The reboot of Australian Idol on Channel 7 saw its grand finale on Sunday, March 26, and it was a chaotic ending, to say the least.
The final episode, featuring judges Kyle Sandilands, Meghan Trainor, Harry Connick Jr and Amy Shark suffered major technical issues during a key moment in the show, as well as an unfortunate accident by one of its final three contestants.
The trio competing for the top spot were 15-year-old Phoebe Stewart, Royston Sagigi-Baira, 23, and Josh Hannan, 20.
Josh was the first to be eliminated, leaving Phoebe and Royston to wow the crowd.
Just moments before the winner was to be announced, 15-year-old Phoebe slipped, resulting in her falling down the stairs and land on the ground.
Her fellow competitor Royston was quick to lend a hand, helping her back up while she joked, “Good role models don’t do that, guys. That’s not a good example. Continue!”
The teen again referenced her fall, telling the audience, “I just want to say thank you, everyone, and for not laughing too much when I fell down the stairs. Seriously, this has been the best. I’m so proud of myself and everyone. This has just been a gift. I’m just so grateful for everything.”
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last of the mishaps during the finale.
Royston was eventually announced as the winner, taking to the stage to sing his single, Invincible, and although he was able to capture the crowd with his powerhouse voice, it was apparent that the audio was less than perfect.
During his performance, he turned around with a baffled look, mumbling the lyrics until he muttered “What?”, tapping his ear, indicating he could not hear the guide track.
What a train wreck of an ending! #australianidol
— Mel (@Melwerri) March 26, 2023
Hilarious ending lol won’t be back next year #AustralianIdol
— Not Cheryl Kernot (@notcherylkernot) March 26, 2023
This final is so awkward….
Awkward jokes, awkwardness, awkward moments of talking over others, awkwaaardddd #australianidol @AustralianIdol— 💕🧡 (@m_ishka) March 26, 2023
Despite the technical issues during his performance, Royston was still able to celebrate his win, which included $100,000, a record deal with Sony Music and a trip to the US to work with industry icons.
“I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. Thank all this mob up here, all my family and friends for coming. Everyone who’s been voting, thank you so much!” Royston addressed the crowd.
Connick Jr jumped to praise the Idol winner.
“Your journey through the process has been one of the greatest I’ve seen. It’s been cool. It’s going to be fun to watch your career. I’m proud of you, man, really proud of you.”
Image credit: YouTube/Twitter
This article first appeared on Over60.