Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the "Got Talent" series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell. The first six seasons aired on the Seven Network, from 2007 to 2012. In the first season the judges were Tom Burlinson, Red Symons and Dannii Minogue. The first season aired at 6:30pm on Sunday nights. After a successful run, the series was given a vote of confidence as Seven moved the show to a more competitive Tuesday night timeslot. The second season aired from 29  April 2008. Burlinson and Symons did not return for season four and were replaced by Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden. For season seven in 2013 the show moved to the Nine Network. Dawn French, Geri Halliwell and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge joined the panel as replacements for McFadden and Minogue. On 4 April 2014, it was announced that Nine had axed "Australia's Got Talent" due to low ratings. On 8 July 2015, Nine announced that the show would be returning in 2016 for an eighth season. The Nine Network aired season eight in 2016, with four  new judges: Kelly Osbourne, Ian "Dicko" Dickson, Sophie Monk and Eddie Perfect. In December 2018, Seven announced the series would be returning to their network in 2019 for a ninth season. The ninth season, with Ricki-Lee Coulter as host, returned on 28 July 2019. In June 2021, Seven announced an entirely new judging panel (with the exception of Shane Jacobson) which will now include Kate Ritchie, English singer Alesha Dixon, and American actor Neil Patrick Harris, filming was expected to begin at the end of June 2021. However, due to current COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney, the season has been  postponed. Overview. "Australia's Got Talent" is a talent show that features performers of all ages competing for a top prize of between A$100,000 and A$250,000. The season consists of three stages: auditions, semi-finals, and a final. Only highlights are screened from the auditions. Some seasons included auditions in different cities. The judges cull down the approved audition acts to about 40 acts for the semi-finals. In most seasons, the semi-finals included a public vote, with a combination of public and judges' choices making the final. Also in the first series, during the semi-finals  stage, each judge buzzed either a cross, or a tick. In Season 9, there is no public voting in the semi-finals. The logo used for the first, seventh and ninth seasons of "Australia's Got Talent" is similar to the logo used by "America's Got Talent". The logo during the second to sixth seasons and season eight is similar to that used by "Britain's Got Talent". Judges and hosts. Judges. The original three judges were Dannii Minogue, Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. For the second series, all judges returned, though Minogue was absent for numerous episodes as  she was busy filming "The X Factor" in the United Kingdom. The judges later returned for series 3. In January 2010, it was made known that the judging panel would undergo a new line-up to accommodate Minogue's pregnancy. Judge Red Symons was strongly tipped to return to the Nine Network to be part of the revived "Hey Hey It's Saturday", while Tom Burlinson was rumoured to be dumped from the judging panel. Rumours then began to circulate that Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden would be the new judges. On 4 February 2010, Sandilands confirmed on his 2Day  FM breakfast radio show that he would be a judge. A press release from the Seven Network on 17 February, confirmed McFadden would also join the new judging panel. All judges returned for the fifth and sixth series of the programme. Due to the programme's move to Nine Network in 2013, Sandilands returned as a judge, whilst Minogue and McFadden were axed. Timomatic, Geri Halliwell and Dawn French were announced as the new judges. After it was announced that "Australia's Got Talent" would be returning to screens in 2016, it was announced that there would be a complete  new judging panel, with Sandilands, Halliwell, French and Timomatic being axed. It was later confirmed that Ian Dickson, Sophie Monk, Kelly Osbourne and Eddie Perfect would become the new judges. In May 2019, Manu Feildel, Nicole Scherzinger, Lucy Durack and Shane Jacobson were Announced as the judging panel for season 9. In June 2021, Seven announced an entirely new judging panel (with the exception of Jacobson) which will now include Kate Ritchie, English singer Alesha Dixon and American actor Neil Patrick Harris, filming begins at the end of June 2021. Series overview. Season 1 (2007). The first season of "Australia 's Got Talent" premiered on Seven Network on 18 February 2007. The original judges were Dannii Minogue, Tom Burlinson and Red Symons. Singer Bonnie Anderson was crowned the winner of the first season on 28 April 2007, followed by Herb Patten finishing as runner-up. Season 2 (2008). The second season of "Australia's Got Talent" began broadcasting on 29 April 2008 and finished airing on 1 July. Minogue, Burlinson and Symons all returned as judges. The winner was announced as guitarist Joe Robinson, with Jourdain as runner-up. Season 3 (2009). Auditions for the third season started in late  2008 and successful contestants were notified in December 2008. Filming began on 15 January 2009. The winner