''Australia's Got Talent'' is an Australian

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

talent show A talent show or talent contest is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are p ...

. The show is based on the '' Got Talent'' series format that originated in the United Kingdom with

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

. The first six seasons aired on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

, from 2007 to 2012. In the first season the judges were Tom Burlinson, Red Symons and

Dannii Minogue Dannii Minogue (; born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. As a child, she became known for her appearances on the television talent show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988). She went on to play the r ...

. The first season aired at 6:30pm on Sunday nights. After a successful run, the series was given a vote of confidence as Seven moved the show to a more competitive Tuesday night timeslot. The second season aired from 29 April 2008. Burlinson and Symons did not return for season four and were replaced by Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden. For season seven in 2013 the show moved to the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series '' French and Saunders'' (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Sa ...

, Geri Halliwell and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge joined the panel as replacements for McFadden and Minogue. On 4 April 2014, it was announced that Nine had axed ''Australia's Got Talent'' due to low ratings. On 8 July 2015, Nine announced that the show would be returning in 2016 for an eighth season. The Nine Network aired season eight in 2016, with four new judges:

Kelly Osbourne Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born on October 27 1984) is an English television personality, singer, actress, and fashion designer. She is a daughter of Ozzy Osbourne, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and came to prominence while appearing on the reali ...

, Ian "Dicko" Dickson,

Sophie Monk Sophie Charlene Akland Monk (born 14 December 1979) is a British-born Australian singer, actress, television personality, and model. She was a member of the Pop music, pop girl group Bardot (Australian band), Bardot, winners of the first season ...

and Eddie Perfect. In December 2018, Seven announced the series would be returning to their network in 2019 for a ninth season. The ninth season, with

Ricki-Lee Coulter Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter (born 10 November 1985) is an Australian singer-songwriter, television and radio presenter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, raised in Gold Coast, Queensland, and began performing at age 15. Coulter rose to fame in ...

as host, returned on 28 July 2019. In June 2021, Seven announced a new season and judging panel; however due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

restrictions in Sydney, the production of the season was postponed to 2022, with Shane Jacobson returning, alongside Kate Ritchie, and '' Britain’s Got Talent'' judges

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...

and Alesha Dixon. The tenth season premiered on 9 October 2022.

Overview

''Australia's Got Talent'' is a talent show that features performers of all ages competing for a top prize of between A$100,000 and A$250,000. The season consists of three stages: auditions, semi-finals, and a final. Only highlights are screened from the auditions. Some seasons included auditions in different cities. The judges cull down the approved audition acts to about 40 acts for the semi-finals. In most seasons, the semi-finals included a public vote, with a combination of public and judges' choices making the final. Also in the first series, during the semi-finals stage, each judge buzzed either a cross, or a tick. In Season 9, there is no public voting in the semi-finals. The

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

used for the first, seventh and ninth seasons of ''Australia's Got Talent'' is similar to the logo used by ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

''. The logo during the second to sixth seasons and season eight is similar to that used by '' Britain's Got Talent''.

Judges and hosts

;Notes # Todd McKenney served as a temporary replacement for Kyle Sandilands at the Melbourne auditions and filled in for Brian McFadden during the second final showdown during the sixth season.

Judges

The original three judges were

, Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. For the second series, all judges returned, though Minogue was absent for numerous episodes as she was busy filming ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' in the United Kingdom. The judges later returned for series 3. In January 2010, it was made known that the judging panel would undergo a new line-up to accommodate Minogue's pregnancy. Judge Red Symons was strongly tipped to return to the

to be part of the revived ''

Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' is a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

'', while Tom Burlinson was rumoured to be dumped from the judging panel. Rumours then began to circulate that Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden would be the new judges. On 4 February 2010, Sandilands confirmed on his

2Day FM 2Day FM (call sign 2DAY) is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on a frequency of 104.1 MHz, and is part of Southern Cross Austereo's Hit Network. History 1980s 2Day FM was one of three radio st ...

breakfast radio show that he would be a judge. A press release from the

on 17 February, confirmed McFadden would also join the new judging panel. All judges returned for the fifth and sixth series of the programme. Due to the programme's move to

in 2013, Sandilands returned as a judge, whilst Minogue and McFadden were axed. Timomatic, Geri Halliwell and

were announced as the new judges. After it was announced that ''Australia's Got Talent'' would be returning to screens in 2016, it was announced that there would be a complete new judging panel, with Sandilands, Halliwell, French and Timomatic being axed. It was later confirmed that Ian Dickson,

and Eddie Perfect would become the new judges. In May 2019, Manu Feildel,

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...

