Canadian Idol (season 4)
The fourth season of Canadian Idol began in February 2006 ran until September 2006. Zack Werner, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan, and Farley Flex returned to judge, and Ben Mulroney returned to host, with Elena Juatco as the new roving reporter. The season premiered on May 29, five days after the finale of American Idol Season 5. The Canadian Idol title was awarded to competitor Eva Avila on September 17, 2006.
On Saturday, September 16, 2006, a day prior to the public announcement of the Idol results, Sony BMG Music Entertainment began offering Avila's version of the first single, Meant to Fly, for sale on the website . Although the page was subsequently blanked, the artwork for the single could be located within the image files of the webpage. This occurrence led to the creation of many rumours regarding the winner of the competition.
Auditions
Auditions were held in eleven cities in the Winter and early Spring of 2006 in the following order:- February 18 & 19: Edmonton
- February 23: Yellowknife
- February 25 & 26: Vancouver
- March 4 & 5: Regina
- March 11 & 12: Winnipeg
- March 17 & 18: Montreal
- March 25 & 26: Ottawa
- April 8 & 9: Halifax
- April 18: St. John's
- April 22 & 23: Kitchener, Ontario
- April 28 & 30: Toronto
Notable auditioners
- Chelsea Johnson: It was her 4th audition for the show; she is notable for farting just as she was about to sing, and then gasping "I totally just farted!", which sent the judges into a laughter frenzy. This infamous moment later aired on Most Outrageous Moments, and is very popular on YouTube.
Top 22, The Semi-Finals
The Toronto elimination rounds were aired in a two-hour broadcast on June 20. One original member of the Top 22, Philip King, dropped out for unspecified personal reasons and was replaced by Chris Labelle.
Those who were eliminated before the finals are listed below.
Males Eliminated
- Sheldon Elter, 27, is from Edmonton, Alberta and an accomplished local theatrical writer and actor. His one-man play, Metis Mutt, which was performed at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 2002, won him two local awards. He is the first aboriginal competitor in the program's history.
- Keith Macpherson, 27, is from Winnipeg, Manitoba but auditioned in Toronto. An English major at the University of Winnipeg, he sings in the local pop group Easily Amused.
- Chris Labelle, 24, is a bar server from Ottawa, Ontario. He was originally cut from the Top 22, but was named to the semi-finals after Phil King quit.
- Greg Neufeld, 22, is from Abbotsford, British Columbia and auditioned in Vancouver. He is a member of the band Di Marco. Greg auditioned again for Canadian Idol Season 5 and made the Top 10.
- Jeremy Kozielec, 26, is from Winnipeg, Manitoba and the lead singer of independent band Floor 13. He made the top 50 for ' in 2005.
- Nathan Brown''', 26, is from Dewberry, Alberta, and auditioned in Edmonton. He is a former cruise ship singer and has built his own personal recording studio in his home.
Females Eliminated
- Ashley Coles, 16, is from Caledonia, Ontario, who auditioned in Kitchener. She is a Grade 11 student at McKinnon Park Secondary School.
- Nancy Silverman, 19, is from Thornhill, Ontario and auditioned in Kitchener. She is a student of musical theatre at Sheridan College.
- Alisha Nauth, 19, is from Kitchener, Ontario, and a student at Humber College. She has performed at several local events and competitions in her career.
- Alyssa Klazek, 17, is from Calgary, Alberta and auditioned in Edmonton. She is a Grade 11 student at Bishop Carroll High School.
- Anna-Belle Oliva, 20, is from Montreal, Quebec and a recent graduate of a musical school. Her audition video centered around the recent death of her brother. When she was 16 years old, she was in the TV series Mixmania in Quebec, in a group called Aucun Regret.
- Valérie Jalbert, 21, a music teacher from Saint-Jérôme, Quebec who auditioned in Montreal, Quebec, is the first competitor in Canadian Idol history to reach the semi-finals in two different seasons. She was eliminated in the first voting round in Season 2.
Top 22
Men
Women
Top 18
Men
Women
Top 14
Women
Men
Top 10, The Finals
After the Semi-Finals, the final 10 competitors are faced with a new theme challenge every week. Based on public voting, one finalist is eliminated each week. The season finale of Canadian Idol took place on September 17, 2006. It was moved from its usual Tuesday result show to Sunday to help CTV premiere their new fall TV shows like The Amazing Race. Eva Avila from Gatineau, Quebec is 2006 Canadian Idol.Finalists
- Eva Avila, is a postal clerk from Hull, Quebec, who auditioned in Ottawa. She was a former winner of the Jeune Diva du Quebec contest. She is the 2006 Canadian Idol.
- Craig Sharpe, is from Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland, and auditioned in St. John's. He is a Grade 11 student at Ascension Collegiate School.
- Tyler Lewis, is a waiter from Rockglen, Saskatchewan, and auditioned in Regina.
- Chad Doucette, is from East Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia, and auditioned in Halifax. He made the Top 48 in Season 3, but was cut in the last round before the semi-finals. In Season 4, he became known for a "wardrobe malfunction" in the early rounds in which his shirt got stuck in the zipper of his pants during the middle of a song.
- Steffi DiDomenicantonio , is from Ottawa, Ontario. A student at Ecole secondaire De La Salle, she has been a stage performer at several Ottawa-area venues. She is known for the trademark bow in her hair.
- Ashley Coulter, is a supermarket cashier from London, Ontario, who auditioned in Kitchener. She was a singer in a local rock band called Nemesis.
- Rob James, is from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was a former member of the pop group McMaster & James who auditioned for Season 4 after his group's album deal expired. He has also written a song for the debut CD of Season 1 winner Ryan Malcolm.
