6.2 /10 1 Votes
Producer(s) Arab World First episode date 9 December 2011 | 6.2/10 IMDb No. of seasons 4 Final episode date 13 December 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Networks Middle East Broadcasting Center, MBC 1 Cast Similar Idols, Arab Idol‑Season 2, Star Academy Arab World, The Voice Ahla Sawt, Arabs Got Talent Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arab idol
Arab Idol Arabic: أراب آيدول, also called Arab Idol : Mahboub El Arab (Arabic: أراب آيدول : محبوب العرب), is an Arabic television show based on the popular British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and developed by Fremantle Media and recorded in Beirut, Lebanon. The first season premiered on December 9, 2011. The show was broadcast worldwide on MBC 1 and simultaneously aired on LBC. The second season debuted on 8 March 2013, the third season on 5 September 2014, and the fourth season on 4 November 2016 on MBC.
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Background
Arab Idol is the successor of a previous pan-Arab rendition of the Idol series called Super Star, and that aired on the Lebanese Future TV for 5 seasons, beginning in 2003. MBC 1 expressed desire to revive the show in a revamped version. The concept is still the same: ten young contestants from all over the Arab world are selected after many auditions, and should perform a song on stage in front of the public and the judges on the main weekly show every Friday. Then there is a 24-hour time period during which the viewers can vote for their favorites by SMS. The one who receives the least amount of votes is eliminated during the results show, and this every week, until there is one left. The winner receives various prizes, including but not limited to a recording contract with Platinum Records (recording label affiliated with MBC) for a debut album, and a Chevrolet Corvette. The show was unveiled to the public on July 21, 2011 when MBC 1 began airing the first advertisement. The name was changed from Super Star to Arab Idol and a new logo was launched.
Season 1 (2011-2012)
The first season was hosted by Kuwaiti actor Abdallah Tulehi and Lebanese model Annabella Hilal. The judging panel consisted of
On finale night, March 24, 2012, Carmen Suleiman from Egypt was crowned the winner of the first season of Arab Idol in a tough competition against Dounia Batma from Morocco.
Season 2 (2013)
The second season was hosted by Egyptian singer and actor Ahmed Fahmie and Lebanese model Annabella Hilal. The judging panel consisted of:
The second season premiered on the 8th of March 2013.
On finale night, June 22, 2013, Mohammed Assaf from Palestine was crowned the winner of the second season of Arab Idol in a tough competition against Farah Youssef from Syria and Ahmad Gamal from Egypt.
Season 3 (2014)
The third season premiered on 5 September 2014. Auditions were held in Beirut, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Cairo, Alexandria, Dubai, Morocco, Palestine, the Iraqi-Kurdish city of Irbil and on the European continent, notably in Paris and Berlin. Emirates Airlines was a major sponsor of season 3.
Three of the four judges returned with Ragheb Alama being replaced, after two consecutive seasons, by another well-known Lebanese singer, Wael Kfoury, who was recently a judge on the pan-Arabian version of The X Factor. The judging panel comprised:
On finale night, December 13, 2014, Hazem Shareef from Syria was crowned the winner of the third season of Arab Idol in a tough competition against Haitham Khalaily from Palestine and Majed Madani from Saudi Arabia.
Season 4 (2016-2017)
The fourth season premiered on November 4, 2016. Auditions were held in Beirut, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Cairo, Alexandria, Dubai, Morocco, Palestine, the Iraqi-Kurdish city of Irbil and Turkey.
The judging panel comprises: