By the end of that episode the 61 Idols left standing had been divided into four rooms at Sun City, anxiously waiting for the judges, Randall Abrahams, Gareth Cliff, Unathi Msengana and Universal Music A&R consultant, Benjy Mudie, to decide their fate.

Poor Philip du Plessis from Durban thought he was on his way home for sure – “I heard people say we’re all going home because Philip is in the room with us,” he said sheepishly. But they were wrong – Philip was one of the 33 singers who survived to sing one more day. “We decided to give you another chance, but you have to step up to the plate. You’re not going to survive if you do that again,” Benjy lectured him sternly after Philip had walked off the stage during his groups audition earlier that day.

But the celebration was short-lived. The 33 survivors were shepherded straight back to the theatre, where they were told that the regular Idols band would not be available to play for their next audition. “But we were able to get a couple of other guys,” Randall said as the curtain rose to reveal … The Parlotones!

South Africa’s supergroup had flown back from their European tour especially to perform as the backing band for Season 7’s final audition.

“It’s an amazing opportunity, to perform with one of the country’s best bands,” said an astonished 'Power' Simelani from Soweto. But it would be a tough challenge. The contestants only had 24 hours to learn one of the 10 Parlotones songs that they randomly drew out of a hat, and Randall’s announcement that they would be cut down to a Top 15 group the next day meant that more than half of them would be going home.

It was also a harsh workload for the Parlotones, who had literally just stepped off the plane hours earlier. “This is going to be slightly more difficult – there’s a range of vocalists, so we’re going to have to go and learn our own songs in different keys,” lead singer, Kahn Morbee, pointed out.

Cape Town rocker, Mark Haze, went first and set the tone with a heartfelt rendition of Push Me To The Floor. “All you need is a red tie, dude, that’s how amazing you were,” Unathi smiled. But some of the other versions of Push Me To The Floor had the judges squirming in their seats … “You came across like a really, really, really drunk Amy Winehouse – without the voice!” Gareth berated poor Prime Zulu.

But fortunately there were a lot more potential Idols that impressed the judging panel. “You are dangerous on stage! It is impossible not to watch you!” Gareth raved about Dave van Vuuren’s Stardust Galaxies. “I think you are possibly the most real singer we’ve had in this competition,” Randall agreed. “I love you Freddiieeee!” Unathi exclaimed after Freddie Van Dango’s emotional performance of the same song. “That was a hurricane, baby!” Benjy raved over Erin Fourie’s Giant Mistake. And “I get the feeling you can sing anything,” he praised Kimberley’s Lefa Pike, who put a fresh spin on Life Design.

But how many of them were good enough to make the Top 15? That will be revealed next week, as one by one the 33 contestants will walk the dreaded 'Green Mile' to the luxurious Desert Suite at the Palace of The Lost City to hear the judges’ decision on who will be singing for South Africa’s votes this season.

Idols Season 7 is broadcast on M-Net and Mzansi Magic at 17:30 every Sunday, and dedicated fans can catch 24/7 Idols coverage on Channel 199 with full coverage of every audition from across the country, as well as exclusive contestant interviews.

Get all the lowdown on Idols Season 7 and vote for your Wooden Mic winner at the official Idols Facebook page at Idols South Africa, on Twitter @IdolsSA and on the official Idols Season 7 website at www.mnet.co.za/idols.