The Top 10 for this season are:

Chloe Kiley (24) from Cape Town
Dominic Neill (20) from Johannesburg
Khaya Mthethwa (25) from Durban
Melissa Allison (23) from Port Elizabeth
Monde Msutwana (30) from Pretoria
Nosipho Mngomezulu (22) from Shoshanguve
Obakeng Ramaboa (26) from Munsieville
Shekhinah “Sheki” Donnell (17) from Durban
Simphiwe Gwegwe (23) from Port Nolloth
Tshidi Tenyane (28) from Thokoza

Each of these performers have won the following prizes, just for surviving the most brutal cut ever and making it to the Top 10:

- Branded Customized Luggage from Ford
- R10000.00 in cash from KFC
- A Keyboard or Guitar to the value of R5000.00 from Yamaha
- A R4000.00 fashion voucher from Truworths
- A Shure Handheld Wireless System (Shure PGX24) to the value of R7125.00
- And a Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note from Samsung

“The Top 18 are just so strong this year that they all deserve to be here,” Idols Randall Abrahams said to explain why the judges relinquished their power so early in the competition this year, “so it’s best to let the audience decide.” But that also means that the competition lost eight very good singers tonight, Unathi Msengana pointed out. But “I have the best job in the world,” she said once she saw the Top 10. “I get to see these ten people perform every week.”

“It’s obvious that the audience listened to me,” said a satisfied Gareth Cliff and Randall agreed. “From a Universal point of view, we’re looking very good,” he judged in his capacity as the new MD of Universal Music South Africa, the label that will give the winner a recording deal as part of the main prize.

But it wasn’t all tears and drama in the Soweto Theatre – there was time for some levity as well as Zakes Bantwini performed live on the Idols stage for the first time, performing a mash-up mix of his hit Bum Bum.

South African superstar Arno Carstens was also a first-time Idols guest star, performing Two Dogs, the first single from his upcoming new solo album, and the biggest winner at this year’s South African Music Awards, Zahara, was a popular guest star as well, singing her new hit Theta Nam along with Riot.

Next week the Top 10 moves into the traditional home Of Idols at the Mosaïek Teatro in Fairlands, Johannesburg. The Top 10 Spectacular will be recorded at the Mosaïek on Friday, 3 August, and broadcast on M-Net and M-Net HD and Mzansi Magic at 17:30 on Sunday, 5 August.

Tickets are available now from Computicket.

Updates and further information can be found on the official Idols Facebook page, follow @IdolsSA on Twitter or log on to www.mnet.co.za/idols.