This week’s Idols SA provided the first upset of the season. Did Dinky Kunene really deserve to go home?

But it just goes to show that having a good week is not guaranteed that you will see another day in the competition. You need to be outstanding every week and pull out your bag of tricks. Kunene paid a heavy price unfortunately.

This week the hopefuls were in top form as they gave OTT performances – backed by the high-octane energy of Mzansi Gay Choir. But who will make the top seven?

Here are our top three and bottom three picks:  

Top Three 

Mmangaliso Gumbi

As the dark horse of the competition, Gumbi gives me night sweats. Her light came close to being dimmed, but she came out guns blazing. I swear if she doesn’t make it to the top seven I might not wake up on Monday to give yet another fabulous review next week.  Gumbi took on an almost impossible task of singing Lady Marmalade as performed by Christina Aguilera, Mýa, Pink and Lil' Kim. She showed an incredible range singing in different vocal registers – even rapping. She killed the dance choreography and maintained breathing control throughout.  Gumbi was diva divine; South Africa just needs to catch up.

Luyolo Yiba

As soon as I heard that Yiba was taking on a John Legend song I initially thought “here we go again.”  But he proved me wrong, he chose the perfect John Legend song in Green Light. At last Yiba gave a seven colours performance.  Finally, he had fun on stage and connected not just with the song – but the audience too. Let’s keep it up Yiba, because vocally you are one of the best voices on this season. You can sing, there is no doubt in that. We just want to see the performer and entertainer in you come out.

Nolo Seodisha

If consistency was a person it would be Seodisha. That smile is just so irresistible and he is banking on it. There is such power in the kind of charisma he possesses that many musicians on a global scale can never buy. Taking a slow jam such as Umkhaya Lo by Musa and making it into an OTT spectacular is what we call star power. Either you have it or you don’t. Seodisha has got it.

Bottom Three

Nqobile Gumede

A cat has nine lives, but can Gumede live to see another week? The biggest mistake she made this week was choosing a song that was bigger than her. They are some songs that you just don’t touch and I’m Every Woman by Whitney Houston is one of them. Her performance was like watching a train wreck – you want to close your eyes, but you can’t help yourself. She was off key and too cabaret. At one stage the Mzansi Gay Choir overshadowed her on her own song.

Virginia Qwabe

Qwabe was taken out of her comfort zone this week with her rendition of David Guetta and Sia’s Titanium. Her confidence took a dip as a result. Sometimes you just need to wing it – fake it until you make it. Qwabe waited for the song’s big chorus to showcase her big pipes. But while we waited for her to culminate we fell asleep in the verses and bridge of the song. The arrangement of the song was a big miss for me too, but then again she has no control over that.

Sneziey Msomi

Msomi was good, but she was not great. She gave the same old performance that you will expect from her. At this stage it seems like she’s stuck in a safe place and you can tell she has more to offer, she just needs to take a leap of faith. Taking on a classic such as Burn Out by Sipho “Hotstix”  Mabuse, while others opted for modern and hip song choices, could possibly cost her the competition.