Music Idol
Music Idol was the Bulgarian version of the British television hit show Pop Idol. It was a talent contest to determine the superior pop performer. Its first season was aired on bTV from February 26 until June 7, 2007. During its third season, the show went international and auditions took place in neighboring Macedonia. Other major changes in the third season: minimum age for participants 13, more talk show than music, great accent on the hosts, hidden vote results, which makes it impossible to validate the result of each elimination.
Hosts and judges
Rules
Season 1
Qualifications
Auditioners must be between the ages of 13 and 28. They must be Bulgarian citizens.Auditions
Castings are held in the five biggest cities in Bulgaria - Rousse, Varna, Bourgas, Plovdiv and Sofia. After a pre-selection the contenders audition in front of the panel of judges seen on TV who will decide if they are going to make it to the next round.Theatre Round
In three days the judges chose among the top 100, from all cities, the semifinalists who would perform live during the show and face the public's vote.Semifinals
From now on it is up to the Bulgarian public to vote their favorite contestants into the final 12.Finals
Each week the final 12 contestants perform, in front of a live audience, songs from a given theme. Once again the public votes for its favorite with the fewest votes getter being eliminated after one show until only one contestant remains: The winner of Music Idol.Season 2
Qualifications
There is no age limit for the auditioners. They must be Bulgarian citizens.Auditions
Castings are held in the five biggest cities in Bulgaria - Rousse, Varna, Bourgas, Plovdiv and Sofia. Philipp Kirkorov joined auditions and the show only once as a judge - only in Varna. He temporarily replaced Lucy Diakovska at that stage. After a pre-selection the contenders audition in front of the panel of judges, seen on TV, who will decide if they are going to make it to the next round.Theatre Round
The competitors are split in groups and they sing solo. After that the jury decides who will continue. After that the remaining contestants sing in quartets and the jury picks the best of them. Then they sing solo and the jury picks 18 people for the semi-finals.Semifinals
The competitors are split in two groups − male and female. After their first concert the public votes for them and two boys and two girls are eliminated. After that they have another concert and two boys and two girls are again eliminated. After that the eliminated eight contestants sing again and three of them are let back in the show.Finals
Each week the final 13 contestants perform in front of a live audience songs from a given theme. Once again the public votes for its favorite, the two people with the fewest votes sing and the public votes again. The contestant with the fewest votes is eliminated. This goes on until only one contestant remains: The winner of Music Idol.Season 1
Judges
- Doni − pop singer and composer
- Yordanka Hristova − estrade singer
- Gloria − pop-folk singer
- Slavi Trifonov − pop-folk singer, host and producer
Auditions
- Rousse
- Varna
- Burgas
- Plovdiv
- Sofia
Semifinals
For one week the top 40 performed each night in five groups including eight singers with the two top vote getters advancing to the finals. On Friday night the judges announced eight singers who received another chance to perform with the top vote getter and the final pick of the judges joining the other finalists to the top 12.Group 1 − March 12, 2007
- Tihomir Dimitrov - "Ne Taka"
- Preslava Peycheva - " I Do It for You"
- Emiliya Dutsolova - "Povey Vetre"
- Syuleyman Evadpal - "This Love"
- Nikolay Manolov - "Iskam te"
- Krasimira Ivanova - "One Moment in Time"
- Preslava Mravkova - "I Believe I Can Fly"
- Ina Petrova - "Hero"
Group 2 − March 13, 2007
- Daniela Nikolova
- Vasil Modev
- Ivaylo Donkov
- Stefan Lalchev
- Maya Georgieva
- Mariya Dimitrova
- Rosen Kukosharov
Group 3 − March 14, 2007
- Gita Petkova
- Yanitsa Dafinova
- Iskren Ribchev
- Plamen Patov
- Veselina Nikolova
- Gergana Koyeva
- Rumen Nehrizov
- Aneliya Bakalova
Group 4 − March 15, 2007
- Silvia Moneva
- Vasil Chergov
- Plamena Petrova
- Georgi Georgiev
- Denislav Novev
- Iliana Kovacheva
- '''Nevena Tsoneva
Group 5 − March 16, 2007
- Dimitar Atanasov
- Teodor Koychinov
- Maria Bachvarova
- Vasko Ivanov
- Kremena Dimitrova
- Vasil Stoyanov
- Denitsa Hadzhiivanova
- Kristina Kokorska
Wildcards − March 19, 2007
- Vasko Ivanov
- Kristina Kokorska
- Teodor Koichinov
- Dimitar Atanasov
- Nikolay Manolov
- Preslava Peycheva
- Silvia Moneva
Finals elimination chart
Season 2
Judges
- Lucy Diakovska - No Angels member
- Vili Kazasyan - Bulgarian conductor
- Esil Duran - pop-folk and jazzsinger
- Dimitar Kovachev - "Funky" - Bulgarian rocker and producer, owner of Sofia Music Enterprises
Auditions
- Rousse
- Varna
- Burgas
- Plovdiv
- Sofia
Semifinals
Two out of the top 18, Denislav Novev and Plamena Petrova, had already competed in a former year's top 50 but failed to qualify for the finals.
Girls Top 9 − March 10, 2008
- Plamena Petrova - "Think Twice"
- Gergana Dimova - "Black Velvet"
- Maria Ilieva - " A Natural Woman"
- Chanel Erkin - "Je T'aime"
- Elena Ivanova - "Man! I Feel Like A Woman"
- Ana Topalova - "Visoko"
- Sonia Membrenho - "Iskam te"
- Nora Karaivanova - "The Voice Within"
- Denitsa Georgieva - "Respect"
Guys Top 9 − March 11, 2008
- Ivan Angelov - "Change The World"
- Ivaylo Donev - "Georgia On My Mind"
- Yasen Zerdev - "New Flame"
- Denislav Novev - "You Rise Me Up"
- Toma Zdravkov - "Summer In The City"
- Damyan Popov - "Pochti zabravena ljubov"
- Viktor Georgiev - "Stars"
- Lazar Kisyov - "Sbogom, moya ljubov"
- Stoyan Tsonev - "Incomplete"
Girls Top 7 − March 13, 2008
- Maria Ilieva - "Adagio"
- Denitsa Georgieva - "Proud Mary"
- Chanel Erkin - "Bleeding Love"
- Sonia Membrenho - "Listen"
- Ana Topalova - "Every Breath you take"
- Plamena Petrova - "Ustrem"
- Nora Karaivanova - "Ain't no Sunshine"
Guys Top 7 − March 15, 2008
- Toma Zdravkov - "Walking By Myself"
- Damyan Popov - "Svetat e za dvama"
- Denislav Novev - "Let Me Entertain You"
- Stoyan Tsonev - "Sineva"
- Lazar Kisyov - "I Surrender"
- Ivaylo Donev - "Great Balls Of Fire"
- Ivan Angelov - "Se bastasse una canzone"
Wildcards − March 18, 2008
- Yasen Zerdev
- Maria Ilieva
- Elena Ivanova
Finals elimination chart
Season 3
Judges
- Doni − Bulgarian pop singer
- Maria − pop-folk singer
- Dimitar Kovachev − "Funky" − Bulgarian rocker and producer
- Sonia Vassi − Bulgarian singer and model
- Toni Dimitrova − Bulgarian pop singer
- Blagovest Argirov - Bulgarian pop singer
- Grigor Koprov − famous Macedonian songwriter
- Katya − Bulgarian pop singer, part of the famous duo "Riton"
Auditions
- Varna
- Burgas
- Plovdiv
- Skopje, Macedonia
- Sofia
Finalists
- Rusina Katardzieva - Eliminated
- Sonia Membreno - Eliminated
- Preslava Mravkova - Eliminated
- Aleksandar Tarabunov - Eliminated
- Boyan Stoykov - Runner-Up
- Eli Radanova - Eliminated
- Simona Stateva - Eliminated
- Viktoria Dimitrova - Withdrew
- Darko Ilievski - Eliminated
- Dimitar Atanasov - Eliminated
- Aleksandra Zhekova - Eliminated
- Magdalena Janavarova - Winner
- Plamen Petkov - Eliminated
Finals elimination chart
| Female | Male | Safe | Safe first | Safe second | Contestant in Btm 3 | Contestant in Btm 2 | Eliminated | Withdrew | Winner |
- Viktoria Dimitrova withdrew from the show on the rock concert, thus saving Simona Stateva and Preslava Mravkova from elimination.