Australian Idol to axe three contestants ahead of grand finale

The winner of Australian Idol will be announced on March 26.

And the six remaining contestants face a ‘cull’ in the week ahead – with three of them certain to make an exit before the finale. 

The top six singers left are Amali Dimont, Phoebe Stewart, Josh Hannan, Royston Sagigi-Baira, Ben Sheehy and Anya Hynninen. 

The Daily Telegraph reports that the ‘final cut’ challenge for contestants is a way for Channel Seven to lure viewers who will vote for their faves in the singing competition.

In its original format, the last season of Australian Idol in 2009 ran for 20 weeks, but the 2023 season will come to end after only 9.

The winner of Australian Idol will be announced on March 26 and the six remaining contestants will be culled down to a final three in the week ahead. The finalists are pictured

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Australian Idol has struggled in the ratings this season 

The much hyped reboot has been regularly beaten in the ratings by reality show rivals Married At First Sight and Australian Survivor since it debuted on January 30.

According to Seven’s own data, Idol averages a total of 821,000 fans an episode, which includes its metro ratings and viewers watching on catch-up.

This compares poorly to MAFS – which remains the biggest thing on TV – with an average total audience of just under 2million viewers an episode.

Australian Survivor, meanwhile, is a ratings winner for embattled Channel 10.

The much hyped Australian Idol reboot has been regularly beaten in the ratings by Married At First Sight. Pictured

Married At First Sight remains the biggest thing on TV with an average total audience of just under 2 million viewers an episode

The reality TV competition series scores a total audience of 1.248million.

The prize for winning Australian Idol includes $100,000 in cash and a recording deal with Sony Music.

The show launched the careers of Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll.

Kyle Sandilands, Harry Connick Jr, Meghan Trainor and Amy Shark serve as the judges on Idol this year.