Idol Puerto Rico

Did You Know?

• The first season was produced by Paola Portilla, Luciano Cardinali, and Jimmy Arteaga.
• Idol Kids Puerto Rico participants do not coexist in a shared home because they are minors.

Judges and hosts

The judging panel for the first season of Idol Puerto Rico included producer Topy Mamery, singer Ricardo Montaner, singer and producer Erika Ender, and salsa singer Jerry Rivera. For season two, Ender and Rivera were replaced by Yolandita Monge, a singer who is also Mamery's wife. The show has occasionally brought in guest judges. Both seasons were hosted by Jaime Augusto Mayol, a model and television presenter. Ricardo Montaner, a singer and songwriter from Venezuela and Argentina, started his music career in the late 1970s. He has put out more than fifteen albums and many hit singles, selling over twenty-two million records globally. Carlos "Topy" Mamery is an experienced Puerto Rican producer and manager, and the son of broadcaster Gilbert Mamery. He entered the media world at fifteen, working as a broadcaster and producer for the radio show Metamorfosis. For twenty-five years, he has managed local and international artists, including Ricardo Montaner, Jerry Rivera, Yolandita Monge, and actor Jorge Abello. He has also produced concerts for Ricardo Arjona and Mecano, and spent five years as manager of Spanish Broadcasting System of Puerto Rico. Yolandita Monge, a Puerto Rican singer and actress, became the first female singer from Puerto Rico to earn a Grammy nomination. She is the island's best-selling female artist and has recorded more than thirty albums. Erika Ender, born in Panama to a Brazilian mother and a Panamanian-American father, works as a singer, composer, dancer, and producer. Jerry Rivera, a Puerto Rican salsa singer who started his career as a teenager, earned the nickname "El Bebé de la Salsa" and has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards.

Selection process

Contestants must be between sixteen and twenty-eight years old, legal U.S. residents, and submit a completed form with proper identification; minors need a parent or legal guardian. Auditions are typically held at two locations: Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan and Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns in Ponce. During auditions, contestants perform before the judges and producers, who select 80 contestants to advance to the Theater Level. From the semifinals onward, the public decides who stays through voting. A toll-free telephone number for each contestant appears on screen during performances and recaps; viewers may call or send a text message to vote for a preferred contestant within a set period after the episode. Text voting is also available through AT&T, along with online voting. Contestants with the fewest votes are eliminated weekly until a winner emerges. The winner receives a record deal with Universal Music Group and a management contract, and may also get additional prizes such as a new automobile, mobile phones, tablet PCs, cash, scholarships, and other endorsement deals.

Seasons

The first season debuted on August 7, 2011, on WAPA-TV, hosted by Jaime Augusto Mayol. After initial auditions, 24 contestants were selected, then cut to 12 during the semi-finals. The final showdown was between Christian Pagán and Japhet Albert; Pagán won on November 21, 2012, and has since released two albums, with his first peaking at number one on the Billboard Latin Charts. The second season debuted on July 29, 2012, again hosted by Mayol, with Yolandita Monge as a new judge replacing Erika Ender and Jerry Rivera. Again, 24 contestants were selected, reduced to 12 in the semi-finals. The finale aired on November 12, 2012, on WAPA-TV, and the winner was Gremal Maldonado, of Dominican-Puerto Rican origin, who has released her first studio album.

Idol Kids Puerto Rico

Idol Kids Puerto Rico is a reality competition for solo singers aged six to twelve, part of the Idol franchise and based on Pop Idol. The format is similar, with live broadcasts from the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas and the public choosing the winner. Unlike the adult version, child participants do not live together; they stay with their parents during the competition. The winner receives a $15,000 scholarship and $5,000 in cash, among other prizes.