The fifth season of Finnish Idol premiered on February 3, 2011 on MTV3. Nina Tapio and Jone Nikula returned as judges, and Sami Pitkämö replaced Patric Sarin as a judge. Heikki Paasonen returned as the show's host, but his co-hosts from the previous season did not return as they were replaced by Niina Herala.
Idols tekee hyvää, a Finnish version of the hugely acclaimed American Idol Gives Back program, was held for the first time on April 24, 2011. The concert was hosted by Heikki Paasonen and Idols' original hostess Ellen Jokikunnas, who replaced Niina Herala for that one episode.Kaikkien aikojen vauhdikkain Idols alkaa – näin pysyt mukana menossa (in Finnish)
This season also includes a new show called Idols Studio, which replaces Idols Extra. Hosted by Idols Extra's earlier host Janne Kataja, the show includes conversations with varying guests. The show is aired on Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm (earlier 6:30 pm) EET on MTV3.
Regional auditions Episode Air Date Audition City Date Audition Venue Golden TicketsFebruary 3, 2011KuopioOctober 19–20, 2010Kuopion musiikkikeskus15February 6, 2011RovaniemiOctober 26–27, 2010Rovaniemen kaupungintalo9February 10/13, 2011TampereDecember 3–4, 2010Tampere Hall27February 17/20, 2011HelsinkiDecember 18–19, 2010Tapahtumatalo Bank28Total Golden Tickets79
Elimination Chart There were twelve semifinalists, six females and males.
+ Legend Top 12 Winner SafeEliminated
Stage:Semi-FinalsFinalsWeek:3/63/103/133/173/203/244/34/104/175/15/8PlaceContestantResult1Martti Saarinen Winner2Ali ElkharamElim3Hennariikka SyvänneElim4Ilpo KaikkonenElim5Stina GirsElim6Lotta SandholmElim7–8Jerkka VirtanenElimFatima KoromaElim9Jusu WirekoskiElim10Anna PaateroElim11Vilikasper KanthElim12Laura ItkonenElim
Lassi Valtonen was selected as one of the semi-finalists, but he decided to withdraw. He was replaced by a new competitor (Vilikasper Kanth), which was selected 10 March 2011.Idols: Uusi semifinalisti liittyy joukkoon torstaina! (in Finnish)
References
External links Official MTV3 site for Idols