During Sunday night's show the culling continued.

From a small group of 34, this year's contestants were narrowed down even further to the top 16. The question is... who will the judges choose?

Last week 89 of the countries top singers descended on Sun City for Theatre Week of Idols. It’s one of the most dramatic and emotional weeks on the hit singing show, as nobody is safe. The tension is high, tempers flare and the judges are ruthless. And just when a few of the hopefuls thought they’d survived the group stage, Randall dropped another bombshell. He wasn't happy with the group and so the culling commenced once again.

After the numbers were whittled down to just 34, the contestants were given their next challenge. They had to randomly select a song from a box filled with songs selected by the producers. They would then get to work with the show's new musical directors Martin Schofield of The Flash Republic and Wonderboom fame and Alexis Faku, a highly acclaimed music producer. Faku has worked with a string of artists including Danny K, Jae, Tamara Dey and the late TK.

Some of the contestants weren’t happy with the songs they’d selected and so they were given an opportunity to swap with their fellow contestants. When it was time to take to the stage there was more surprise in store for them. They wouldn’t only be singing to the judges, but to some of the show’s biggest fans too. The fans were flown up to Sun City following competitions on regional radio stations like 94.7 Highveld Stereo, Gagasi FM, East Coast Radio, Algoa FM and Capricorn FM.

Instead of freaking out at the prospect of performing in front of over 100 fans, the hopefuls took it in their stride. Two of the stand out performances from the show included Durban favourite Khaya Mthethwa and Johannesburg resident Sihle also got the fans and the judges excited. Randall exclaimed, “I love this girl”. Watch her song here. 

One contestant whose nerves got the better of her was Thabz. She’d battled in rehearsals and the misery continued on stage when she forgot her lyrics.




So the big question is will Thabz make it through to the Top 16? Who will the judges choose? Be sure to catch the drama and the excitement next Sunday at 17:30 on M-Net, M-Net HD and Mzansi Magic and for more news, exclusive interviews visit the official website.