Paulini Curuenavuli and Rob Mills advanced to the top 12 of the competition. The other 6 contestants were eliminated.
Stu Campbell and Courtney Act returned for a second chance at the top 12 in the Wildcard Round.
Wildcard round (14 September 2003)[]
Order
Artist
Song (original artists)
Result
1
Eli Diache
"Permission to Shine" (6cyclemind)
Eliminated
2
Stu Campbell
"(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" (Harry Connick, Jr.)
Eliminated
3
Yolande Jackson
"Stuck" (Stacie Orrico)
Eliminated
4
Liban Aden
"Where I Wanna Be" (Donell Jones)
Eliminated
5
Rebekah LaVauney
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" (Whitney Houston)
Advanced
6
Courtney Act
"You Shook Me All Night Long" (AC/DC)
Eliminated
7
Axle Whitehead
"Yesterday" (The Beatles)
Eliminated
8
Cosima De Vito
"Predictable" (Delta Goodrem)
Advanced
9
Levi Kereama
"Maria Maria" (Santana)
Advanced
10
Rebecca Tapia
"Let's Get Loud" (Jennifer Lopez)
Eliminated
Notes
The judges selected Cosima De Vito to move on into the top 12 of the competition, before the hosts revealed the top 3 vote getters. Rebekah LaVauney and Levi Kereama received the most votes, and completed the top 12.
Live Show 1 (21 September 2003)[]
Theme: The 70s
Order
Artist
Song (original artists)
Result
N/A
Daniel Wakefield
N/A
Disqualified
1
Levi Kereama
"Superstition" (Stevie Wonder)
Safe
2
Lauren Buckley
"Moondance" (Van Morrison)
Safe
3
Mathew Chadwick
"If" (Bread)
Eliminated
4
Rebekah LaVauney
"Emotion" (Samantha Sang)
Safe
5
Rob Mills
"All Right Now" (Free)
Safe
6
Cosima De Vito
"Hot Stuff" (Donna Summer)
Safe
7
Peter Ryan
"Your Song" (Elton John)
Eliminated
8
Cle Wootton
"Young Hearts Run Free" (Candi Staton)
Safe
9
Guy Sebastian
"The Love You Save" (The Jackson 5)
Safe
10
Kelly Cavuoto
"Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin)
Bottom three
11
Shannon Noll
"Help Is on Its Way" (Little River Band)
Safe
12
Paulini Curuenavuli
"Don't Leave Me This Way" (Thelma Houston)
Safe
Live Show 2 (28 September 2003)[]
Theme: Australian #1s
Order
Artist
Song (original artists)
Result
1
Cosima De Vito
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (Whitney Houston)
Safe
2
Rob Mills
"You Don't Treat Me No Good No More" (Sonia Dada)
Safe
3
Paulini Curuenavuli
"Eternal Flame" (The Bangles)
Safe
4
Lauren Buckley
"Lady Marmalade" (Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil' Kim & Mýa)
Eliminated
5
Guy Sebastian
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (Bryan Adams)
Safe
6
Kelly Cavuoto
"Tomorrow" (Silverchair)
Bottom three
7
Shannon Noll
"What About Me" (Moving Pictures)
Safe
8
Rebekah LaVauney
"Killing Me Softly" (The Fugees)
Safe
9
Cle Wootton
"That's the Way Love Goes" (Janet Jackson)
Eliminated
10
Levi Kereama
"Rock Your Body" (Justin Timberlake)
Safe
Live Show 3 (5 October 2003)[]
Theme: Australian Made
Order
Artist
Song (original artists)
Result
1
Kelly Cavuoto
"Mascara" (Killing Heidi)
Eliminated
2
Shannon Noll
"Already Gone" (Powderfinger)
Safe
3
Rebekah LaVauney
"Heading in the Right Direction" (Renee Geyer)
Eliminated
4
Levi Kereama
"To the Moon and Back" (Savage Garden)
Bottom three
5
Paulini Curuenavuli
"Chains" (Tina Arena)
Safe
6
Rob Mills
"Take Me Back" (Noiseworks)
Safe
7
Cosima De Vito
"When the War Is Over" (Cold Chisel)
Safe
8
Guy Sebastian
"You're the Voice" (John Farnham)
Safe
Live Show 4 (12 October 2003)[]
Theme: The 80s
Order
Artist
Song (original artists)
Result
1
Shannon Noll
"Livin' on a Prayer" (Bon Jovi)
Bottom three
2
Paulini Curuenavuli
"Freeway of Love" (Aretha Franklin)
Bottom two
3
Levi Kereama
"Every Little Step" (Bobby Brown)
Eliminated
4
Cosima DeVito
"What's Love Got to Do with It" (Tina Turner)
Safe
5
Rob Mills
"If I Could" (1927)
Safe
6
Guy Sebastian
"When Doves Cry" (Prince)
Safe
Up, Close and Personal Special (14 October 2003)[]
Artist
Song (original artists)
Cosima De Vito
"Hero" (Mariah Carey)
Guy Sebastian
"When I Get You Alone" (Robin Thicke)
Paulini Curuenavuli
"Fields of Gold" (Sting)
Rob Mills
"When You Say Nothing At All" (Ronan Keating)
Shannon Noll
"With or Without You" (U2)
Live Show 5 (19 October 2003)[]
Theme: R&B & Soul
Order
Artist
First song (original artists)
Second song
Result
1
Shannon Noll
"When a Man Loves a Woman" (Percy Sledge)
"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (Jackie Wilson)
Safe
2
Paulini Curuenavuli
"Un-Break My Heart" (Toni Braxton)
"Survivor" (Destiny's Child)
Safe
3
Guy Sebastian
"Hello" (Lionel Richie)
"Hidden Agenda" (Craig David)
Safe
4
Cosima De Vito
"Respect" (Aretha Franklin)
"I Believe I Can Fly" (R. Kelly)
Bottom two
5
Rob Mills
"Too Close" (Next)
"If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" (R. Kelly)
Eliminated
Live Show 6 (26 October 2003)[]
Theme: Big Band
Order
Artist
First song (original artists)
Second song
Result
1
Shannon Noll
"New York, New York" (Frank Sinatra)
"I've Got You Under My Skin" (Frank Sinatra)
Safe
2
Paulini Curuenavuli
"At Last" (Etta James)
"Almost Like Being in Love" (Frank Sinatra)
Eliminated
3
Cosima De Vito
"L-O-V-E" (Nat King Cole)
"Smile" (Nat King Cole)
Safe
4
Guy Sebastian
"Hit the Road Jack" (Ray Charles)
"The Way You Look Tonight" (Frank Sinatra)
Bottom two
Live Show 7: Semi-final (2 November 2003)[]
Theme: The 60s
Order
Artist
First song (original artists)
Second song
Result
1
Shannon Noll
"One (Is the Loneliest Number" (Harry Nilsson)
"Hey Jude" (The Beatles)
Safe
2
Guy Sebastian
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (Frankie Valli)
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" (Patricia Neway)
Safe
3
Cosima De Vito
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (Dusty Springfield)