News Release – 'Idol' Voters Decide Wild Card Contestants

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Toronto, ON (July 4, 2005) – It’s another World First for Canadian Idol. Viewers will vote twice in one week – following an expanded Canadian Idol episode this Wednesday night – to choose competitors for next week’s Wild Card show, CTV announced today. It’s the first time among the Idols formats around the world that the voting public will get a say in choosing
which competitors deserve a second chance to advance to the finals. Last season, Canadian Idol was the first Idols series ever to showcase
finalists playing their own musical instruments, a concept that was imitated on American Idol this year.

In previous seasons, eight competitors were selected from eliminated members of the Top 32 by the judging panel to return and compete in the
Wild Card show for the final two Top 10 slots. Now, up to a dozen eliminated Top 32 competitors – who will be revealed live on Canadian Idol this Wednesday, July 5 from 8 – 9 p.m. ET (tape delayed in the West) on
CTV – will contend for the eight Wild Card spots in a judicial showdown.

Following the announcement of the results of Tuesday night’s regular vote, the Wild Card contenders will state their case live to the nation about why they deserve a second chance to be in the Top 10. Then, Canadians will once again go to the polls for the second vote in two nights to choose the final eight competitors that will compete next Tuesday.

“This is another breakthrough for Canadian Idol,” said Executive Producer John Brunton. “It’s going to be a wild Wednesday. The judges are at odds with another over their selections, so who knows what might happen. But
we think it is important that viewers have a say in who gets a second hance.”

Here’s how Canadian Idol’s Wild Wednesday will unfold:

·On Tuesday, July 5, Canadian Idol’s fourth Group of Eight will perform live on CTV (see separate release). Following the show, Canadians
will vote for their favourite competitor.

·On Wednesday, July 6 in an expanded one-hour Results Episode, host Ben Mulroney will announce the two competitors from the fourth Group of
Eight that will advance to the Top 10. The pair will become the seventh and eighth members of the Canadian Idol Top 10.

·Then, up to 12 competitors will be revealed live and in person as Wild Card contenders – previously eliminated competitors that Canadian
Idol’s four-member judging panel feel deserve a second chance at cracking the Top 10.

·Some of the 12 may be among the eliminated competitors from the fourth Group of Eight who moments earlier found out they had not made the
Top 10. Within minutes, some may get a second chance.

·In what is sure to be a heated exchange, the judges will declare their support or opposition for the competitors.

·Mulroney will then ask Wild Card contenders to make a plea – live to the nation – about why they deserve to compete once again. They have less than a minute to make their case in whatever format they choose: a song, a
poem, an impassioned speech.

·Following the show, viewers will have the opportunity to vote for the second time in two nights. This time, however, they will vote for the contender they feel should have a chance to perform in next week’s Wild Card performance show.

·All of the Wild Card “contenders” will then rehearse as if they will be competing on the following Tuesday’s Wild Card performance episode – but only a select group will make the cut.

·On Tuesday, July 12, all of the Wild Card “contenders” will appear live on Canadian Idol. Host Ben Mulroney will then announce the results of the previous Wednesday’s vote. For some of them, their dreams will be dashed
immediately and they will leave the stage. For the others, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing again for the Canadian public and a second chance at the Top 10.

·Following the show, viewers will vote for their favourite Wild Card competitor.

·On Wednesday, July 13, the final two members of the Canadian Idol Top 10 will be revealed.

Credit: CTV