''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

competition show which aired on

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

, based on the British show '' Pop Idol''. The show was a

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, ind ...

to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons (appearing in comedy skits throughout the show). Elena Juatco (a season 2 contestant) assumed the role for season four, Dave Kerr had the role in season five and Jully Black in season six. The show began with a cross-Canada tour in which singers audition in front of four judges:

Jake Gold Jake Gold (born April 4, 1958) is an American-born Canadian music manager. He was a judge on the ''Canadian Idol'' television program. In addition to ''Idol'' participants, he has managed Canadian artists The Tragically Hip, The Watchmen, The C ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Sass Jordan Sass Jordan (c. 1962) is a British-born Canadian rock singer from Montreal, Quebec. Her first single, "Tell Somebody," from her debut album of the same name won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. Since then, she has been ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

Zack Werner Isaac "Zack" Werner is a Canadian artist, producer, entertainment lawyer and manager. Early life and education Born in Winnipeg in 1960, Werner attended the St. John's-Ravenscourt School. He received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and a ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, and

Farley Flex Farley Flex (born Farley Fridal, August 9, 1962) is a Media Consultant, music promoter, artist manager, and motivational speaker. He is best known for being a judge on the reality television series ''Canadian Idol''. Early life He was born in L ...

of Ajax, Ontario. Eventually the performers were narrowed down to 10 finalists (11 in season one due to a near-tie), with each competitor performing live. Viewers had two hours following the broadcast of the show to phone in their votes for their favourite competitor. On the following night's episode (live again), the competitor with the fewest votes was sent home. After the final two perform, viewers had more than two hours to vote. The next day (five days later in season 4; two days later in season 6), the competitor with the most votes was declared the winner. The show was taped at the

John Bassett Theatre The John W. H. Bassett Theatre is a multi-purpose theatre located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Front Street, in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The theatre is regularly used by the CTV Television Network for television shows such a ...

in Toronto,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. In December 2008, CTV announced that ''Canadian Idol'' would be "suspended", not airing in the 2009 season due to "the current economic climate". At that time, the network stated that it expected the show would return in 2010. However, CTV has not made any further announcement regarding the series since that time, and the series is now generally considered to have been cancelled. Following the announcement of the show's suspension, Joel Rubinoff, television critic for the '' Waterloo Region Record'', strongly criticized the show's direction, declaring that it had "bottomed out creatively in every possible way" and "outlived its usefulness".

Final results

In its six seasons, the winners and runners-up were:

Season 1

In the first season, which debuted on June 9, 2003, Ryan Malcolm of Kingston,

won, with Gary Beals of Dartmouth,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

coming in second. Malcolm released his debut album entitled "Home" in October 2003, which included his first single from Canadian Idol: "Something More". In fact, eight members of the Season One Top 11 have now released their own solo albums, including

Gary Beals Gary Beals (born October 25, 1982) is a Canadian singer who is best known for being runner up in the first season of the reality television series ''Canadian Idol''. He is a resident of Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia and named "Best Halifamous Per ...

, Billy Klippert,

Audrey De Montigny Audrey De Montigny (born July 26, 1985) is a Canadian former singer. She placed fourth on the debut season of ''Canadian Idol''. De Montigny was nominated for a 2005 Juno Award for her eponymous debut album. Career Her career began in 2003, ...

, Jenny Gear,

Toya Alexis Toya Alexis (born July 16, 1980) is a Canadian vocalist and actress from Ajax, Ontario. Career Alexis won a "Rising Star" contest and sang at the Apollo Theater. In 2001 she appeared, as LaToya Lesmond, as a contestant on season one of ''Pop ...

, Mikey Bustos, and

Karen Lee Batten The first season of ''Canadian Idol'' debuted on June 9, 2003. Ryan Malcolm of Kingston, Ontario was the eventual winner. On July 15, 2003, CTV and INSINC announced that broadband video of the program would be available over the Internet. Au ...

. Auditions were held in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

, Halifax, and St. John's.

Season 2

The second season of Canadian Idol debuted on June 1, 2004, and became the most-watched show in Canada, drawing in over 3 million viewers each week. Auditions were held in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

, Halifax, Regina, and St. John's. The season provided an ''Idol'' franchise first when the final six contestants played their own instruments during a group performance of the

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1 ...

classic " Canadian Railroad Trilogy".

