So who got what in the end? Here are some facts and figures I’ve managed to dig out.
Jason Hartman and Sasha Lee Davids have been declared joint winners of the Idols television talent search competition.
Both winners will win a Sony BMG recording contract, both will receive a Citroen car and all other prizes will be equally “split”.
Patricia Scholtemeyer, M-Net CEO, said:
“When M-Net realised that not all the SMS votes cast before the cut-off time at 18.05 had been received and accounted for, we immediately began corrective action to fully understand the true situation… (The unprecedented number of votes for both Jason and Sasha Lee) is evidence of the immense public following that both out Idols garnered during the course of the competition.”
On the question of why Hartman was not named the outright winner, Scholtemeyer said:
“The question (as to why Jason hasn’t been awarded the sole title) does have some merit. But we – in conjunction with FremantleMedia who owns the Idols franchise – felt the volume of votes for both contestants showed that the public loved them both, so we decided to award it jointly to be fair.”
What Jason and Sasha had to say about it
Hartman:
“Incredible, amazing… And also, to be part of the most unusual Idols ever is the best part… It’s been quite a whirlwind and obviously my family and I were quite shocked when we found out (there may be a mistake with the votes)… To come second and then find out that I’ve actually won and I’ve won alongside Sasha Lee… it’s amazing. I’m all about sharing the love!”
Ever the gentleman, respect to him for saying before the fact that he would split his prize, making it a helluva lot easier for everyone, well maybe not Sasha Lee.
Davids:
“I feel fine, funny enough (laughs)… I think Jason said it all… It’s been like a tornado this past week… Obviously it’s not a nice thing contemplating that the title could be taken away from you… But to be honest, I had psyched myself to hear Jason’s name being called out on the night (of the finale), so I felt something was amiss… But the main aim for me in this competition was to get a recording contract and I’ve still got that, so I’m fine. We’ve both worked so hard… And Jason deserves is as much as anyone else.”
What do people actually MEAN when they say someone deserves something as much as anyone else? I mean Jason deserved this more than ME for example? That one always gets me.
Other quotes from the press conference
“This is competition is driven by the public’s vote. While we acknowledge that this was not the scenario that we had expected or wanted, we are delighted with the outcome as both Jason and Sasha Lee are true Idols…” – Scholtemeyer
“The issue arose out of the sheer number of votes that came through after the cut-off time – there was an unprecedented volume of votes on the final night. And it was the significant number of votes outstanding – we’re talking hundreds of thousands – that alerted us there was a problem and which ultimately shifted the vote in Jason’s favour. But there were uncounted votes for Sasha Lee as well.” – Mark Rayner, CEO of DStv Mobile
The numbers:
- Jason Hartman received 1,3 million
- Sasha Lee Davids received 1,1 million
- Over 600 000 extra legitimate delayed votes were tallied in the recount.
Well that’s that I guess. I suppose we can’t always rely on technology, and a little drama never hurt anyone (well maybe Sasha-Lee ain’t too thrilled) but at least we have TWO potential has beens to follow now. That said, the odds on favourite in my mind to be around in a few years time is… you guessed it, Jason.
