Season 2

**Broadcast from**
 **Judges**
 **Host(s)**
 **Broadcaster**
 **Venue**

*Rechercher une étoile* is a French-language Canadian TV show aimed to find new singing talent. The second season, also known as ***Rechercher une étoile 2008***, started in early September and was hosted by Jean-Luc d'Amboise.

## Auditions

Open casting auditions began on June 21, 2008 in Victoriaville and concluded on July 25 in Rimouski. The minimum age to audition was 14.

Summary of open auditions

After the open auditions, 77 candidates were called for a closed-door audition on August 14 and 15, 2008. 18 candidates advanced to the introduction live show or *Niveau*, where the 16 official contestants who entered the *École d'étoiles* were selected.

## Summary

### **Épisode d'introduction (September 6, 2008)**

* **No theme**
* **Special guests:** Contestants from Rechercher une étoile 2007 - "Reste fort"
* **End credits song:** "Feeling Good" by Michael Bublé

### **Niveau 1 (September 13, 2008)**

* **Theme:** 1990's
* **Group performance:** "Mon hymne"
* **End credits song:** "Au nom de la rose" by Moos

### **Niveau 2 (September 20, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Journey
* **Group performance:** "Strung Out"
* **End credits song:** "Dixie Highway" by Journey

### **Niveau 3 (September 27, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Musique du film (Music of the movies/Songs from the silver screen)
* **Group performance:** "I Am What I Am"
* **End credits song:** "Don't Say You Love Me" by M2M

### **Niveau 4 (October 4, 2008)**

* **Theme:** 1960's
* **Group performance:** "I Can Hear Music"
* **End credits song:** "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells

### **Niveau 5 (October 11, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Marvin Gaye
* **Group performance:** "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
* **End credits song:** "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye

### **Niveau 6 (October 18, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Disney Channel Films originaux (Songs from Disney Channel Original Movies)
* **Group performance:** "Start of Something New"
* **End credits song:** ?

### **Niveau 7 (October 25, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Nina Simone
* **Group performance:** "Fier d'être moi"
* **End credits song:** ?

### **Niveau 8 (November 1, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Chansons dans les films de l'année de ma naissance (Songs from movies that was released the year they were born)
* **Group performance:** "Écran argenté"

### **Niveau 9 (November 8, 2008)**

* **Theme:** 1980's
* **Group performance:** "Remonter le temps"
* **End credits song:** ?

### **Niveau 10 (November 15, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Chansons funéraires inappropriées (Inappropriate funeral songs)
* **Group performance:** "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead"

### **Niveau 11 (November 22, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Chansons d'automne (Songs that either relate to autumn or were released in that time of year)
* **Group performance:** "Feuilles d'automne"

### **Niveau 12 (November 29, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Lara Fabian
	+ This theme also applied to the duel between Irina and Fernand, for which the two performed songs that weren't sung in the regular lineup.
* **Group performance:** "Je suis malade"

Duel

 Irina

### **Niveau 13 (December 6, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Broadway (accompanied by Orchestre Symphonique de Québec)
	+ This theme also applied to the duel between Irina and Jeanette, for which the two performed songs that weren't sung in the regular lineup.
* **Group performance:** "Seasons of Love"

Contestants' performances on *Niveau 13*
 Gustav
 Patricia
 Edmond
 Jeanette

Duel

 Irina

### **Niveau 14 (December 13, 2008)**

* **Theme:** Billy Ocean
	+ This theme also applied to the duel between Jeanette and Gustav, for which the two performed songs that weren't sung in the regular lineup.
* **Group performance:** "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car"

Contestants' performances on *Niveau 14*
 Jeanette
 Gustav
 Patricia

Duel

 Gustav

### **Grand Finale (December 20, 2008)**

Edmond, Gustav, and Patricia were the top 3 finalists. They first performed an original song, and then a duet with one of the eliminated finalists. Patricia sang with Fernand, Gustav with Jeanette, and Edmond with Irina. After these performances, Gustav and Patricia were in the final duel, which each of them performing the songs that they sang on *Épisode d'introduction*.

* Group performances:
	+ "Connecté" (Top 6 with Maud Auger)
	+ "Mon hymne" (all 16 contestants)

Contestants' performances on the Grand Finale
 Gustav
 Patricia

Duets

 Irina
 Gustav
 Jeanette
 Patricia
 Fernand

Final Duel

 Patricia

## Controversy

### **Voting**

A phone scam operation based in Montreal was discovered, in which people were tricked into believing that viewers could vote for their favorites through a 514 number, rather than the 450 number used on the show. They were then instructed to call a 438 number to vote. This allowed the company to charge callers nationwide from $4.99 to nearly $8.

### **Overtime broadcast**

The season finale went over its scheduled 3-hour time limit and ended at 10:06 that evening. A number of DVR users across French-speaking Canada claimed the recording ended before Patricia Bertillon was announced the winner shortly after the planned end time. The executives at Canal de triomphe apologized for the incident.

### **Ester d'Arras music video**

The music video for then guest judge Ester d'Arras' song "Break Me Down", which aired during Niveau 2, was criticized as violent for younger viewers. A reviewer for a media institute based in Montreal wrote: "Even [the] supposedly family-friendly TV shows like *Rechercher une étoile* are barely safe in the hands of the Great White North," and went as far as saying her "shocking new video shows how desperate she is to retain her fame despite her fading relevance. Such violent videos aren't appropriate for [any] children to watch, including d'Arras' nephew!" Another reviewer said that the video was on the verge of being too "scary" for the show.