated
5	Taiko Drum	Drumming Group				Eliminated
6	SKB	Dance Troupe				Eliminated
7	Majestic	Contortionist		^1		Won judges vote
8	Timomatic	Singer/Dancer				Won public vote

Notes

• ^1 Minogue was not required to vote as there was already a majority.
• ^2 The Flying Lotahs had to perform in another studio due to safety concerns. The judges did not have buzzers in the other studio sporting a hand-carried sign with the familiar red 'X' although they never used them.

Finals summary

The "Order" columns lists the order of appearance each act made for every episode.

Key	Buzzed out	|Judges' choice}}	Won the public vote	Won the judges' vote

Final showdown 1

Order	Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	Chooka Parker	Pianist				Lost judges vote
2	Bree De Rome	Singer/Guitarist				Eliminated
3	Ben Price	Comedian				Won public vote
4	David De Vito	Opera Singer				Won public vote
5	Instant Bun	Dance Troupe				Won judges vote
6	Dan Conway	Singer/Guitarist				Eliminated
7	Majestic	Contortionist				Eliminated
8	Jack Vidgen	Singer				Won public vote
9	Cosentino	Illusionist				Won public vote

Notes

• ¹ David De Vitto, Cosentino, and Jack Vidgen were the three acts who won the public vote.
• ² The judges then had to choose a fourth act to go through to the grand-final.

Judges' votes (revealed in order)

• McFadden: Ben Price
• Minogue: Chooka Parker
• Sandilands: Instant Bun

As their votes were a tie, the result went to the public vote. It was then revealed that the act who received the most votes was Ben Price.

Final showdown 2

Order	Finalist	Act	Buzzes and Judges' votes			Result
			Kyle	Dannii	Brian
1	Stuart Biggins	Singer				Eliminated
2	Team Rocket	Dance Duo				Lost judges vote
3	Liam Burrows	Singer				Won public vote
4	Benchmark	Singing Group				Won judges vote
5	Adam Hynes	Singer/Guitarist				Eliminated
6	Matty "The Bandit" White	Rapper				Won judges vote
7	Wayne Rogers	Drag Singer				Eliminated
8	Rod "The Old Fella" Gregory	Comedian				Won public vote
9	Timomatic	Singer/Dancer				Won public vote

Judges' first vote (revealed in order)

• McFadden: Matty "The Bandit" White
• Minogue: Benchmark
• Sandilands: Matty "The Bandit" White

As McFadden and Sandilands both voted for Matty "The Bandit" White, he won the first judges vote.

Judges' second vote (revealed in order)

• Sandilands: Benchmark
• Minogue: Benchmark

As Sandilands and Minogue both voted for Benchmark, they won the second judges vote. It is unsure who McFadden would have voted for.

Final

Key	Winner	Runner-up	Third Place

Order	Contestant	Act	Finished
1	Liam Burrows	Singer	5th place
2	Instant Bun	Dance Troupe	10th place
3	Ben Price	Comedian	8th place
4	David De Vitto	Opera Singer	9th place
5	Matty "The Bandit" White	Rapper	6th place
6	Rod "The Old Fella" Gregory	Comedian	4th place
7	Timomatic	Singer/Dancer	Third Place
8	Benchmark	Singing Group	7th place
9	Jack Vidgen	Singer	Winner
10	Cosentino	Illusionist	Runner-Up

Notes

• Vidgen was awarded the grand prize of $250,000.[9]
• Guest performers on the grand final decider show were Justice Crew and Jessica Mauboy.

