Popstars: The Rivals
| Popstars The Rivals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Presented by | Davina McCall |
| Judges |
Pete Waterman Louis Walsh Geri Halliwell |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Nigel Hall Duncan Gray |
| Producer(s) |
Claudia Rosencrantz Nicholas Steinberg |
| Running time | 30 – 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | LWT |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 7 September 2002 – 22 December 2002 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Popstars |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Popstars The Rivals (often stylised as Popstars: The Rivals) was a British television talent show series that was broadcast on ITV in late 2002. It was the second UK series of the international Popstars franchise. Unlike Popstars, which resulted in the formation of one winning group – Hear'Say – Popstars: The Rivals created two rival groups, Girls Aloud and One True Voice, who competed against each other for the Christmas Number One spot on the UK Singles Chart.
Popstars The Rivals aired on ITV on Saturday nights from 7 September 2002, beginning with three pre-recorded episodes of preliminary audition rounds, before switching to live broadcasts of studio performances. During the rounds of live show, viewers voted for their favourite performers by telephone and the Red Button on digital television remote controls. In the final weeks, five females and five males were chosen by the British public to form the two groups, boy band One True Voice, and girl group Girls Aloud. The final episode of Popstars: The Rivals aired live on 22 December 2002. During the broadcast, Pepsi Chart Show presenter Neil Fox revealed in a live link-up that "Sound of the Underground" recorded by Girls Aloud had reached Number one on the Singles Chart, thereby becoming the Christmas Number One. One True Voice's double A-side single, "Sacred Trust/After You're Gone" entered the chart at Number Two.
The series was hosted by Davina McCall, with the performances judged by Pete Waterman, Louis Walsh and Geri Halliwell. In addition to the main show, Popstars The Rivals Extra aired on ITV2, presented by popstar Dane Bowers and Pop Idol finalist Hayley Evetts.
Judges and presenters
Judges
On the judging panel, neither Nigel Lythgoe, Paul Adam nor Nicki Chapman, the three judges from the first series of Popstars, returned for Popstars: The Rivals. Lythgoe had left ITV to work with Simon Fuller at 19 Entertainment and become the executive producer of Pop Idol and American Idol,[1] although he initially expressed an interest in appearing.[2] Chapman also went to 19, where she managed the careers of Pop Idol winner and runner-up Will Young and Gareth Gates.[1] Adam turned down the opportunity to return as he was too busy working as a music executive at RCA Records.[1]
The judges for Popstars: The Rivals were announced as record producer and songwriter Pete Waterman, who as part of 1980–90s production trio Stock Aitken Waterman had worked with Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley and Steps amongst others; Geri Halliwell, who rose to fame as part of Spice Girls and later had a career as a solo popstar;[1][3][4] and Chris Evans, who had presented breakfast shows on BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio, and The Big Breakfast and TFI Friday on Channel 4.[5] Evans later decided not to appear, and after approaching Sharon Osbourne,[6] producers chose Louis Walsh, a music manager who had represented Boyzone, Samantha Mumba, Ronan Keating and Westlife, and who had judged on the 2001 Irish edition of Popstars as the third judge.[1][7]
Presenters
The series was presented by Davina McCall,[4] who had hosted the Popstars finale in 2001,[8] and also hosted Big Brother, God's Gift, Streetmate, Don't Try This at Home, and the 2001 BRIT Awards.[1] Former Another Level singer Dane Bowers and former Popstars and Pop Idol contestant Hayley Evetts presented Popstars: The Rivals Extra on ITV2.[9][10]
Production
Popstars The Rivals drew on the success of the first series of Popstars, which aired during the winter months of 2000 and 2001,[11] and Pop Idol, which aired in the winter months of 2001–2002.[12] Popstars resulted in the formation of one winning pop group, Hear’Say,[13][14] who was selected solely by the judges,[11] but Pop Idol made extensive use of viewer interactivity with the home audience voting for their favourite act to win the competition either via the show's official website or by calling premium-rate telephone numbers.[12] In the months since Popstars finished, the five runners-up of the show had formed their own group, Liberty X, and were enjoying more commercial success than Hear’Say. The British media had also begun to create a rivalry between the two groups.
