Dineo Ranaka’s ‘smart’ appearance on ‘Idols SA’ impresses

Idols SA audiences were left much happier in recent weeks with guest judge Dineo Ranaka’s stellar performance on the chair.

Viewers have not been happy since Somizi Mhlongo and M-Net parted ways in August. The show’s solution to filling his chair was to have weekly celebrity guests but this has been a hit and miss.

However, radio and TV personality Ranaka’s appearance on Sunday was met with much praise, as they thought she could fill the job full time.

RELATED: ‘Idols SA’ viewers are fed up with the Somizi-less show

Viewers said Ranaka’s “intelligent” commentary made her more than suitable.

The top eight performed and the judges wanted nothing more than their best from the remaining contestants.

Last week, Monique was eliminated from the competition, and over five million votes were cast this week, M-Net said in a statement.

The contestants had free rein of choices, with Karabo, Nqobie and S’22Kile being the top three performances according to the judges.

Karabo performed American Idols season three winner Fantasia’s When I See U. All three judges were impressed, with Ranaka impressed by Karabo’s confidence on stage.

After Nqobie’s performance of Soa Mattrix and Soulful G’s Uthando, Randall Abrahams said the singer always exudes cool and never tries too hard.

S’22kile sang Nomcebo Zikode smash hit Xola Moya Wam, a performance that won over all the judges. Dineo said she had the x-factor, while Randall said it was her best performance so far.

The bottom two performers included Sia Mzizi who sang Loyiso’s Dream About You, while Daylin Sass chose Justin Bieber’s Yummy. Judges had a mixed reaction to their performances as they thought they could have been much stronger.

Closing off the evening, Kevin had a stellar performance with his rendition of Teni’s Case. Ranaka declared him a star while Unathi Nkayi said he was amazing to watch.