With the audition phase done and dusted, the Golden Ticket winners from around the country arrive at Sun City for the emotional rollercoaster-ride of Idols Theatre Week in this Sunday night’s episode of Idols SA.

The 89 contestants all have their eye on a place in the next phase where they will be singing for the public’s votes, but the group has to be culled down to sixteen. And, to ensure that the most deserving singers get the nod, the Idols judges are more intense than ever before.

Who will crack under the pressure? Who will shine on stage? Will Ryan Peimer, the wannabe Idol who finally received a Golden Ticket after being rejected by the judges at six previous auditions, surprise everyone? Will Shekhinah Donnell, the Durban singer who didn’t take the competition seriously last year, step up her game? And how will the contestants respond to the nasty surprises, designed to test their musical abilities even further?

M-Net’s Head of Communications, Lani Lombard, affirms that this year’s Theatre Week is filled with twists and turns. “It’s undoubtedly the most tense, but also the most exciting Idols Theatre Week in the history of the competition. There are goosebump moments aplenty and it’s absolutely heartbreaking to see how great singers have to go home. But it’s inevitable. The standard is exceptionally high this season and everyone wants to become the next Idol.”

Don’t miss Episode 5 of Idols Season 8 on M-Net and Mzansi Magic this Sunday, 1 July, at 17:30.