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Idol voting line blunder

TEN has apologised to Australian Idol fans after incorrectly posting the wrong elimination numbers on its official website. Spoilers.

In its sixth year, Australian Idol has fumbled correct voting information, last night running incorrect numbers on its official website for 25 minutes.

Human error resulted in incorrect phone numbers displayed on the website.

But a TEN spokeswoman insisted the error had not impacted tonight’s results show, which has announced the final two contestants, Wes and Luke, to go head to head at the Sydney Opera House.

“Last night a page including incorrect Australian Idol voting details was posted to the Idol website for a brief period,” she said. “At all times the correct information was displayed on-air.

“Viewers can be assured that the outcome of tonight’s verdict is unaffected by this incident.

“However, we recognise this error would have been confusing to those who visited the website during that brief period, and our website management procedures have been reviewed and tightened to ensure no repetition.”

But Melbourne viewer Anne Macindoe said she found it hard to take Channel TEN’s “search for a superstar” seriously when the station had failed to acknowledge the glitch on its website. Ms Macindoe said her 10-year-old daughter had wanted to cast a vote for Spano but when they checked the numbers on the website she had ended up voting for Carr.

“I can’t see how it won’t affect the result,” she said. “There’s no way that they can accurately judge how many people have been diverted to the wrong people.

Ms Macindoe said she ended up making three extra phone calls to balance out the error and make sure her daughter’s vote had still counted towards Spano’s tally.

A spokesperson from FremantleMedia told TV Tonight it knew exactly how many hits the incorrect web page had during the affected 25 minutes.

“The number of unique users on those pages in terms of the numbers voting was tiny. The SMS number was correct at all times. On air the numbers was correct at all time,” he said.

“We know that number is miniscule in comparison to the number of Idol votes. There is no way even with all of those people voting for one person that the result would have changed. We know how many people looked at the pages, you only have to do the maths on it, and it’s not affecting the result.”

The incorrect numbers affected each of the final 3 contestants.

Reality voting has brought shows unstuck before, most notably incorrectly evicting Bree Amer from the Big Brother house on TEN in 2004.

Wes Carr and Luke Dickens compete for the 2008 title following the elimination of Mark Spano earlier tonight.

Source: The Age

18 Responses

  1. Thank goodness Spano is finally gone! Every week I’ve been wondering “is everyone hearing something I’m not?” Every year there’s someone who everyone praises to high heaven but is rather mediocre. Luke is a much better talent and while I’m sure Wes will win, Luke is still bloody good.

    10 are pathetic with all of these errors but I doubt it would’ve affected the results. Luke showed just what he’s made of on Sunday and blew Spano out of the water. He truly deserved his place in the final two.

  2. “Ms Macindoe said her 10-year-old daughter had wanted to cast a vote for Spano but when they checked the numbers on the website she had ended up voting for Carr.”

    Hmm..I wonder who will win this year…

  3. The Australian Television voting system will never display what a majority of the public really want. If a voting system allows you to vote ‘more than once’, then you will NOT get ‘true’ results.

    Eg: Twenty people in one room have to vote for A or B.

    Fifteen people vote for A once. Five people vote for B ten times each.

    That’s fifteen votes for A and fifty votes for B.(even though there are only twenty people voting)

    So B wins even though a majority of the public wanted A to win. The sole reason why voting is allowed in this fashion, is money. Australian viewers have to “pay” to vote, therefore “fair voting” is ruled out completely and replaced by an income stream. I think the last estimate was that the daily voting income generates approx 1 million dollars per day. (gross)

  4. Can’t believe Mark got booted last night! Absolute bloody joke! Luke is shockingly crap, and last night proved that. If Wes doesn’t win then I’m afraid Idol is completely stuffed!!

  5. What a crock this show really is, I mean come on while I think that wes and luke are good singers there is no way in hell people preffered luke to spano no bloody way.

    I am quite sure the outcome is due to ten stuffing up the numbers and people voting for the wrong people no big surprise there, and ofcourse they won’t admit a mistake that’d be media suicide they’d never admit that it affected the outcome.

    But that’s fine simple thing is i’ll be boycotting the show next week and next year along with a lot of other people so goodluck to them I hope nobody is watching next year because there idiots.

    We waste good money voting for these people and channel ten goes and f**ks it right up congrats chanell ten you just lost a whole heap of viewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. Okay let me get thisright – Ten & Freemantle again stuff up Idol voting. Then an un named employee says it will have no effect. Same soul,says we know how many hits on website.
    Same soul says it is tiny amunt compared to total phone votes.

    Question time – Just tell us how many hits on website in that 25 minutes.. tell us how many total phone votes. Tell us how much money (Both Ten & Freemantle ) make from phone votes.

    I have said for many a year – why waste money and vote on any TV programme when the networks can not guarantee all is above board. – no evictions this week, change voting premise, woh stays in, who goes out, never ever tell public how many votes actually received.

    Must conside setting up own phone line for voting comp – will guarantee that all votes count, mind you good chance that young, wholesome, good looking girl or guy will win (providing they have hint of something extra in past to spice up show). Let’s have a winner that can sing,act,entertain – oops can’t do that , final 24 must be in set age range, all look right for TV, have terrible tone so judges can criticise….It is a another Ten joke when it comes to voting process…

  7. Mark gone, I dont care anymore. I’ll only tune in to the finale to see the fireworks, and the rest of the Idol hopefuls come back. But the top two, blah! Wes is so obviously going to win *rolleyes*

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