, Lucy Durack and Shane Jacobson were announced as the judging panel for season 9. In June 2022, it was announced that the season 10 judging panel would consist of Jacobson, Kate Ritchie, and '' Britain’s Got Talent'' judges

and Alesha Dixon.

Presenters

File:Grant_Denyer_at_Flickerfest_(8369366333).jpg,

Grant Denyer Grant Craig Denyer (born 12 September 1977) is an Australian television and radio presenter and motor racing driver, who has worked for several television networks, including Seven Network and Network 10, mostly serving as a presenter. He previ ...

(2007–2012) File:Julia_Morris_2016_(cropped).jpg, Julia Morris (2013) File:Davehughes2009.jpg, Dave Hughes (2016) File:Ricki-Lee,_November_2012_(2).jpg,

(2019, 2022)

Judges

File:Red Symons.jpg, Red Symons (2007–2009) File:Tom Burlinson (2018).jpg, Tom Burlinson (2007–2009) File:Dannii Minogue arrives at the 58th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium (26904220225) cropped.jpg,

(2007–2012) File:Brian McFadden (cropped2).jpg, Brian McFadden (2010–2012) File:Dawn French 4.jpg,

(2013) File:Timomatic 2013.jpg, Timomatic (2013) File:Kyle Sandilands 2014.jpg, Kyle Sandilands (2010–2013) File:Eddie Perfect.jpg, Eddie Perfect (2016) File:Sophie Monk (8141061053).jpg,

(2016) File:Ian "Dicko" Dickson (6719088849).jpg, Ian Dickson (2016) File:Lucy Durack.jpg, Lucy Durack (2019) File:Nicole Scherzinger 2012.jpg,

(2019) File:Manu Feildel.jpg, Manu Feildel (2019) File:Shane Jacobsen (8482045816).jpg, Shane Jacobson (2019, 2022) File:Ashleigh and David Walliams (the voice of Pudsey in the movie) (cropped).JPG,

(2022) File:Kate Ritchie (8189930427).jpg, Kate Ritchie (2022) File:Alesha Dixon at Tup Tup Palace (cropped).jpg, Alesha Dixon (2022)

Series overview

Season 1 (2007)

The first season of ''Australia's Got Talent'' premiered on

on 18 February 2007. The original judges were

, Tom Burlinson and Red Symons. Singer Bonnie Anderson was crowned the winner of the first season on 28 April 2007, followed by Herb Patten finishing as runner-up.

Season 2 (2008)

The second season of ''Australia's Got Talent'' began broadcasting on 29 April 2008 and finished airing on 1 July. Minogue, Burlinson and Symons all returned as judges. The winner was announced as guitarist Joe Robinson, with Jourdain as runner-up.

Season 3 (2009)

Auditions for the third season started in late 2008 and successful contestants were notified in December 2008. Filming began on 15 January 2009. The winner was declared on 22 April 2009. This grand finale followed the same format as the 2008 one: acts were eliminated in pairs, as well as each judge picking their favourite act to reappear on the show once more. Mark Vincent won the season, while Jal Joshua became the runner-up. On the grand finale, international opera singer and winner of '' Britain's Got Talent'' series one, Paul Potts performed live in the studio.

Season 4 (2010)

The fourth season of ''Australia's Got Talent'' returned on 13 April 2010.

continued as host, while radio DJ Kyle Sandilands and Irish singer Brian McFadden joined Dannii Minogue on the judging panel as replacements for Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. Auditions for the season took place throughout February 2010 in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

and

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. The show was revamped to look more like ''Britain's Got Talent'', in terms of the stage and the shape of the X's used. The opening was also changed to look similar to ''Britain's Got Talent''s opening, with Australian landmarks instead of British landmarks. Previously, the ''Australia's Got Talent'' opening was simply a display of the title. The live shows began on 11 May 2010 and ended on 15 June 2010, where dance troupe Justice Crew were crowned the winners. They were awarded a prize of $250,000, while runner-up Cam Henderson was awarded a runner-up prize of performing at the 2010

AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. Prior to 1990 it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league was then known as the Victorian Football Leag ...