The Popstars producers drew upon this rivalry for Popstars: The Rivals to create two winning pop groups, a boy band and a girl group, in a "battle of the sexes",[3] to vie for the Christmas Number One spot in the UK Singles Chart, a traditionally competitive time in the British music market. To further the rivalry, members of the public were to select who would remain in the show by voting for their favourite acts using premium-rate telephone numbers, text messaging, via the Popstars website, and with the Red Button on digital television remote controls. Each week, the singer with the fewest public votes would be eliminated from the competition until five males and five females remained, who would then form the two rival groups. Elements of Channel 4's Big Brother, which aired during the summer months since 2000,[15] were used in Popstars: The Rivals when the final ten boys and final ten girls moved into two houses and lived together, watched by television cameras.
Selection process
Applications and auditions
Initial auditions began on 9 August 2002 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London.[16] and continued in a number of cities around the United Kingdom. This stage of the competition was broadcast over three episodes, with auditions taking place in London,[17] Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester.[18] Most contestants were invited to audition after sending in video tapes of themselves singing, but open auditions were also held at Wembley Conference Centre in Wembley, London on 9 August 2002 and at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester a week later. This was in response to the massive demand of the original Popstars series which had seen thousands turned away due to time restraints.[19] Just two of the hopefuls advanced from the London open auditions.[20]
The open auditions were broadcast across 3 episodes. Around 100 contestants made it through to the next round of the competition.
Bootcamp
The 102 remaining contestants had to travel to London for the bootcamp stage, where they were met by Davina McCall. With only 50 places available in the next round, the judges had tough decisions to make. The contestants were put through various workshops to test both their singing and dancing abilities. All contestants were able to choose a song to perform, while choreographers judged them on their dancing.
After two days of the workshop, 52 contestants failed to progress and left the competition. 13-year-old Stephanie McMichael was eliminated after producers discovered she had lied about her age and was below the age limit.
The final 50 were next reduced to 30 through another series of workshops. Pete Waterman mentored the boys, Louis Walsh oversaw the girls and Geri Halliwell acted as an intermediary between the two groups. After much deliberation, the judges called contestants to see them individually and deliver their verdicts. All the contestants returned home, with 30 left in the competition.
Judges visits
The last two episodes before the live shows saw the final 30 being reduced to a final 20, with five boys and five girls failing to make the cut. The three judges were assigned contestants to visit separately and deliver the good or bad news of whether they had reached the live finals. The remaining contestants would move into a house together for the live stages of the competition.
The ten eliminated acts were:
Boys – Justin Webb, Sean Haven, Owen Doyle, Jacob Thompson, Jeremy Medcalf
Girls – Kimberley Walsh, Pollyanna Woodward, Nicola Roberts, Annika Gavitas, Charlie Houston
Finalists
Ten male and ten female finalists were chosen to perform in the live shows.[21][22] There was some controversy as one of the original finalists, Hazel Kaneswaran, was forced to pull out of the show because she was 10 days too old at the time of the auditions. The show had an age limit of 24 and Hazel had just turned 25. Her situation was further complicated by the fact that she was eight months pregnant. She had the baby in October 2002.[23] Kimberley Walsh, one of the girls who did not make the final 10, took Kaneswaren's place for the live shows. A special half-hour episode was broadcast on 14 October 2002 to show these changes, with Geri Halliwell informing Hazel of her elimination and Louis Walsh inviting Kimberley back onto the show.
