KEY POINTS:
Out with the old, in with the new. Or in the case of Pop's Ultimate Star, in with the recycled.
TV2's new reality show pits former TV talent quest contestants against each other for the chance to win $50,000 - and presumably, another shot at a music career.
The Sunday night show is being hailed as the channel's flagship entertainment programme after NZ Idol producers, South Pacific Pictures confirmed Idol would not be returning this year.
Still, host Dominic Bowden will be hosting what TV2 says is a little closer to TV3's Rockstar in style. The show is produced by Touchdown (Celebrity Treasure Island, Ticket to the Tribes).
The first big difference is that the contestants have already proved they can sing (a bit of a shame considering the most entertaining parts of Idol were the auditions exposing New Zealand's tone-deaf munters, psychotic warblers and "Heavy metal Harry Potters").
Instead the contestants (see sidebar) are formerly of TV reality shows including Idol, Popstars and So You Wanna Be A Popstar?
The judges are Peter Urlich, (Th'Dudes, now George FM host) vocal coach Kim Willoughby, (When the Cat's Away), Jordan Luck (the Exponents) and judge and musical director Harry Lyon (Hello Sailor). They will pick the songs each week so there's more emphasis on performance.
"We want to try and make it not so obviously a karaoke competition and pick more contemporary material," says Lyon, who also works at the Music and Audio Institute (Mainz) as head of contemporary music performance.
Hopefully that means more Gwen and less Garfunkel as contestants perform at the St James each Sunday to an audience who have paid for tickets via the website: (www.touchdowntv.com).
The other big difference is that while voters decide on the bottom two performers, it's the judges who choose who will be eliminated during the half-hour Wednesday night show.
It is also hoped that the judges - a credible mix of local musicians - will help to put paid to industry negativity directed at NZ Idol.
Few could forget the slinging match that ensued when Idol judges Iain Stables, Megan Alatini and Frankie Stevens accused established musicians Neil Finn, Graham Brazier, Dave Dobbyn and Boh Runga of "musical snobbery" for not wanting to appear on the show.
Runga famously responded by saying she would rather "lick the inside of a toilet bowl than appear on Idol".
Whether or not she'd appear on Ultimate remains to be seen but Brazier has already agreed to appear on the show as a guest judge.
Likewise, Lyon says he was asked to be on the show for his involvement in music education, and not just because he's a former rock star. "I'm not being cast as a sort of nasty Simon Cowell. I'm used to critiquing students in a constructive way. I'm just trying to give it some musical integrity and pick songs that place the singers in the best possible light."
Still, that sense of deja vu is all-pervading. If the contestants didn't make it the first time around, who's to say the public will care the second or third time?
Rosita Vai, for instance, who won NZ Idol in 2005, had a hit single after the show but her debut album bombed and her public profile has been quiet for well over a year. Understandably, she was apprehensive about going through the process a second time.
"I was a little bit uneasy about getting in front of the cameras again but then I thought, 'Why not?' I'm more confident now. I'm in it for the long run. I just want to stay in the industry. It's a good opportunity and I couldn't pass up the chance to be on the screen."
She hopes to use the show as a platform to release new recordings, even if she has yet to discuss that with her record label, SonyBMG. She has been writing a new album, recording and setting up a new band, as well as playing a few gigs.
"For me, it's about proving to myself and reassuring myself, yes I can do this. It's not like I can't sing."
She has also seen many of the Idols perform since the show and says they have continued to improve. "This is going to be a mean competition."
Says Lyon, "It's a different model from Idol where you're signed to a record company straight away. I think there's quite a successful model in this country where artists record themselves then go out looking for a deal. If the winner was to do that successfully they might be in a stronger position.
"Obviously, it is a competition and it is light entertainment on TV2 on Sunday nights as well. We're not avoiding that."
Lowdown
What: Pop's Ultimate Star
When & where: TV2, May 27, 7pm. The half-hour elimination show will screen every Wednesday from June 6.
The Contestants
Joe Cotton, 28
Claim to fame: Remember her from TrueBliss, the world's first reality TV-generated pop band? Later, a newly sculpted Cotton went on to star in reality shows Treasure Island and Shock Treatment. She can now be found on C4 and the Edge.
Ben Lummis, 28
Claim to fame: Won NZ Idol in 2004 after transforming from quiet Christian boy into leather-pants-wearing pop star. But after being dropped by his record company, Lummis became better known via the women's mags for shacking up with his Idol sweetheart, Sela.
Steve Broad, 21
Claim to fame: Came third in NZ Idol, 2005. Um, we don't remember much about Steve. Renditions of songs by Bryan Adams, Lifehouse and John Farnham spring to mind. But look! He's got a white tie on with his denim jacket and styley hair. That's got to count for something.
Matt Saunoa, 22
Claim to fame: Won NZ Idol last year. From garage builder in Levin to pop star, Saunoa's first single Hold Out, was written by James Reid from the feelers. The song went to number one and became the theme song for TV One's summer series.
Camillia Temple, 30
Claim to fame: Came third in NZ Idol, 2004. Before that she toured hotels in Asia. Was touted by record labels as the one most likely to make it in the real world. Wouldn't it be a bit weird if she did better than Ben Lummis in this competition?
Rosita Vai, 25
Claim to fame: Won NZ Idol 2005. Her first single All I Ask topped the charts for two weeks but her album Golden didn't do so well. Vai stayed in the headlines, responding to Sir Howard Morrison's criticism of her weight. She is still signed to SonyBMG and has a new band in Wellington.
Nik Carlson, 28
Claim to fame: Came second in NZ Idol 2005. Before that, Carlson was a regular performer at the Country Music Awards. After Idol he signed to ADK Entertainment, who also represent Nesian Mystik and Adeaze. Has nice hair.
David Wikaira-Paul, 22
Claim to fame: Played young dad Tama on Shortland Street. Won So You Wanna Be A Popstar? Appeared on the second series of Dancing with the Stars. Having forged much of his musical career on the box, he seems well suited to the strictures of reality TV.
Keri Harper, 28
Claim to fame: The first member of TrueBliss to disappear into obscurity. She's now a full-time graphic artist but sings regularly with Jackie Clarke in Abbalicious, and her covers band.
Emily Williams, 22 (Not shown.)
Claim to fame: The Kiwi gal who came second in Australian Idol, 2005 and became a big star across the ditch. Before Idol she was a forklift driver.
