Idool (TV series)

Idool is the Belgian version of the Idol series. The series was launched in late 2002 by Belgian television network vtm. The contestants are first narrowed down to 100 contestants, and then down to 30-50 through several auditions and tests by a panel of judges. From this point on, the viewers decide who are in and who are out, and the judges limit themselves to commenting. TV viewers being what they are, the votes are based not solely on the singer's vocal performance, but also on their looks, clothes, entertainment value, and other factors. In difference to the versions from other countries of the franchise, several contestants achieved on-going success in the local music industry, most notably Natalia Druyts, runner-up from season one, who managed to sell over 400,000 albums, and over 1 million concert tickets between 2003 and 2010 in Flanders; and Hadise Açıkgöz, who did not even make the top 10 in Season 1 but nevertheless became a career musician who represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 placing 4th. In 2012 vtm replaced Idool with another singing talent competition, The Voice van Vlaanderen, while still retaining the rights to Idool's format.