Kalan Porter Richard Kalan Porter (born November 11, 1985) is a Canadian former singer-songwriter from Medicine Hat, Alberta, and the winner of the reality television series ''Canadian Idol'' in 2004. He started to sing at an early age and is classically tra ...

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are wit ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

won the series, and Theresa Sokyrka of

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

was the runner-up. In November 2004, merely two months after the competition, Porter released his debut album entitled ''219 Days'' – the number of days spanning from his first audition to the release of his CD. It was certified double platinum within two months and he received three Juno nominations. Porter also won Fan Favourite Canadian Artist at the MuchMusic Video Awards. Other competitors from Season Two's Top 10 who have released albums include: Sokyrka,

Jacob Hoggard Jacob William Hoggard (born July 9, 1984) is a Canadian convicted sex offender and former singer-songwriter who was the lead singer for the pop-rock band Hedley. Before Hedley was formed, Hoggard competed on the second season of '' Canadian Id ...

(four albums with his band Hedley),

Jason Greeley Jason Greeley (born March 11, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador who is best known as a contestant on the second season of Canadian Idol. He released his solo album, ''Live...Love...Sing...'' ...

Shane Wiebe Shane Anthony Wiebe (born January 12, 1983) is a singer-songwriter who competed on the second season of Canadian Idol. He made it to the top five of the competition before being eliminated. Zack Werner said Shane could sing the phone book and it ...

, and Joshua Seller. Porter is the first CI winner to have a second CD released by Sony BMG (''Wake Up Living'' launched August 28, 2007). Jacob Hoggard released his second album (Universal) with his band, Hedley; the album's first single, "She's So Sorry", was released to radio August 20, 2007.

Season 3

In December 2004, CTV announced that they would be producing a third season of Canadian Idol in 2005. Auditions began in February and finished in April 2005 and the show debuted May 30, just days after the conclusion of the fourth season of

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

but did not follow suit yet on the new change to that show. Auditions were held in Toronto,

, Vancouver,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal el ...

, St. John's, Moncton,

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, and

Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's Downtown Whitehorse, downtown ...

. This season introduced a twist in the Wildcard semi-final round. On the group 4 results show, after the results were revealed, 11 previous competitors were brought out. (CTV had advertised the broadcast as having 12 competitors, but one dropped out at the last minute.) The judges expressed how they felt about each competitor, and each competitor had a chance to show why they should sing in the Wildcard, whether it be through song or a plea. Then, the public had a chance to vote which would decide which of the 11 competitors would sing in the Wildcard. After the final,

Melissa O'Neil Melissa Crystal O'Neil (born July 12, 1988) is a Canadian actress and singer. In 2005, O'Neil won the third season of ''Canadian Idol'', the first Canadian female to have won. As an actress, she is known for her roles as Two / Rebecca / Portia L ...

was crowned the winner; with Rex Goudie of Burlington,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

the runner-up.

, Rex Goudie, Aaron Walpole, and

Suzi Rawn Suzi Rawn (born August 31, 1982 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a Canadian recording artist and was the fourth-place finisher in ''Canadian Idol'' season 3. She is known for her rock and blues singing style as well as her unique clothing amongst ...

have released albums; while

Casey LeBlanc Cassandra Beth "Casey" LeBlanc (born November 4, 1987) is a Canadian recording artist, She was a contestant on the third season of the popular reality television show ''Canadian Idol'', and was the fifth-place finisher. Born in Woodstock, New Bru ...

Ashley Leitao Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

and

Amber Fleury Amber Fleury (born April 10, 1979) is a Canadians, Canadian recording artist, and was the eighth-place finisher in the third season of ''Canadian Idol'', which aired during the summer of 2005. Born in Dauphin, Manitoba, she now lives in Calgary, A ...

have released an album as a group called

Braided Braided is a musical group consisting of Casey LeBlanc, Ashley Leitão, and Amber Fleury, who all competed on the third season of ''Canadian Idol'' in 2005. They are the third music group to come from an Idol show in the world, after Young Divas ...

