I can clearly mark the last four years of my life with Canadian idol. While visiting my parents we saw the first golden ticket was handed out in 2003, and while I can’t remember who the very first person was to receive the Willy Wonka inspiration, and despite not being wrapped around a piece of chocolate, it too came with all the hype, joy and tears of movie making proportions.

Riding on the coat tails of the very successful first season of American Idol in 2002, our first season saw the talented Ryan Malcolm (my personal favorite) take home the title and his hit single “something More” stayed on Canadian charts for a 34 week run.

The second season was more emotional for me and my community as it introduced us to the three finalists, Jacob Hoggad, Theresa Sokyrka and Kalan Porter. At this time I was residing in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Theresa’s home town, and when there is a home town finalist the whole place goes crazy!

Sweet adorable Theresa with the voice of a jazz legend, we though she would win over the boyish charm and painfully shy Kalan, but it was not to be and as Zack said best, “Little Prince Wins Competition”. Following the aftermath of a community hype campaign, much akin to crashing after too many Red Bulls the third season passed me by in more of a daze, and the winner was the first female to take home the title, Melissa O’Neil.

Season 4 saw me renovating and bopping to the songs as I pulled plaster from my walls more than paying attention to or connecting with any of the idols, but after earning near-perfect reviews from day one, Eva Avila took the Idol title in the closest race in the show’s history.

But that was then, this is now! And this year they are shaking things up with a new formula and surprisingly enough a new lineup. Season 5 will mark the time we will see 22 hopefuls in Canada’s first ever boy girl groups of 11.

Monday and Tuesday will give us the Guys and girls performances respectively, followed by a 4 person elimination round on Wednesday night. Although the formula has not been revealed as to the elimination, I can only hope that the bottom 4 will consist of the lowest vote’s total, not the lowest 2 from each grouping. This mass elimination will go on for three weeks, when on Tuesday July 17 we will have our first Top Ten Performance show, after which point the performances will remain on Tuesday nights with eliminations on Wednesday.

And in a surprise announcement during the credits, one contestant had to bow out for personal reasons leaving us to wonder if they where going to fill the spot or if only three contestants where going to be eliminated on Wednesday. Well thanks to my long early morning commute Metro News gives us the inside scoop.

Scarlett Burke was in the middle of answering phones and filing paperwork as she does every day when she received a shock: Landing a spot in Canadian Idol’s Top 22 round after one hopeful left the singing competition.

“I had gotten over the whole not making it,” said Burke, who had been among the 176 competitors cut from the contest after the judges chose the Top 22 contestants.

“Then they gave me a call at work … it didn’t really hit me when they told me that I had made it, so when I got off the phone I was jumping around,” the 18-year-old from Toronto said.

So gone is the spunky little 16 year old from Brampton Ontario, Ritchea Hodge, and in her place the incredibly lucky Scarlett Burke, depending on how far she goes her story will be legend.

Kicking off the new season Canadian Idol tonight on CTV will be the 22 hopefuls

Check out the Official Canadian Idol website for a listing of the top 22.

This post was Authored by Girlydoll, Our Resident Authority on all things Canadian Idol

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