Nicola Roberts, who also failed to make it through, replaced 19-year-old Nicola Ward, who quit the show over what she considered "exploitation" of contestants by the producers.[24]
Final 10 Boys
|
Final 10 Girls
|
Live shows
| Popstars The Rivals | |
|---|---|
| Series 1 | |
| Broadcast from | 7 September – 22 December 2002 |
| Judges |
Pete Waterman Louis Walsh Geri Halliwell |
| Presenter(s) | Davina McCall (ITV1) |
| Co-presenter(s) |
Dane Bowers (ITV2) Hayley Evetts (ITV2) |
| Broadcaster | ITV |
| Winner | |
| Girls Aloud/One True Voice | |
| Song |
"Girls Aloud: Sound of the Underground One True Voice: Sacred Trust/After You're Gone" |
| Mentor |
Girls Aloud: Louis Walsh One True Voice: Pete Waterman |
| Runner-up | |
| Phixx/Clea | |
Results summary
- Colour key
| – | Contestant was in the bottom two but was declared safe. |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom three but was declared safe. |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom four but was declared safe. |
| – | Contestant was eliminated or withdrew |
| – | Contestant qualified for One True Voice or Girls Aloud. |
- Boys
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 3 | Week 5 | Week 7 (Final) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Johnson | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Qualified |
| Keith Semple | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Daniel Pearce | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Anton Gordon | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Qualified |
| Jamie Shaw | Bottom three | Safe | Safe | Bottom two - Qualified |
| Chris Park | Bottom two | Safe | Safe | Eliminated |
| Mikey Greene | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 5) |
| Nikk Mager | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 3) | |
| Peter Smith | Safe | Withdrew[A] | Withdrew (week 3) | |
| Andrew Kinlochlan | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 1) | ||
- Girls
| Contestant | Week 2 | Week 4 | Week 6 | Week 8 (Final) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Tweedy | Safe | Bottom four | Bottom two | Qualified |
| Nicola Roberts | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Nadine Coyle | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Kimberley Walsh | Bottom three | Bottom four | Bottom four | Qualified |
| Sarah Harding | Safe | Safe | Bottom four | Bottom two - Qualified |
| Javine Hylton | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated |
| Aimee Kearsley | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 6) |
| Emma Beard | Bottom two | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 4) | |
| Chloe Staines | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 4) | |
| Lynsey Brown | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 2) | ||
Live show details
The live shows took on a format where the girls and boys performed on alternate weeks. After the performances had ended the public voted via telephone or the red button to save their favourite act. The live shows were broadcast in two parts, with the performances in the first episode and the results in the second. In the initial episodes, the three contestants with the lowest number of votes made up a bottom three. One was immediately told they were safe and the other two had a nervous wait before one was saved and the other left the competition. In weeks 3 and 4, two contestants were eliminated from each category. The person who was knocked out had to sing again at the end of the show after seeing a montage of their competition journey.
In the final, the six remaining male and female singers performed. Five of the boys formed One True Voice and five of the girls formed Girls Aloud.
The first live show was broadcast on ITV1 on 12 October 2002. The live final took place over two weeks, a couple of weeks before Christmas on 23 November for the boys and 30 November for the girls.
Week 1 (12 October 2002)
Category performing: Boys
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Pearce | 1 | "Against All Odds" | Safe |
| Jamie Shaw | 2 | "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" | Bottom three |
| Keith Semple | 3 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" | Safe |
| Andrew Kinlochlan | 4 | "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" | Eliminated |
| Nikk Mager | 5 | "A Little Bit More" | Safe |
| Mikey Green | 6 | "Drive" | Safe |
| Peter Smith | 7 | "Since I Don't Have You" | Safe |
| Matthew Johnson | 8 | "Amazed" | Safe |
| Chris Park | 9 | "More Than a Woman" | Bottom two |
| Anton Gordon | 10 | "Same Old Song" | Safe |
Bottom three: Jamie Shaw, Chris Park and Andrew Kinlochlan received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Jamie was told that he was safe, leaving Andrew and Chris in the bottom two. Andrew was eliminated.[25]
Week 2 (19 October 2002)
Category performing: Girls
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javine Hylton | 1 | (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman | Safe |
