Project Fame, also known as Project Fame West Africa or MTN Project Fame West Africa (for sponsorship purposes), is a music talent reality show filmed in Lagos and aired in the West African subcontinent. It was a regional version of Star Academy reality series, which was developed and licensed internationally by Endemol. The show used to feature contestants from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, but Liberia and Sierra Leone have been dropped since the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The show was broadcast by networks in these four countries and across the African continent.
Run by Ultima production, Project Fames inaugural season began in 2008. The production format consisted of gala evenings held each Sunday night in prime time and hosted by Joseph Benjamin and Adaora Oleh. In season 7, Adaora was replaced with Bolanle Olukanni. Additionally, there was a weekly recap show and the eviction night on Saturday night.
The jury was formed by three judges; Praiz, Bibie Brew and Tee-Y Mix, and Faculty members of the Academy which include: Joke Silva, Lovette Otegbola, Dupe Ige, Ben Ogbeiwi and Mr Gboyega Ayoade.
The show was notorious for its winners struggling to have continued success in the entertainment industry. Of all the contestants in the nine seasons, only Iyanya, Chidinma, Praiz, Niniola and Johnny Drille have gone on to make various degrees of success in music; season 5 winner Ayoola went on to become a television star
Winners & Runners-up Season Year Winner Runner-up Country Host Iyanya Nigeria Mike Anyasodo Nigeria Chidinma Nigeria Monica Ogah Nigeria AyoolaMarvellous OdieteNigeria Olawale Nigeria Geoffrey Oji Nigeria Jeff Akoh Nigeria Okiemute IghorodjeBellaNaija: And the Winner is... 25-year-old Okiemute Ighorodje Wins Season 9 of MTN Project Fame West Africa! Nigeria
Season 1 (2008)
Season 2 (2009)
Season 3 (2010)
Candidate Age Residence ResultAdebola Kester29GhanaChidinma22Ikorodu, NigeriaChristian22Ashanti Region, GhanaEyo29Lagos, NigeriaKesse24GhanaOchukoLagos, NigeriaTolu Adesina29Kaduna, NigeriaYetundeIbadan, NigeriaJoecelia GbondoFreetown, Sierra Leone10th EvictedRhoda26Lagos, Nigeria9th EvictedVwede AkpogumaBenin, Nigeria8th EvictedHelen Pajebo-Jackson23Monrovia, Liberia7th EvictedShehu30Kaduna, Nigeria6th EvictedMonica24Enugu, Nigeria5th EvictedSamuel StrykerMonrovia, Liberia4th EvictedModele22Abeokuta, Nigeria3rd EvictedLindseyAbuja, Nigeria2nd EvictedGold21Lagos, Nigeria1st Evicted
Gala evenings 1st Live Show - Contestant's choice
OrderContestantSong (Original Artist)Result Tolu "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Michael Bolton) Safe Rhoda "For You I Will" (Monica) Safe Lindsey "Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper) Safe Joecelia "Breathe Again" (Toni Braxton) Safe Helen "Nothing Compares To You" (Sinéad O'Connor) Safe Vwede "Coast to Coast" (Westlife) Safe Yetunde "You Gotta Be" (Des'ree) Safe Eyo "I Just Called To Say I Love You" (Stevie Wonder) Safe Chidinma "Stickwitu" (The Pussycat Dolls) Safe Shehu "Careless Whispers" (George Michael) Safe Modele "Same Old Love" (Anita Baker) Safe Kesse "Rock Me Tonight" (Freddie Jackson) Safe Gold "Smooth Operator" (Sade Adu) Safe Samuel "Lady In Red" (Chris de Burg) Safe Adebola "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Whitney Houston) Safe Monica "Still the One" (Shania Twain) Safe Christian "No Matter Why" (Boyzone) Safe Ocuhko "My Girl" (Temptations) Safe
