Latin American Idol
The first multi-country Idols edition in Latin America.
Latin American Idol was the Hispanic American edition of the Idols franchise, the first in the franchise to accept contestants from multiple countries rather than a single nation. It aired on Sony Entertainment Television across over 23 countries in the region, with filming taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The series premiered in 2006.
Quick Facts
- Seasons
- 4
- Creator
- Simon Fuller
- Network
- SET
- First aired
- 12 July 2006
- Last aired
- 9 December 2009
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The show was filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and aired throughout Latin America except Brazil, which premiered its own version, Ídolos Brazil, in 2006. Portuguese-speaking contestants could participate if they could sing in Spanish. The hosts were Venezuelan Erika de La Vega and Argentine Monchi Balestra. The first season's judges were Jon Secada (born in Cuba, from the United States), Gustavo Sánchez from Puerto Rico, and Elizabeth Meza from Mexico. From the second season, Elizabeth Meza was replaced by Mimi, a former member of the musical group Flans. For the fourth season, Oscar Mediavilla from Argentina replaced Gustavo Sánchez. The competition had four phases: auditions, theater/secondary audition stage, workshops, and performances. Auditions in the first season took place in Caracas, Venezuela; Bogotá, Colombia; Mexico City, Mexico; and Buenos Aires, Argentina, between April and May 2006. In the third season, Panama City, Panama was added as a fifth audition city, and in the fourth season, San José, Costa Rica was chosen as an audition venue. The audition stage had two rounds: a pre-audition before a separate panel that selected either good singers or those who would provide funny moments for the show, and then the main audition in front of the real judges and cameras.
Synopsis of the seasons
The first season of Latin American Idol kicked off on July 12, 2004, with Movistar as the main sponsor. Auditions took place in four cities: Mexico City, Bogotá, Caracas, and the host country’s capital, Buenos Aires. Erika De la Vega and Monchi Balestra hosted, while Jon Secada, Gustavo Sánchez, and Elizabeth Meza served as judges. Before the show began, American Idol judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul recorded a video for Sony Entertainment Television welcoming the new Hispanic American version. The theater stage was different from later seasons, split into two phases instead of three. On August 2, the first workshop picked finalists Gabriel Suárez, Lilia Mariñelarena, and Mayré Martínez. The second workshop on August 9, 2007, advanced Isa Mosquera, Dennis Smith, and Andrea del Valle. On August 17, the final trio of finalists—Efraín Medina, Hernán López, and Noelia Soto—was announced. From each workshop, two contestants were saved and sent to a final round called The Last Opportunity. There, John Paul Ospina was saved by the judges and joined the other nine finalists, making him the first Wild Card in Latin American Idol history and the only one to earn a spot through that last-chance workshop without any extra finalists being selected.
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