| Kimberley Walsh | 2 | Baby Can I Hold You | Bottom three |
| Chloe Staines | 3 | Where Do Broken Hearts Go | Safe |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 4 | Now That I've Found You | Safe |
| Sarah Harding | 5 | Build Me Up Buttercup | Safe |
| Nadine Coyle | 6 | Show Me Heaven | Safe |
| Lynsey Brown | 7 | All Around the World | Eliminated |
| Nicola Roberts | 8 | River Deep Mountain High | Safe |
| Aimee Kearsley | 9 | Never Had a Dream Come True | Safe |
| Emma Beard | 10 | You Might Need Somebody | Bottom two |
Bottom three: Lynsey Brown, Emma Beard and Kimberley Walsh received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Kimberley was told that she was safe, leaving Lynsey and Emma in the bottom two. Lynsey was eliminated.[26]
Week 3 (26 October 2002)
Category performing: Boys
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Park | 1 | You Take My Breath Away | Safe |
| Mikey Greene | 2 | I Want You Back | Safe |
| Peter Smith | 3 | I Just Called To Say I Love You | Withdrew* |
| Nikk Mager | 4 | Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow | Eliminated |
| Anton Gordon | 5 | Cherish | Safe |
| Keith Semple | 6 | Over My Shoulder | Safe |
| Matthew Johnson | 7 | Everything I Own | Safe |
| Jamie Shaw | 8 | I Only Have Eyes For You | Safe |
| Daniel Pearce | 9 | Celebration | Safe |
*Note: Two of the male contestants were due to be eliminated via the public vote in this show. However, in the results show, Peter Smith shocked everyone (including the judges) as he announced that he was actually several months too old to be involved in the competition and left the show. This meant that only one of the singers would be voted out by the television audience and there was no bottom three.
Nikk Mager received the lowest number of votes and was eliminated.[27]
Week 4 (2 November 2002)
Category performing: Girls
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javine Hylton | 1 | Let's Stay Together | Safe |
| Aimee Kearsley | 2 | I Only Want To Be With You | Safe |
| Emma Beard | 3 | Be My Baby | Eliminated |
| Chloe Staines | 4 | Rescue Me | Eliminated |
| Nicola Roberts | 5 | Shout | Safe |
| Kimberley Walsh | 6 | Un-Break My Heart | Bottom four |
| Sarah Harding | 7 | Anyone Who Had a Heart | Safe |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 8 | You're Still The One | Bottom four |
| Nadine Coyle | 9 | Fields of Gold | Safe |
Davina announced at the beginning of the show that two girls would be leaving the competition this week.
All the girls got positive comments from at least two of the three judges. Nadine received the best verdict from the judges. After she had performed "Fields of Gold", Louis told her "The performance of the night. Stole the show for me" while Geri said "I'd love to buy a single of yours already".[28]
The girls were split into two groups and were told that one girl would be eliminated from each group. The four girls with the lowest votes were Kimberley Walsh, Chloe Staines, Emma Beard and Cheryl Tweedy. Chloe and Emma were the two girls who were knocked out.[29]
Week 5 (9 November 2002)
Category performing: Boys
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikey Greene | 1 | Hello | Eliminated |
| Chris Park | 2 | If You Don't Know Me By Now | Safe |
| Daniel Pearce | 3 | For Once in My Life | Safe |
| Matthew Johnson | 4 | Pray | Bottom two |
| Anton Gordon | 5 | You Can't Hurry Love | Bottom three |
| Keith Semple | 6 | Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word | Safe |
| Jamie Shaw | 7 | Working My Way Back To You | Safe |
Bottom three: Only one contestant was eliminated this week. Anton Gordon, Mikey Greene and Matthew Johnson received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Anton was told that he was safe, leaving Mikey and Matthew in the bottom two. Mikey was eliminated.[30]
Week 6 (16 November 2002)
Category performing: Girls
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aimee Kearsley | 1 | You Keep Me Hanging On | Eliminated |
| Javine Hylton | 2 | End of the Road | Safe |
| Nicola Roberts | 3 | Wind Beneath My Wings | Safe |
| Sarah Harding | 4 | I'll Be There | Bottom four |
| Kimberley Walsh | 5 | Emotions | Bottom four |
| Nadine Coyle | 6 | When I Fall In Love | Safe |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 7 | Nothing Compares 2 U | Bottom two |
Nadine, Javine and Nicola found out they had made it to the final when the results were announced. Cheryl, Sarah, Kimberley and Aimee knew that one of them would be heading home. Davina then revealed that Sarah and Kimberley were through, leaving Cheryl and Aimee pushing for the one remaining spot. Aimee was eliminated.[31]
Week 7 - Boys final (23 November 2002)
The boys' final was broadcast on ITV on 23 November 2002. Each of the singers performed one song before the public voted for who they wanted in the band. The contestants knew that one of them would miss out.
