A host from Nova and a judge from KIIS but sponsored by 2Day. Sharing the love around. 
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The duets with Pete Murray, Vanessa Amarosi and Anthony Callea were brilliant.
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I think the showed finished early? At least fetch tv had it ending at 9:17 & the showed ended around 9:07/08
Yes, it did finish early. A rarity for a reality show - particularly on Grand Final (part 1) Night.
And the three duets tonight were great viewing. All sung very well together.
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Unusual they decided to let it finish early, a show like Idol they could easily get it to the scheduled finish time with another recap and run through the voting numbers, or just a bit of banter between the hosts.
The Idol moment Australia’s been waiting for
Harlan, Kalani and Kesha light up the stage in Grand Finale showdown
Tonight on Seven and 7plus, Australian Idol’s Harlan Goode, Kalani Artis and Kesha Oayda reinforced their Grand Finale status with show-stopping solos and epic duets with some of Australia’s biggest stars.
In an unforgettable night of music, Harlan,18, from Queensland, Kalani, 23, from Central Coast, NSW, and 21-year-old Kesha from Jindabyne, NSW, showcased just how far they have come from their very first audition.
Kalani’s artistry shone on David Bowie’s iconic song Heroes. Harlan’s power ballad status was further cemented during Irene Cara’s Fame. Meanwhile, Kesha’s voice soared on When We Were Young by Adele.
Then they united with some of the biggest names in Australian music for spectacular duets.
Aussie icon singer-songwriter Pete Murray joined Kalani for a soulful rendition of Better Days.
In awe, Kalani said: “It’s a spin out, we grew up listening to Pete’s music, it’s very surreal. I’m having so much fun.”
Pete called Kalani “the real deal, there’s a big future for you”.
Kesha was joined by vocal powerhouse Vanessa Amorosi for an uplifting performance of Shine that stunned the judges and audience.
Kesha was thrilled to share the stage with the Aussie legend, raving: “I was so enraptured with your voice, she’s the coolest person ever. I just had the best time of my life.”
Harlan teamed with Australian Idol legend Anthony Callea for an unbelievable performance of The Prayer that brought the stadium to thunderous applause.
Joking that Harlan wasn’t even born when he first performed The Prayer on the Idol stage, Anthony noted it was “a privilege to sing the song again and an honour to share the stage with Harlan”.
Country superstar Morgan Evans also hit the stage with his new song Letting You Go.
Tomorrow 7.30pm: Australian Idol’s massive live Grand Finale results show will see the Top 3 perform, plus Australian Idol’s very own Amy Shark.
The Australian Idol 2026 Top 3:
- Harlan Goode, 18, Brisbane, QLD
- Kalani Artis, 23, Central Coast, NSW
- Kesha Oayda, 21, Jindabyne, NSW
The winner will receive $100,000 in prize money, an exclusive recording package with Hive Sound Studios, attend a songwriting camp with Sony Music Publishing, marketing and social media support from The Annex, VIP tickets to the ARIA Awards and TV WEEK Logie Awards and the esteemed title of Australian Idol 2026.
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Nice to see the nine eliminated contestants returning to cheer on the grand finalists.
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I agree. I find him the same every week. Every performance has the same energy and builds to the same big note. He is a good singer but we’ve seen so many like him before. I find Kesha and Kalani far more intersting as artists.
I also find these duets a bit unfair. Sure everyone was paired pretty well to their artist but lets be real, Harlan getting to sing The Prayer with Anthony Callea (the most iconic Idol performance ever) will pretty much win it for him. Whereas Kalani’s song with Pete Murray is a lot less known and more forgettable.
It’s about the quality of the singer rather than how well known the song they’re singing is. I think they did a good job matching the contestants with singers suited to their voices and genres of songs they sing.
You can imagine Kalani singing Pete Murray style songs in a future career. Same goes with Kesha singing power ballads and pop like Vanessa Amarosi. And Harlan is the only one who comes close to singing a powerful song like The Prayer by Anthony Callea.
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This year’s Idol has been brilliant. All 3 grand finalists look and act like professionals already. I hope they all go on to find success. Times have changed since the first era of Australian Idol, with it being so much harder for artists to have major success after the show, but these 3 are all very worthy and ready.
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The thing about the “closest margin in history” claim is that voting is still open, so it may be wrong by the time it is closed.
Not that they are required to disclose the actual margin either.
Ironically the MFW person is quoted as saying “Even though Kyle’s behaviour isn’t as bad on Idol as it was on radio, he’s demonstrated that he’s not a fit person to be broadcasting anywhere in Australia. It’s poor role modelling for young people watching, it’s highly irritating, and it’s clearly misogynistic in tone and intent. And it should fucking stop.”
Not a great role model for young people herself using that language 
Ricki‑Lee and Scott appeared on Seven’s National News today ahead of tonight’s Grand Final.
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They don’t really need him I quite enjoyed it when he wasn’t on the show this season. I’d put an actual singer probably with idol experience in his place like Jessica Mauboy, Anthony Callea, Shannon Noll etc someone who hasn’t been on a similar show before so not Guy Sebastian or Delta.
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At the end of home and away, instead of showing the preview, they showed the judges, hosts and crowd getting ready for the LIVE show to start. It had a countdown from 30 seconds and people doing final make up touches etc
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