Reception

Controversies

Comedian Jordan Paris, who made it through to the semi-finals, was accused of plagiarising his jokes in his audition, of which he performed a routine about English singer Robbie Williams.[10] On 26 May 2011, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that the same routine was performed by English comedian Lee Mack in 2007 on the British stand-up comedy show Live at the Apollo.[11] Paris said he was aware of Mack's work but did not rip off his routine, stating "comedy's a funny thing. Obviously there are a lot of people doing a lot of things, but a joke's a joke. If it's making people laugh then I'm happy."[10] That same day, Brisbane Times also reported that the other half of Paris' routine – about his three requirements for dating a woman – had been lifted from a routine by US comedian Geoff Keith.[10]

After losing the judges' votes in the first final showdown, host Grant Denyer tweeted that Chooka Parker[12] reportedly took the news of his elimination very badly.[13] Parker was reportedly banging windows and doors after losing the grand final spot to dance troupe Instant Bun.[13] He was then warned by studio security before driving off with his parents before the show ended.[14] A spokeswoman for the Seven Network told The Daily Telegraph, "Chooka's family have acquired a TV since he became part of the show and he has understood how the show and fame works since he started... He was upset when Brian said his routine had not developed enough and later went upstairs to the edit suite and blamed them for ruining his performance and he became a bit physical, slamming his hand into a window."[14]

Many of the above cited newspaper stories were grossly exaggerated with Chooka admitting later that although he had been upset it did not happen as the tabloids had argued. Instead Chooka was upset because "The producers took out a crucial part of my song. They pretty much destroyed my piece. I went backstage to ask them why they did it but they wouldn’t listen to me. I just hit the window, I definitely didn’t wrap my hand in a jumper and smash it. I’m not two-faced, what I said on stage I meant. All I want from my music is to make people happy", Chooka said. "You’ve got to hear my music from start to end. By changing it they made it sound as if I had made a mistake. Not winning the show wasn’t too disappointing, winning was never a dream. I just wish they hadn’t cut my song." explains Chooka.[15]

Contestants

Singer Jack Vidgen, a 14-year-old, appeared on the first episode on 3 May 2011, and performed a rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" for his audition.[7] The performance earned a standing ovation from both the judges and the audiences.[7] Judge Kyle Sandilands said, "You're either gonna be amazing or dreadful – both I will enjoy", while judge Brian McFadden was so moved from the performance he ran up on stage to kiss Vidgen's cheek once it was over.[7] The performance has received more than 3.5 million views on YouTube.[8] Vidgen has since been dubbed Australia's answer to Justin Bieber and has also been inundated with international and local interest.[8][16][17] He has also attracted the attention of celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who has posted several blogs of Vidgen's performances on his website.[18] In late July 2011, it was reported that Vidgen had signed a record deal with Sony Music Australia.[19][20] Whilst the very popular Chooka Parker did not sign any contract with any record label he has gone on to become a very successful pianist, performing around Australia and has been overseas. Chooka Parker still retains his loveable character and popularity, winning a major music award in the People's Choice category, which enabled him to perform at the Sydney Opera House. He has released two recordings to date, a CD titled "No Worries!" in October 2011, and an EP titled, "My Jewel" in 2012[21]

Ratings

The first episode on 3 May 2011, achieved an audience of 1,563,000 and placed second overall for the night, being beaten by Masterchef Australia.[22] The second episode saw a slight drop in ratings with 1,457,000 viewers, and placed second once again.[22] The next five episodes each topped the nights overall ratings.[23][24][25] The seventh episode reached an audience of 1,815,000, which made Australia's Got Talent the third highest rating program of 2011.[26] The first live semi-final show on 31 May 2011, gained 1,949,000 viewers and topped the nights overall ratings.[27] The ratings boost was credited to 14-year-old singer Jack Vidgen who performed a cover of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the Dreamgirls soundtrack.[28] The grand final show on 26 July 2011, achieved an audience of 2,192,000, becoming the season's highest ratings to date.[29] The grand final decider show on 2 August 2011, gained 2,855,000 viewers and topped the nights overall ratings.[30] The ratings were the highest achieved in 2011 so far by a television show broadcast in Australia.[9]