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Semple | 1 | You Are So Beautiful | Qualified |
| Daniel Pearce | 2 | Candle in the Wind | Qualified |
| Matthew Johnson | 3 | I'll Be There for You | Qualified |
| Anton Gordon | 4 | I Believe I Can Fly | Qualified |
| Jamie Shaw | 5 | Everybody Hurts | Bottom two - qualified |
| Chris Park | 6 | With a Little Help From My Friends | Eliminated |
Results: Davina McCall returned in the results show to announce the five boys who had qualified. Matthew Johnson became the first member and he was followed by Keith Semple, Daniel Pearce and Anton Gordon. This left Jamie Shaw and Chris Park fighting for the last remaining spot. Davina revealed that Jamie was the final member of the band, meaning Chris was eliminated.[32]
Week 8 - Girls final (30 November 2002)
The girls final was broadcast on ITV a week later, on 30 November 2002. As with the boys there were six contestants remaining so one would lose out on a place in the band.
| Artist | Order | Song | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Harding | 1 | Holding Out for a Hero | Bottom two - Qualified |
| Nadine Coyle | 2 | I Wanna Dance With Somebody | Qualified |
| Kimberley Walsh | 3 | Chain Reaction | Qualified |
| Javine Hylton | 4 | I'm Every Woman | Eliminated |
| Nicola Roberts | 5 | I'm So Excited | Qualified |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 6 | Right Here Waiting | Qualified |
Note: Sarah was suffering from a sore throat prior to the live show but still managed to perform.
Results: Davina returned in the results show to reveal the lucky five who had made the band. Cheryl was the first to hear her name called out, despite the negative comments from the judges, and she was joined by Nicola, Nadine and Kimberley. Sarah and Javine were therefore in the bottom and Sarah eventually found out she was to become the fifth member of the group. Javine was eliminated.[33]
Winners singles
Battle for Christmas number-one
A month after Girls Aloud had been formed, ITV broadcast a special show on 22 December 2002 to reveal which of the two groups (if either) had made it to number one in the UK Singles Chart. The show connected with Neil Fox at the Pepsi Chart Show studios where he ran down the top 10 singles before revealing the act that had charted highest. Girls Aloud were the lucky ones, with their song "Sound of the Underground" reaching number one with first week sales of around 213,000. "Sacred Trust"/"After You're Gone", the double A-side from One True Voice went straight in at number two having sold close to 137,000 copies, while another Popstars: The Rivals act, The Cheeky Girls charted at number three.[34] "Sound of the Underground" remained at number one for four weeks in total, stretching into 2003.
The girls performed their new single live together for the second time at the end of the programme. Both acts had premiered their debut singles a couple of weeks before on Popstars: The Rivals.
Post Popstars: The Rivals
Winners
Girls Aloud
After the success of their first single "Sound of the Underground", Girls Aloud spent five months recording the follow-up single and their debut album. Sound of the Underground was released in May 2003, reaching number two on the UK Albums Chart. Over the next five years, Girls Aloud released four additional studio albums and a greatest hits collection – What Will the Neighbours Say? (2004), Chemistry (2005), The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits (2006), Tangled Up (2007), and Out of Control (2008). All of their albums have been certified platinum, while The Sound of Girls Aloud has sold over a million copies. Their albums have produced 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, including four number ones. Girls Aloud have been nominated for four BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".