2nd Live Show - Aṣa & Tracy ChapmanMentor: Aṣa
OrderContestantSong (Original Artist)Result Yetunde "Eye Adaba" (Aṣa) Safe Eyo "Change" (Tracy Chapman) Safe Joecelia "Fire on the Mountain" (Aṣa) Bottom Five Shehu "Kiss the Rain" (Tracy Chapman) Bottom Five Modele "You're the One" (Tracy Chapman) Bottom Five Tolu "Jailer Man" (Aṣa) Safe Rhoda "For My Love" (Tracy Chapman) Safe Lindsey "Give Me One Reason" (Tracy Chapman) Eliminated Chidinma "Fast Cars" (Tracy Chapman) Safe Helen "Sorry" (Tracy Chapman) Safe Vwede "If You Want Me" (Tracy Chapman) Safe Christian "360 Degrees" (Aṣa) Safe Ochuko "She's Got Her Ticket" (Tracy Chapman) Safe Samuel "Peace" (Aṣa) Safe Adebola "Iba" (Aṣa) Safe Monica "Why?" (Tracy Chapman) Safe Gold "Waidi" (Aṣa) Eliminated Kesse "So Beautiful" (Aṣa) Safe
3rd Live Show - ReggaeMentor: Samini
OrderContestantSong (Original Artist)Result Ochuko "Rock Me Baby" (Johnny Nash) Safe Christian "I Shot the Sheriff" (Bob Marley) Safe Joecelia "Cherry Oh Baby" (UB40) Safe Monica "Pass the Dutchie" (Musical Youth) Safe Modele "Rat Race" (Mandators) Eliminated Eyo "Romba Stylee" (Ras Kimono) Safe Tolu "Get Up, Stand Up" (Bob Marley) Safe Chidinma "Gnashing of Teeth" (Mighty Diamonds) Safe Helen "Just Don't Wanna be Lonely" (Freddie McGregor) Bottom Five Rhoda "Mama Africa" (Peter Tosh) Bottom Five Vwede "Kpobaro" (Evi Edna) Safe Samuel "Don't Turn Around" (Aswad) Eliminated Adebola "I Wanna Wake Up With You" (Boris Gardiner) Bottom Five Shehu "Back To My Roots" (Lucky Dube) Safe Kesse "Land of my Birth" (Eric Donaldson) Safe Yetunde "I Need a Roof" (Mighty Diamonds) Safe
4th Live Show - African NightMentor: Lagbaja
OrderContestantSong (Original Artist)Result Eyo "Lady" (Fela) Safe Shehu "Coolu Temper" (Lagbaja) Eliminated Joecelia "I Shall Sing" (Miriam Makeba) Safe Monica "Nigeria Go Survive" (Veno) Eliminated Kesse "Dambebi" (Ofori Amponsah) Safe Chidinma "Ipi Tombia" (Miriam Mekeba) Safe Rhoda "I'm Burning Up" (Yvonne Chaka Chaka) Bottom Five Helen "Taxi Driver" (Mandy Brown) Safe Vwede "Rhumba Dance" (Mike Okri) Bottom Five Tolu "Palava" (Fela) Safe Adebola "Thank you Mr. DJ" (Yvonne Chaka Chaka) Bottom Five Yetunde "Wombo Lombo" (Angélique Kidjo) Safe Christian "Wo Se Keta A Bae Mu" (Daddy Lumba) Safe Ochuko "Konko Below" (Lagbaja) Safe
5th Live Show - Soft Rock and SoulMentor: Frank Edoho
