So far in this Idols SA Season 11, a total of 53 hopeful singers have secured a coveted Golden Ticket and eventually, after sifting through heaps of varied talent, the judges unearthed 25 more Golden Ticket winners – the highest number for an audition venue this year.

How the events played out at the Carnival City auditions:

It all started with a conspicuous note from Abrahams: “You wanna know if you can sing – we’ll give you a straight answer.” For 26-year-old Chrystal Worship from Cape Town, who has been performing professionally for the past four years, the answer meant a Golden Ticket to Sun City. “Chrystal is an appropriate name, because it is a clear voice,” said an impressed Cliff.

Unfortunately, Worship's good fortune was not the start of a Golden Ticket rush, and pretty soon the judges grew more and more impatient. Even gentle Mhlongo told one unfortunate contestant, “don’t ever sing again”.

Some more valuable lessons learned from a few of this year’s Johannesburg contestants:

  • A backing track is not an “instrument”;
  • If you do have an instrument, make sure you can play it; and
  • If you do bring a backtrack, it works better when the judges can hear the music too, as one contestant proved when she opted to listen to her backtrack on a set of earphones.

But none of that hampered Busisiwe Mthembu (23) from Springs. Mthembu calls herself an “eliminator” but not in reference to her singing prowess – it’s a process that she performs at her day job, in a factory that makes moulds for car and bus parts.

“My life is a difficult one since I’m a single mom,” Mthembu admitted before her audition. “A Golden Ticket represents that my life is about to begin.” And so it did, with four yes votes sending her straight on to the next phase of the competition at Sun City. “She’s got that street charm,” said Abrahams.

Another contestant with an interesting day job was 21-year-old Keith Basel from Glenvista, who works in the family business as a horseracing oddsmaker and commentator. “Dad is a legend in the game,” he said. “So I have to make my legacy in another field.” With Idols SA host ProVerb outside the audition room taking bets on his chances to win a Golden Ticket, Basel sang his way to three yeses. “The house always wins.” Pro laughed as he counted his winnings.

In past seasons of Idols SA it has been slightly older, more established singers that have won the title, but in Season 11 the youngsters were out to buck that trend. But of course that is easier said than done. Abrahams told one 16-year-old he would only be ready in about four years time, and Cliff told another she needed some time to “find herself”. But in the end Karabo Mashele from Bedfordview, Jamie Smith from Linksfield, James Janse van Rensburg from Carltonville, Nina Terblanche from Nelspruit, and a talented choirboy from Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, Loyiso Gijana, were five 16-year-olds who did make the cut.

Dineo Moseki from Vryburg, “the capital of the Middle of Nowhere”, as she put it, has been trying to build a musical career ever since failing to reach the Top 10 in 2014. “It’s like I’m trapped in a tank and the only way out is go to Johannesburg, go to audition, and get that Golden Ticket,” she confessed. “That will be the happiest day of my life.”

Moseki defied conventional Idols SA wisdom and performed her own composition, called Under The Maroela Tree, despite how much she knows Abrahams hates that. “I luuh you,” Mhlongo told her. “I’m so happy you came back,” Msengana agreed. In the end Moseki’s fate came down to Cliff, who took a chance and allowed her to try her luck again at Sun City.

In total 78 contestants are now heading to Sun City for the next phase of the competition, known as “Hell Week”. The few who triumph there will make the Top 16, and get the opportunity to perform for viewers’ votes at the State Theatre in Pretoria.

Idols SA Season 11 is screened in HD on M-Net, channel 101, and Mzansi Magic, channel 161, on Dstv. And as always all the auditions will once again be played on the Idols SA Extra channel, channel 199 on DStv, from the time the show's end credits roll.

For more information, connect with Idols SA on Facebook as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also find them on WeChat on the ID ‘idolssa’, where you can test your knowledge by using the keyword ‘Quiz’.