In 2009, Girls Aloud took a hiatus to explore solo endeavours. Cheryl Cole became a successful solo artist, following a guest appearance on will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" in 2008. Her debut solo single "Fight for This Love" saw international success, reaching number one in Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, as well as top ten in eleven other countries. In December 2012, it was certified as a million-selling single in the United Kingdom.[35] Her album 3 Words was certified three times platinum in the UK. She has since released two more studio albums and scored two more UK number one singles with "Promise This" (2010) and "Call My Name" (2012). Cole was also a judge on the highly popular television programme The X Factor for three series, during which time she became one of the most talked about celebrities in Britain, due to her marital troubles with footballer Ashley Cole, a life-threatening battle with malaria, and numerous controversies due to scandals on the series. Cole frequently became referred to in the press as the "nation's sweetheart" and a "national treasure" during her time on the program.[36][37] Cole also became the face of cosmetic company L'Oréal.
Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts also released solo material. Coyle released her debut album Insatiable through a partnership with Tesco in November 2010, while Roberts released Cinderella's Eyes in 2011. Both albums failed to make a major impact on the charts. Roberts also created Dainty Doll, a make-up range aimed at fair-skinned individuals like herself. She has become vocal in her support of laws preventing minors from using sunbeds, in addition to highlighting the dangers of tanning in a BBC Three documentary Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning. In 2010, she filmed a guest appearance on Britain's Next Top Model. She continued her television work by appearing as a judge on the Rihanna-produced series Styled to Rock in 2012.
Sarah Harding and Kimberley Walsh both turned their attention to acting and modeling during the hiatus. Following an appearance in the BBC television film Freefall, Harding had a starring role in the film St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold. Harding recorded three solo songs for the soundtrack. Harding also modeled for Ultimo lingerie and presented Sky Living reality TV show 'Dating in the Dark' for a time. In 2011, Harding went to rehab for alcohol and prescription drug abuse. Meanwhile, Walsh co-hosted Viva's Suck My Pop and presented coverage of the 63rd British Academy Film Awards for MTV. Musically, Walsh has featured on Aggro Santos's "Like U Like". In 2012 Walsh made her West End theatre debut, playing Princess Fiona in the London production of Shrek the Musical. Walsh has also modeled for the fashion chain New Look, Schwarzkopf hair products, and Puma AG. In 2012, Walsh took part in series ten of Strictly Come Dancing.
In 2012, after a three-year hiatus, Girls Aloud reunited to celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band. They released the single "Something New", which donated proceeds to Children in Need, and the greatest hits anthology Ten. In 2013, the group embarked on Ten - The Hits Tour 2013. This was the band's final tour before they permanently went their separate ways.
One True Voice
One True Voice, the winning male group, had a very different level of success. After the disappointment of missing out on the top spot with their debut single and despite the Popstars: The Rivals joint tour with Girls Aloud being cancelled due to poor sales,[38] they released a further single entitled "Shakespeare's (Way With) Words" which only just reached the top 10 in the summer of 2003. Daniel Pearce quit the group at the beginning of June 2003 and, despite the band denying reports that the group was going to split,[39] they inevitably broke up in August 2003.[40] Pearce later went on to audition for the 2009 series of The X Factor, reaching the judges' houses stage before being eliminated. Keith Semple moved to the United States and became the lead singer of Chicago-based rock band 7th Heaven. He auditioned for the ninth season of American Idol, but lost his "golden ticket" place due to his legal status and residency considerations. Years later, Semple auditioned for the ninth season of The Voice, and landed a spot on Adam Levine's team, making it to the live shows.
Other contestants
A number of the contestants who failed to make it into One True Voice or Girls Aloud have managed to achieve some level of success outside of the show. The five boys who did not make it into One True Voice formed the group Phixx after being given a £500,000 record deal with independent record label Concept Records, the label of Popstars rejects Liberty X.[41] Four of the five girls who failed to qualify for Girls Aloud created CLEA (the name comes from each girl's initials). Javine Hylton decided to pursue a career as a solo artist, with a debut single Real Things reaching the top 10 in the United Kingdom. She was also chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, where she performed a song called "Touch My Fire".[42]
Two girls from Romania who did not make it past the auditions, identical twins Monica and Gabriela Irimia, were given a record deal to release songs as The Cheeky Girls. They charted one place behind One True Voice in the 2002 Christmas countdown with "The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)" and released an album entitled PartyTime. They went on to release several more singles, including "Take Your Shoes Off" and "Hooray Hooray It's a Cheeky Holiday".