Episode		Airdate	Timeslot	Viewers (millions)	Night Rank	Ref
1	"Auditions"	3 May 2011	Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm	1.563	2	[22]
2		4 May 2011	Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm	1.457	2
3		10 May 2011	Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm	1.752	1	[23]
4		11 May 2011	Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm	1.514	1
5		17 May 2011	Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm	1.783	1	[24]
6		18 May 2011	Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm	1.519	1
7		24 May 2011	Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm	1.815	1	[25]
8		25 May 2011	Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm	1.286	4
9	"Semi-Finals"	31 May 2011	Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm	1.949	1	[27]
10		7 June 2011		1.927	1	[31]
11		14 June 2011		1.847	1	[32]
12		21 June 2011		1.756	1	[33]
13		28 June 2011		1.638	2	[34]
14		5 July 2011		1.373	4	[35]
15	"Final Showdowns"	12 July 2011		1.807	1	[36]
16		19 July 2011		1.859	1	[37]
17	"Grand Final Show"	26 July 2011	Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm	2.192	1	[29]
18	"Grand Finale" "Grand Final Decider Show"	2 August 2011		2.316 2.855	2 1	[30]

References

1. Joe (20 April 2011). "Australia's Got Talent 2011 premieres Tuesday May 3". TVcentral.com.au. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
2. Kate McMahon and Colin Vickery (2 August 2011). "Australia's Got Talent winner Jack Vigden has the world at his feet". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
3. Knox, David (24 September 2010). "Auditions: Australia's Got Talent". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
4. Lowie (27 January 2011). "Dannii, Kyle and Brian return to judge Australia's Talent". The Spy Report. Media Spy. Archived from the original on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
5. Joe (28 May 2011). "Australia's Got Talent: Semi-Final One". TVcentral.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
6. Vickery, Colin (8 June 2011). "Change in format suggests Australia's Got Talent season might be extended". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
7. "14-year Jack Vidgen wows judges on old Australia's Got Talent with a Whitney Houston rendition". The Daily Telegraph. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
8. Byrnes, Holly (5 May 2011). "Australia's Jack Vidgen has a smidgen of that Justin Bieber mojo". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
9. Christensen, Nic (3 August 2011). "Australia's Got Talent sets 2011 ratings record". The Australian. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
10. Waters, Georgia (26 May 2011). "Australia's Got Talent Comedian Jordan Paris Stole Jokes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
11. Jabour, Bridie (26 May 2011). "Jordan Paris accused of plagiarising comedian Lee Mack on Australia's Got Talent". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
13. Vickery, Colin (20 July 2011). "Pianist Chooka Parker loses his cool after missing out on Australia's Got Talent grand final". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
14. "Australia's Got Talent contestant Chooka Parker throws a tantrum after being voted off the show". The Daily Telegraph. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
15. "Chooka Parker denies Dummy Spit" The Courier Mail
16. Coster, Alice (2 June 2011). "Blong bombshell Jack Vidgen tipped to be the next Bieber". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
17. Corbett, Bryce (3 June 2011). "Jack Vidgen: Australia's answer to Justin Bieber". The Australian Women's Weekly. Archived from the original on 31 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
18. "Gossip king Perez Hilton meets the boy from Oz". Herald Sun. Australia. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
19. "Jack Vidgen is guaranteed a record deal whether he wins or loses Australia's Got Talent". News.com.au. 28 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 July 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
20. http://www.chookaparkermusic.com
21. "The Official Chooka Parker Website". Retrieved 31 January 2014.
22. Knox, David (3 May 2011). "Week 19". TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
23. Knox, David (10 May 2011). "Week 20". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
24. Knox, David (17 May 2011). "Week 21". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
25. Knox, David (24 May 2011). "Week 22". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
26. Casey, Marcus (25 May 2011). "Australia's Got Talent leads in ratings war". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
27. Knox, David (31 May 2011). "Week 23". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
28. "Australia's Got Talent hits 1.9m". The Australian. Sydney. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
29. Knox, David (26 July 2011). "Week 31". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
30. Knox, David (2 August 2011). "Week 32". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
31. Knox, David (7 June 2011). "Week 24". TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
32. Knox, David (14 June 2011). "Week 25". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
33. Knox, David (21 June 2011). "Week 26". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
34. Knox, David (28 June 2011). "Week 27". TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
35. Knox, David (5 July 2011). "Week 28". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
36. Knox, David (12 July 2011). "Week 29". TV Tonight. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
37. Knox, David (19 July 2011). "Week 30". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 July 2011.