Six seasons of Australian Idol

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2003 ... Mark Holden, Marcia Hines & Ian Dickson (complete with his long grey locks) fronted the first season of Australian Idol. The grand final of this series attracted more than 3 million viewers / Supplied

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2003 ... Australia's first ever Australian Idol was the loveable fro, Guy Sebastian. Sebastian released the winner's single Angels Brought Me Here the day after the grand finale. It debuted at #1 on the ARIA Charts with massive sales of over 100,000 copies / Reuters

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2003 ... runner-up and country boy Shannon Noll has been one of the most successful Idols to date. All three of his albums have enjoyed multiple platinum sales / supplied


2003 ... fourth placed Paulini Curuenavuli was most famously known for this outfit and Ian Dickson's controversial comments: "You should choose more appropriate clothing or shed some pounds." Curuenavuli released two albums, the first a #1 hit and a platinum selling success, however her much anticipated second album stalled at #72 on the charts / supplied


2003 ... larger-than-life drag queen Courtney Act made quite a splash on the Idol series, despite failing to make the top 12 / supplied

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2003 ... Rob Mills, or Millsy as he was affectionately known, became more famous for his tryst with Paris Hilton than for his vocal ability. Mills experienced a very short lived career at Sony BMG and was later dropped from the label / Picture: Manuela Cifra



2003 ... Cosima De Vito, who became famous for her unruly eyebrows, came in third place after withdrawing from the competition because of a sudden diagnosis of throat nodules. De Vito signed with an independent label and became the first independent artist to debut at #1 on the charts with her song When The War Is Over / supplied


2003 ... Anthony Sumbati was the larger-than-life guy who famously cried on the phone during auditions proclaiming, "I just want my dad to be proud of me." Sumbati was later disqualified for accepting a radio interview / supplied



2004 ... graphic designer and committed Christian, Dan O'Connor, attended the same church congregation as Guy Sebastian and, like the now-married Sebastian, vowed to remain a virgin until he was married. O'Connor swapped his vocal aspirations for the role of Ned Parker in Neighbours / AAP



2004 ... Ricki Lee Coulter was considered a major contender to win the second Australian Idol competition, however was unexpectedly voted out in what the judges described as "misguided voting". Coulter will join the 2008 Australian Idol hosts in a behind-the-scenes look at the series / supplied


2004 ... runner-up Anthony Callea was invited into the top 12 as a "judge's choice wildcard". Callea apparently remains the only contestant to have recieved one of Mark Holden's "Grand Royale touchdowns" during Idol ... whatever that is! / Craig Greenhill






2004 ... after winning Australian Idol Casey Donovan was signed to Sony BMG and she released a number one single and a platinum selling album.

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2005 ... self-confessed dag, Kate DeAraugo, was an outside chance to win throughout the whole season, but emerged the unlikely public choice. After the show ended DeAraugoreleased a #1 single, a platinum selling album and a further top 10 hit single through Sony BMG before joining all-Idol girl group The Young Divas / AAP


2005 ... this season's runner-up was teenage mum Emily Williams. The former factory worker is yet to release a solo single, having also joined girl group The Young Divas / supplied



2005 ... Dan England was a former service station employee noted for his dreadlock hairstyle. England's elimination was attributed in part to the fact that his home state, Queensland, did not participate in daylight saving and Queensland voters therefore had one hour less to make their votes. State Premier Peter Beattie even got involved / supplied






2006 ... this year's winner Damien Leith is the third most successful selling Australian Idol contestant, closely behind Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll. He has achieved two #1 selling albums, and his third studio album Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation peaked at #2, reaching gold status / supplied

2006 ... runner-up Jessica Mauboy went on to join ex-Idol girl group The Young Divas after Ricki-Lee Coulter left. Mauboy is set to release her first solo single in August 2008 and debut album later in September 2008 / supplied


2006 ... third place-getter Dean Geyer later released his debut album Rush and top ten single If You Don't Mean It, and currently stars on soap Neighbours. Geyer recently split from fiancee Lisa Origlassio / supplied


2006 ... quiet crooner Bobby Flynn released his debut album in February 2008 which entered the charts at #53. Despite poor sales, the album has been described by many critics as one of the stronger debuts from an Idol contestant / Sam Ruttyn






2007 ... the day following the grand finale, Australian Idol season five winner Natalie Gauci released the single Here I Am, which bombed on the charts with a measly 8000 copies sold in its first week / Anthony Reginato

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2007 ... bedhead Matt Corby had the girls in a flurry and was the last person to audition for Idol in 2007. Corby narrowly missed out on the crown to Natalie Gauci / Anthony Reginato


2007 ... pint-sized Tarasai Vushe caused a stir when she hit back at claims she was "fake". Vushe unleashed a vicious expletive-laden spray on the judges and forced Channel 10 to use the bleep ****on on numerous occasions during the family-friendly show / supplied


2007 ... Carl Riseley, a trumpeter from the Royal Australian Navy band, finished third in 2007, and went on to release a swing-style album titled The Rise, which debuted at #5 on the ARIA Charts / supplied



2008 ... almost from day one, popular pub rocker Wes Carr was expected to win the sixth season of Australian Idol, and he did.




2008 ... runner-up this year was sheep shearer Luke Dickens.





2008 ... brickie Mark Spano made it into the top three but was voted out before reaching the grand final. Picture: Dean Marzolla




2008 ... top 10 finalists Teale Jakubenko and Chrislyn Hamilton. Picture: Dean Marzolla