When CLEA disbanded, members Aimee Kearsley and Emma Beard formed a group named LoveShy and attempted to be the British entry for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest but were knocked out by another girl group, The Revelations. Former Phixx member Nikk Mager auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, in front of Cheryl Cole from Girls Aloud. He failed to advance through the audition stages. Stephanie McMichael, a contestant who pretended she was 16 but then revealed she was 13, later went on and appeared as a contestant on Big Brother 9 in 2008. She was the first to be evicted, and later released a single called "Camera Shy", and went on to audition for the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012 as part the duo "Poisonous Twin".
Reception
Ratings
| Episode | Air date | Official ITV1 rating[43] | Weekly rank[43] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 7 September | 7.66 | 19 |
| Auditions 2 | 14 September | 7.63 | 13 |
| The Final 100 | 21 September | 6.88 | 15 |
| The Final 50 | 28 September | 7.00 | 14 |
| The Final 10 Revealed (Boys) | 5 October | 7.76 | 12 |
| The Final 10 Revealed (Girls) | 6.47 | 17 | |
| Special Edition | 6 October | 5.27 | 24 |
| Live show 1 (Boys Final 10) | 12 October | 6.64 | 16 |
| Live results 1 | Under 4.39 | Outside Top 30 | |
| Live show 2 (Girls Final 10) | 19 October | 7.24 | 16 |
| Live results 2 | Under 4.68 | Outside Top 30 | |
| Live show 3 (Boys Final 9) | 26 October | 7.44 | 15 |
| Live results 3 | 7.41 | 16 | |
| Live show 4 (Girls Final 9) | 2 November | 7.16 | 15 |
| Live results 4 | 6.83 | 19 | |
| Live show 5 (Boys Final 7) | 9 November | 6.88 | 19 |
| Live results 5 | Under 4.87 | Outside Top 30 | |
| Live show 6 (Girls Final 7) | 16 November | 7.30 | 17 |
| Live results 6 | Under 4.58 | Outside Top 30 | |
| Live show 7 (Boys Final 6) | 23 November | 7.18 | 16 |
| Live results 7 (Boys Band Reveal) | 8.90 | 10 | |
| Live show 8 (Girls Final 6) | 30 November | 7.29 | 14 |
| Live results 8 (Girls Band Reveal) | 8.54 | 10 | |
| The Two Bands Launch | 7 December | 7.20 | 16 |
| Behind the Scenes of The Two Bands | 14 December | 5.43 | 24 |
| The Christmas No. 1 Showdown | 22 December | 6.01 | 20 |
Controversy and criticism
As well as contestants being forced out for being over and under the age limit, ITV was met with controversy amid claims that the voting had been rigged in the girls final. It was claimed that viewers wanted to vote for Javine Hylton had been unable to register their votes, with some votes apparently being given to Sarah Harding in error. Hylton ultimately missed out on the final spot in Girls Aloud, which was given to Harding.[44]
London radio station Capital FM received complaints from viewers during their news bulletin, but Red Fig, the company who handled the voting, denied the viewers claims. A spokesman for the show also said they were "satisfied" with the procedure.[45]
Sponsorship
McDonald's sponsored the show in a £4 million deal which covered the programmes on ITV and ITV2 and the official website. The sponsorship provided promotion for the show nationwide in McDonald's restaurants. Martin Strowde, the sponsorship director at Granada Television said "We're delighted that McDonald's has teamed up with us for what promises to be the most exciting hit this autumn".[46]
See also
Notes
- A Peter Smith left the competition in week 4 after admitting that he lied about his age. As a result, there was no bottom 3.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "All you need to know about ITV's Popstars: The Rivals". Digital Spy. August 2002. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ Wilkes, Neil (4 February 2002). "Popstars 2: Nasty Nigel to return?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- 1 2 "Ex-Spice Girl to judge Popstars 2". BBC News. 29 July 2002. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- 1 2 Wilkes, Neil (30 July 2002). "Davina McCall to host "Popstars: The Rivals"". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ Wilkes, Neil (7 July 2002). "Evans, Halliwell signed up for "Popstars: The Rivals"". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ↑ Wilkes, Neil (14 July 2002). "Sharon Osbourne lined up for "Popstars"". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ↑ Wilkes, Neil (28 July 2002). "Walsh replaces Evans on "Popstars" judging panel". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ↑ Wilkes, Neil (13 March 2001). "Popstars: Live finale on Sunday". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ "Evetts to front ITV2 Popstars Coverage". Digital Spy. 6 September 2003. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
- ↑ "News in brief: Singers to front Popstars". BBC News. 4 September 2002. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- 1 2 Malone, Maria (1 February 2001). Popstars - the Making of a Band. André Deutsch. ISBN 0-233-99941-8.