was declared on 22 April 2009. This grand finale followed the same format as the 2008 one: acts were eliminated in pairs, as well as each judge picking their favorite act to reappear on the show once more. Mark Vincent won the season, while Jal Joshua became the runner-up. On the grand finale, international opera singer and winner of "Britain's Got Talent" series one, Paul Potts performed live in the studio. Season 4 (2010). The fourth season of "Australia's Got  Talent" returned on 13 April 2010. Grant Denyer continued as host, while radio DJ Kyle Sandilands and Irish singer Brian McFadden joined Dannii Minogue on the judging panel as replacements for Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. Auditions for the season took place throughout February 2010 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The show was revamped to look more like "Britain's Got Talent", in terms of the stage and the shape of the X's used. The opening was also changed to look similar to "Britain's Got Talent"s opening, with Australian landmarks instead of British landmarks. Previously, the  Australia's Got Talent opening was simply a display of the title. The live shows began on 11 May 2010 and ended on 15 June 2010, where dance troupe Justice Crew were crowned the winners. They were awarded a prize of $250,000, while runner-up Cameron Henderson was awarded a runner-up prize of performing at the 2010 AFL Grand Final. Season 5 (2011). The fifth season of "Australia's Got Talent" returned on 3 May 2011. All judges (Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden) returned for the season, including host Grant Denyer. The producer auditions took place  in 16 cities, throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The successful acts from the auditions were then invited to a second audition in front of the judges and a live audience. These auditions began in Gold Coast on 19 February 2011, followed by three days in Melbourne from 25 February 2011. They also took place in Sydney on 12–13 March 2011, and ended in Perth on 20 March 2011. The season was won by 14-year-old singer Jack Vidgen. Season 6 (2012). Auditions began in October 2011 and concluded in  December 2011. The sixth season aired on the Seven Network from 16 April 2012 to 25 July 2012. Once again, Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden returned as judges and Grant Denyer returned as host. Sandilands was sick during the Melbourne auditions, so Todd McKenney replaced him. McKenney took the place of McFadden during the finals showdown 2. The winner was singer Andrew de Silva with country rock band, The Wolfe Brothers becoming the runner-up. Season 7 (2013). Auditions began in March 2013 and concluded in June 2013. The seventh season aired on the Nine Network in 2013 . Kyle Sandilands returned to the judging panel, while Dannii Minogue and Brian McFadden were replaced by three new judges Geri Halliwell, Dawn French and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge. Julia Morris replaced Grant Denyer as the host. Mel B was originally due to join the judging panel, however an injunction sought by the Seven Network in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in March 2013 blocked her from appearing. The winner was "Funk/Soul/Jazz/Reggae" band, Uncle Jed, with band Greg Gould and The Chase becoming the runner-up. Season 8 (2016). On 8 July 2015 , Nine announced that the show would be returning in 2016 for an eighth season. On Monday 4 January, it was announced that Season eight will be on Monday 1 February. It is the second season to air on Nine after it was axed in 2013. Auditions are open for September and October 2015. On 28 October 2015, it was announced that Sandilands, Halliwell, French and Timomatic have been replaced with a new panel of judges, they are Ian "Dicko" Dickson, Sophie Monk, Kelly Osbourne and Eddie Perfect. Morris will not return as host as she is committed to another show  and will be replaced by Dave Hughes as the host. For the first time, it will now include the Golden Buzzer. It premiered on 1 February 2016, and ended on 14 March 2016. The winner was Fletcher Pilon Season 9 (2019). In December 2018, Seven Network announced that the series would return in 2019 to their network for a ninth season, after a three-year hiatus. In May 2019, Seven announced Nicole Scherzinger, Shane Jacobson, Manu Feildel and Lucy Durack as the series judges, and Ricki-Lee Coulter as the host. The season ran from 28 July to 22 September  2019. Unlike previous seasons, there was no public voting at the semi-final stage. In the final, the judges chose a top four, which was then chosen by SMS votes from viewers in the eastern states. The final was pre-recorded, with four different endings filmed, one for each of the four possible winners. The winner of the season was pole dancer Kristy Sellars. The entirety of the season was Pre-Recorded. Season 10 (2022). In June 2021, Seven announced an entirely new judging panel (with the exception of Shane Jacobson) which will now include Kate Ritchie, English singer Alesha  Dixon, and American actor Neil Patrick Harris, filming was expected to begin at the end of June 2021. However, due to current COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney the season has been postponed. During Seven’s annual upfronts, it was confirmed the series will air in 2022.