Josh Palmer Joshua Keith Palmer (born September 22, 1999) is a Canadian-born American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee and was drafted by the Chargers in ...

is also working on an album release.

Season 4

In January 2006, CTV announced their plans for a fourth season of ''Canadian Idol''. An 11-week audition tour took place in February, March and April 2006. Auditions were held in

, Kitchener- Waterloo, Halifax, Regina, St. John's, and Yellowknife. Season two competitor

Elena Juatco The second season of ''Canadian Idol'' debuted on June 1, 2004, and became the most watched show in Canada, drawing in over 3 million viewers each week. Auditions were held in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, H ...

joined the show as the roving reporter, while Jon Dore did not return for the fourth season. The season premiered on May 29, five days after the finale of ''American Idol'' Season 5. The season finale of Canadian Idol took place on Sunday, September 17, 2006. The finale, originally scheduled for Tuesday, September 12, was moved to help resolve a conflict with ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars', which CTV also carried and which ABC announced would debut September 12. Eva Avila took the title in the closest final vote to date; CTV announced that 3.3% -- which amounted to 131,000 votes—separated her from Newfoundland's

Craig Sharpe Craig Sharpe (born 23 September 1989) is a Canadian pop singer who was the runner-up on Canadian Idol 4, having finished a close second behind winner Eva Avila. He came through seven rounds of auditions judged by Canadian Idol's four-member pan ...

On Saturday, September 16, 2006, a day prior to the public announcement of the ''Idol'' results, Sony BMG Music Entertainment began offering Avila's version of the first single, '' Meant to Fly'', for sale on the websit
EvaAvila.com
Although the page was subsequently blanked, the artwork for the single can currently be located within the image files of the webpage.
This occurrence led to the creation of many rumours regarding the winner of the competition. Both Avila's and Sharpe's singles were made available for pre-order for the September 26, 2006 release date on Amazon.com. As of 2009, Eva Avila ('Somewhere Else' and 'Give Me the Music'), Craig Sharpe ('I Am'), Chad Doucette ('Hit It'), Tyler Lewis ('I'm Coming Home'), and Brandon Jones ('All for You') had all launched debut CDs.

Season 5

In December 2006,

announced the plans for the fifth season of Canadian Idol. The audition tour began in Vancouver on February 3, and visited nine more cities across Canada in a 10-week trip. This year, the network announced that the auditioners can play along with their instrument in their audition. The network also indicated that Dave Kerr will replace Elena Juatco in the co-hosting role for Season Five. Season Five premiered on June 5, 2007. On July 11, 2007 Canadian Idol voters picked their top ten. On September 4, 2007 these were narrowed down to the final two,

Jaydee Bixby Jaydee Bixby (born August 14, 1990) is a Canadian country musician who was the runner-up on the fifth season of ''Canadian Idol''. In 2008 he signed with Her Royal Majesty's Records and went on to release his debut album '' Cowboys and Cadil ...

and Brian Melo. On September 11, 2007, Brian Melo was voted the winner. Placing 3rd place was

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

, globally the best selling Canadian Idol alum to-date.

Season 6

In January 2008,

announced the plans for the sixth season of Canadian Idol. The sixth season held auditions in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, St. John's, and Toronto. In addition to the auditions, contestants who failed to advance to the next round or were unable to make it to an audition on the scheduled date were able to audition via cyberspace by uploading their 2-minute audition to the show's website. This was the first season to feature a top 24 instead of top 22 along with an uneven number of men and women in the cast. The Canadian voters selected their Top 10 on July 9, 2008, and chose

Theo Tams Theo Tams (born 12 July 1985) is a Canadian singer and the winner of the sixth season of the CTV reality show ''Canadian Idol''. His debut album, '' Give It All Away'', was released on 19 May 2009 by Sony Music Canada. Early life Tams grew up in ...

as the winner in the finale, which aired September 10.

Top selling ''Canadian Idol'' alumni

References

External links

* {{Idol series 2000s Canadian reality television series 2003 Canadian television series debuts 2000s Canadian music television series 2008 Canadian television series endings Television series by Fremantle (company) Canadian television series based on British television series Television series by Insight Productions