- 1 2 Solanas, Sian (1 March 2002). Pop Idol: The Official Inside Story of the ITV Series. Carlton. ISBN 1-84222-536-7.
- ↑ Wilkes, Neil (2 February 2001). "Popstars: The Winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ↑ Wilkes, Neil (4 February 2001). "Popstars winners revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ↑ Kaur, Narinder (24 May 2007). Big Brother The Inside Story. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-1294-7.
- ↑ "Hopefuls' Popstars dreams dashed". BBC News. 9 August 2002. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ↑ Popstars: The Rivals: Open Auditions - 1
- ↑ Popstars: The Rivals: Open Auditions - 3 TV.com
- ↑ "Hundreds turn out for "Popstars" auditions". Digital Spy. 9 August 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ↑ "Two move on to next round in "Popstars"". Digital Spy. 10 August 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ↑ "Final 20 in Popstars:The Rivals". BBC News. 7 October 2002. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
- ↑ "First Popstars line-up unveiled". Rewind Motion Pictures. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
- ↑ "Popstars contestant has baby". BBC News. 4 October 2002.
- ↑ "Nicola Ward quits Popstars: The Rivals". The Internet Forum.
- ↑ "Episode 9 details (Live show 1)". TV.com.
- ↑ "Episode 10 details (Live show 2)". TV.com.
- ↑ "Episode 11 details (Live show 3)". TV.com.
- ↑ "Popstars Girls: What the judges said". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ↑ "Episode 12 details (Live show 4)". TV.com.
- ↑ "Episode 13 details (Live show 5)". TV.com.
- ↑ "Episode 14 details (Live show 6)". TV.com.
- ↑ "Week 15 (Live show 7 - Boys Final)". TV.com. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
- ↑ "Week 16 (Live show 8) - Girls final". TV.com. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
- ↑ "Girls Aloud win Christmas Number One". Digital Spy. 22 December 2002.
- ↑ "Carly Rae Jepsen and Cheryl Cole join the Million Sellers Club". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ "Cheryl Cole: from nightclub brawler to nation's sweetheart". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ "The Cheryl Cole story: From wannabe to national treasure". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ BBC News (19 February 2003). "Popstars dismiss tour setback". Retrieved 23 November 2008.
- ↑ BBC News (10 June 2003). "One True Voice deny split". Retrieved 23 November 2008.
- ↑ BBC News (13 August 2003). "Reality pop band confirm split". Retrieved 23 November 2008.
- ↑ Newsround (29 August 2003). "Phixx gets £500,000 record deal". Retrieved 23 November 2008.
- ↑ "Javine goes East for Eurovision". BBC News. 16 May 2005. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
- 1 2 "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB.
- ↑ Tara Conlan and Harcharn Chandoke (1 December 2002). "Popstars: The fix?". Daily Mail (dailymail.co.uk). Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ↑ "Popstars 'vote blunder' denied". BBC News (BBC). 2 December 2002. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ↑ "McDonald's to sponsor "Popstars"". Digital Spy. 24 July 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
External links
- TV.com profile
- Popstars: The Rivals at the Internet Movie Database
- Popstars: The Rivals news archive
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