KEY POINTS:
It's fast becoming New Zealand's most-watched TV show but the excruciating Stars in their Eyes has some of the country's top singing talent cringing.
The show was labelled "cheesy" and "appalling" by critics after its debut episode a fortnight ago. Now jazz singer and teacher Caitlin Smith, who
works with many of New Zealand's best-selling stars, has said many of last week's celebrity singing impersonators were terrible.
The show, which transforms ordinary people into their favourite pop star, was last week won by a woman impersonating Debbie Harry.
Smith's verdict? "She didn't sound anything like Debbie Harry - she sounded like Marge Simpson."
And the "appalling" lack of talent on the show could damage real Kiwi musicians, Smith said.
"It doesn't actually congratulate those people who are doing a good job, so it's sending out a really mixed signal to people."
The show does have a huge following, easily winning its debut time slot as almost 800,000 viewers tuned in, taking out the top spot in the lucrative 18- to 49-year-old age bracket. Last Tuesday's episode on TV One was pipped only by Border Security and was second in the 18-49 slot behind new episodes of Desperate Housewives.
Its numbers are rivalling those of the other local reality favourite, Dancing with the Stars.
But for every viewer there seems to have been a critic. One blogger wrote that he would "rather push pins in my eyes" than watch any more of the 10-part series.
Smith, who has coached Anika Moa and Nesian Mystik among others, agrees.
"We do have, disproportionately, incredibly talented people in New Zealand. But I don't know where they are getting the contestants from because I can tell you it's not from my planet."
A British version of the show is renowned for its clever costuming and makeup but the New Zealand impersonators have suffered in comparison.
Smith said the programme-makers may be selecting either people who looked good on TV, or those who could sing - not great singers who could vocally and visually impersonate their stars.
However, a TVNZ spokeswoman said the network was thrilled with the ratings success of the premiere, and claimed the "talkability" proved the show was a hit.
"If so many people are talking about it, even if some people didn't like it, that's the sign of a successful show."
There had been plenty of positive viewer feedback directed to the station, she said.
Vocal coach Cheryl McLeay, who has tutored many Kiwi artists, including Elemeno P and Opshop, said while the music "wasn't that hot", she thought the show was doing a good thing in exposing local talent.
"I think no matter how bad it may have been, any show that shows off New Zealand talent cannot be bad, because there are so few of them out there.
"The knockers [of the show] will be the ones who are looking for perfection of the solo voice, but this is about the all-round entertainer."