OrderContestantSong (Original Artist)Result Adebola "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman" (Celine Dion) Safe Yetunde "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Fergie) Safe Eyo "Three Times A Lady" (Kenny Rogers) Safe Joecelia "It's My House" (Diana Ross) Safe Kesse "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan) Safe Rhoda "Runaway" (The Corrs) Safe Vwede "Take My Breath Away" (Berlin) Safe Tolu "First Cut Is The Deepest" (Rod Stewart) Safe Ochuko "One More Night" (Phil Collins) Safe Christian "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (Simply Red) Safe Helen "Lake A Prayer" (Madonna) Safe Chidinma "I Want To Know What Love Is" (Mariah Carey) Safe
6th Live Show - Classic Duets & Evergreen Disco SongsMentor: Yinka Davies
OrderContestantSong (Original Artist)Result 1 Eyo "Same Girl" (Usher & R. Kelly) Safe Kesse Safe 2Christian "Two Wrongs" (Wyclef Jean & Claudette Ortizt)Bottom 5HelenEliminated 3Vwede "Love of My Life" (George Benson & Roberta Flack)Eliminated Adebola Safe 4 Joecelia "I Got You Babe" (UB40) SafeOchukoBottom 5 5 Tolu "My Boo" (Usher & Alicia Keys) Safe Chidinma Safe 6Rhoda "Frankie" (Sister Sledge)Bottom 5 Yetunde Safe Eyo "Cassanova" (Gerald Levert) Safe Kesse "Ladies Man" (Kool & the Gang) Safe Helen "Ain’t Nobody" (Chaka Khan) Eliminated Christian "Rock The Boat" (The Hues Corporation) Bottom 5 Vwede "Night Shift" (The Commodores) Eliminated Adebola "Staying Alive" (Bee Gees) Safe Joecelia "I'm in Love" (Evlyn King) Safe Ochuko "Wet My Whistle" (Midnight Star) Bottom 5 Tolu "Caribbean Quee" (Billy Ocean) Safe Chidinma "I'm Every Woman" (Whitney Houston) Safe Yetunde "Somebody Else's Guy" (Jocelyn Brown) Safe Rhoda "Ring My Bell" (Anita Ward) Bottom 5
7th Live Show - Afro-Caribbean nightMentor': Onyeka Onwenu
OrderContestantSong (Original Artist)Result Adebola "Halleluyah" (Onyeka Onwenu) Bottom 5 Eyo "Ifeoma" (Felix Lebarty) Safe Joecelia "Baby Let Me Love You" (Bonny Macs) Eliminated Kesse "Searching" (Bongos Ikwe) Safe Christian "Bonsue" (Joe Mensah) Safe Yetunde "Jafunmi" (Sunny Adé) Bottom 5 Chidinma "Ekwe" (Onyeka Onwenu) Safe Tolu "You & I" (Onyeka Onwenu) Safe Rhoda "Hot Hot Hot" (Mighty Diamonds) Eliminated Ochuko "Afro Juju" (Sir Shina Peters) Bottom 5
Elimination chart
+Elimination Chart 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Adebola IN IN IN IN IN IN Chidinma IN IN IN IN IN IN Christian IN IN IN IN IN IN Eyo IN IN IN IN IN IN Kesse IN IN IN IN IN IN Ochuko IN IN IN IN IN IN Tolu IN IN IN IN IN IN Yetunde IN IN IN IN IN IN Rhoda IN IN IN IN IN OUT Joecelia IN IN IN IN IN OUT Vwede IN IN IN IN OUT Helen IN IN IN IN OUT Shehu IN IN OUT Monica IN IN OUT Samuel IN OUT Modele IN OUT Lindsey OUT Gold OUT The contestant won the show The contestant lost in the final The contestant was in the Bottom Five, but saved by the jury The contestant was in the Bottom Five, but saved by the academy The contestant was in the Bottom Five, but saved by the students The contestant was eliminated
Season 4 (2011)
Season 5 (2012)
Season 6 (2013)
Season 7 (2014)
Season 8 (2015)
Season 8 is being broadcast on TVC, MiTv, DBN, Soundcity, ONTv and GetTv, the finalists were Ada, Anderson, Arewa, Deinde, Jeff & pearl. Jeffrey Ufedo Akoh finished as the winner of season 8.
Season 9 (2016)
References
External links Official website