Season 5 (2011)

The fifth season of ''Australia's Got Talent'' returned on 3 May 2011. All judges (Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden) returned for the season, including host Grant Denyer. The producer auditions took place in 16 cities, throughout

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, Victoria,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

. 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. They also took place in Sydney on 12–13 March 2011, and ended in Perth on 20 March 2011. The season was won by 14-year-old singer Jack Vidgen.

Season 6 (2012)

Auditions began in October 2011 and concluded in December 2011. The sixth season aired on the Seven Network from 16 April 2012 to 25 July 2012. Once again, Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden returned as judges and Grant Denyer returned as host. Sandilands was sick during the Melbourne auditions, so Todd McKenney replaced him. McKenney took the place of McFadden during the finals showdown 2. The winner was singer Andrew de Silva with country rock band, The Wolfe Brothers becoming the runner-up.

Season 7 (2013)

Auditions began in March 2013 and concluded in June 2013. The seventh season aired on the

in 2013. Kyle Sandilands returned to the judging panel, while Dannii Minogue and Brian McFadden were replaced by three new judges Geri Halliwell,

and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge. Julia Morris replaced Grant Denyer as the host.

Mel B Melanie Janine Brown, Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the Pop mus ...

was originally due to join the judging panel, however an injunction sought by the

in the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian States and territories of Australia, State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil law (common law), civil matters, and hears ...

in March 2013 blocked her from appearing. The winner was "Funk/Soul/Jazz/Reggae" band, Uncle Jed, with band Greg Gould and The Chase becoming the runner-up.

Season 8 (2016)

On 8 July 2015, Nine announced that the show would be returning in 2016 for an eighth season. On Monday 4 January, it was announced that Season eight will be on Monday 1 February. It is the second season to air on Nine after it was axed in 2013. Auditions are open for September and October 2015. On 28 October 2015, it was announced that Sandilands, Halliwell, French and Timomatic have been replaced with a new panel of judges, they are Ian "Dicko" Dickson,

and Eddie Perfect. Morris will not return as host as she is committed to another show and will be replaced by Dave Hughes as the host. For the first time, it will now include the Golden Buzzer. It premiered on 1 February 2016, and ended on 14 March 2016. The winner was Fletcher Pilon

Season 9 (2019)

In December 2018,

announced that the series would return in 2019 to their network for a ninth season, after a three-year hiatus. In May 2019, Seven announced

, Shane Jacobson, Manu Feildel and Lucy Durack as the series judges, and

as the host. The season ran from 28 July to 22 September 2019. Unlike previous seasons, there was no public voting at the semi-final stage. In the final, the judges chose a top four, which was then chosen by SMS votes from viewers in the eastern states. The final was pre-recorded, with four different endings filmed, one for each of the four possible winners. The winner of the season was pole dancer Kristy Sellars. The entirety of the season was Pre-Recorded.

Season 10 (2022)

Season 10 was originally scheduled to air in 2020, with filming set to commence in March 2020. The

announced a judging panel of Shane Jacobson, Manu Feildel and new judges

Sonia Kruger Sonia Melissa Kruger is an Australian television presenter, actress and media personality. Kruger is currently the host of ''Big Brother (Australian TV series), Big Brother Australia'' and a presenter on ''The Voice (Australian TV series), The ...

and Olympia Valance with returning host

. Production was however halted due to Covid-19 restrictions. It was then confirmed that season 10 would air in 2021. In June 2021, Seven announced a new judging panel featuring Shane Jacobson with new judges

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

, Alesha Dixon and Kate Ritchie. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney the season was postponed once again. During Seven’s annual upfronts, it was confirmed the series will air in 2022. Season 10 began airing on 9 October 2022. The judging panel had another change from what was announced in 2021, with Harris being replaced by

returned as host. The season was filmed during June and July 2022. Auditions took place at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre, while the finals were filmed at the Riverside Theatre. The winner of the season was dance group Acromazing.

Viewership

*The Grand Final & Winner Announced are separated into 2 episodes *The Grand Final & Winner Announced are in one episode

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official Auditions site
* {{Seven Network programming 2007 Australian television series debuts 2013 Australian television series endings 2016 Australian television series debuts 2016 Australian television series endings 2019 Australian television series debuts Nine Network original programming Australian variety television shows Australian English-language television shows Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows set in Sydney Television shows set in Melbourne Television productions postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Australian television series revived after cancellation Seven Network original programming Australian television series based on British television series