- Brandon Jones, is from Quispamsis, New Brunswick and auditioned in his birthplace of St John's, Newfoundland. He is a Grade 11 student at Kennebecasis Valley High School.
- Sarah Loverock, is a supermarket supervisor from Gibsons, British Columbia, who auditioned in Vancouver and has performed in Nashville. She made it to the Top 48 in 2005's Season 3 before being cut. Sarah released a single entitled The Dreamer with America's Hot Musician winners that was certified Gold by the CRIA on November 4, 2009.
- Kati Durst, is an automotive detailer from Goderich, Ontario, who auditioned in Kitchener. Despite having a severe cold when auditioning, she was still put through to the next round.
Finals
Top 10 – Canada Rocks!
Top 9 – The Rolling Stones
Top 8 – The 80s
Top 7 – Classic Rock
Top 6 – Unplugged
Top 5 – Country
Top 4 – Judge's Choice
Top 3 – Standards
Finale
Each contestant sang three songs.| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | Craig Sharpe | "Meant to Fly" | Runner-Up |
| 2 | Eva Avila | "Wild Horses" | Winner |
| 3 | Craig Sharpe | "I Surrender" | Runner-Up |
| 4 | Eva Avila | "Meant to Fly" | Winner |
| 5 | Craig Sharpe | "What Hurts the Most" | Runner-Up |
| 6 | Eva Avila | "How Come You Don't Call Me" | Winner |
The Judges' Comments
Listed below is a selection of criticisms and praises from the Judges Jake Gold, Sass Jordan, Farley Flex and Zack Werner from the Top 5 Performance show to the season finale. The songs the idols sang during the performance show can be seen on the list above.Top 2 Performance Show
Eva Avila '- Sass Jordan: "You are an international artist and you are the jewel in the Canadian Idol crown"
- Jake Gold: "I'd love to hear the recorded version of that song. It was wonderful"
- Zack Werner: "You're a songwriter's dream."
- Farley Flex: "Your performance was my favourite performance on Idol, but not just of you, of anybody"
- Zack Werner: "Clive Davis should come here and kiss your Canadian ***"
- Sass Jordan, Farley Flex, Jake Gold:
- Jake Gold: "That was, without a doubt, the best thing you've done on this show"
- Farley Flex: "To step up at this point in time shows you're a man to be respected"
- Zack Werner:
- Zack Werner: "You're the Freddie Mercury of Canada"
- Sass Jordan: "The first time I saw you in Newfoundland I knew you were a star and my opinion hasn't changed a bit"
Top 3 Performance Show
- Farley Flex: "You just got the most votes for one singular body movement"
- Zack Werner: "It wasn't very much on the singing part but I think you may just have won Canada's next top model"
- Sass Jordan: "Tyler...it had to be you!"
- Farley Flex:: "You really took it by the horns"
- Sass Jordan: "You just did something that people can only do when they're born with it"
- Zack Werner: "No disrespect to Kalan, but he's no Eva Avila"
- Zack Werner: "Dude, I don't rap, you shouldn't scat,"
- Jake Gold: "I just didn't feel like you got into the song."
- Zack Werner: "Kickstart this thing, man. Be a star, dude"
- Jake Gold: "At the end you brought it right home."
- Sass Jordan: "That was an unbelievably lovely performance"
Top 4 Performance Show
- Zack Werner: "The fact is that song totally fits your pipes and your vibe and if you won this thing and released it, it would go number one"
- Farley Flex: "It was really easy to choose songs for you"
- Zack Werner: "I was all ready to go 'he shoots, he scores,' but you came out really flat in the third period"
- Zack Werner: "You scared some children under their beds."
- Jake Gold: "You delivered it. You did exactly what we thought you would do with that song."
- Farley Flex: "The most memorable voice on the show"
- Sass Jordan: "I've got to say I was hurting a bit at the beginning, but you totally redeemed yourself with that moment at the end"
- Farley Flex: "You gave us a vision of who you will be."
- Jake Gold: "I thought vocally it was really good, but... it's an angry song, but you were smiling"
- Zack Werner: "I say Canadian Idol: Eva Avila."
Top 5 Performance Show
- Jake Gold: "I always wondered how you were going to do country and you took that song and made it Eva. You made it work"
- Sass Jordan: "You're just getting better and better"
- Farley Flex: "I think the biggest thing in that performance was the maturity you showed,"
- Zack Werner: "I felt it, but you have such a unique instrument, I want you to be as big and obnoxious as me. Or Jake."
- Zack Werner: "It's very cornball... But I think people have to decide, as much as I love you, if you're the next Canadian Idol."
- Farley Flex: "I'm no Farley Pride but your kinfolk should be proud."
- Zack Werner: "But to be honest, I didn't even remember I was here. I was just watching that, remembering how much I care for you from the beginning."
Song Themes
- July 17 - Canada Rocks! - Songs written & recorded by Canadian Artists.
- July 24 - The Rolling Stones
- July 31 - Music of The 1980s
- August 7 - Classic rock
- August 14 - Unplugged
- August 21 - Country music
- August 28 - Judges' Choice
- September 4 - Pop standards
Performers on results shows
- July 18 - Nelly Furtado singing "Promiscuous"
- July 25 -
- August 1 - Cyndi Lauper singing "Time After Time" and "Shine"
- August 8 - Dennis DeYoung & Roger Hodgson
- August 15 - Chantal Kreviazuk singing "In This Life" and "All I Can Do"
- August 22 - Martina McBride singing "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Till I Can Make It On My Own"
- August 29 - Rex Goudie singing "Run"
- September 5 - Tony Bennett
- Finale- Melissa O'Neil, Nelly Furtado singing "Maneater", Canadian Idol Top 10
Releases