| Module1: |
| ||||||||||
| Num Episodes: | 5[1] | ||||||||||
| Network: | Mediacorp Channel 8 meWatch YouTube |
Star Search 2024 is the 12th installment of the long-running Chinese talent competition Star Search, hosted by Mediacorp, which first premiered in 1988. The season premiered on 20 October and concluded on 24 November.
Hong Kong-based Nanyang Polytechnic student Tiffany Ho was named the winner of the season, with breakdancer Gladys Bay finished as runner-up and sporting coach Jona Chung finishing in third place. Ho was the first female winner in Star Search in 21 years since Felicia Chin back in season eight, and not counting the male-female champion format between seasons four and eight, Ho was the first overall female winner in 31 years since Ivy Lee back in season three. Ho won a Mediacorp management contract along with a BYD Auto vehicle (without a Certificate of Entitlement) won by each finalist in the top three.[2] [3]
The season was announced on 21 June 2024 via various social media platforms[4] [5] and its Chinese news website 8world, announcing a theme of X Factor.[6] [7] To promote the season, three rounds of meet-and-greet sessions with various Mediacorp celebrities were held from 28 to 30 June at Orchard Central. Last season's runner-up Herman Keh, along with Chen Ning JJ Neo, Richie Koh, Sammi Tan, Tyler Ten and Zhai Siming, hosted the first day; Ben Yeo, Bonnie Loo, Daryl-Ann Jensen, Denise Camillia Tan, Fang Rong, Hazelle Teo, Jeremy Chan, Lim Pin Juen, Tan Ting Fong, Tay Ying and Yunis To in the second day; last season's top three Ye Jia Yun, Herman Keh and winner Zhang Zetong, along with Benjamin Tan, Hong Ling, Jensen Wang, Jernelle Oh, JJ Neo, Lim Pin Juen, Seow Sin Nee and Sheryl Ang, on the third.[8]
The auditions were announced on 22 June 2024 and applications opened until 13 July 2024, applicable for aspirants with ages between 17 and 30, and go through either rounds of auditions for a place in the live shows. In addition to the open auditions, talent scouts across five different polytechnics were also held prior to open auditions.[9]
| Date and time(s) | Venue |
|---|---|
| 6 and 7 July 2024, 9.30am-7.30pm | Funan, Singapore |
| 13 July 2024, 9.30am-7.30pm | Orchard Central |
Following the audition and rounds of selections, the show announced on 23 August that they have shortlisted 20 contestants to compete this season, but not explicitly told of the names of the hopefuls at the time of announcement; they also revealed that these contestants had to attend masterclasses hosted by various celebrities and industry experts for two months thru September.[10] The top 20 cast for the season include a married breakdancer couple, an online influencer, a contestant of Thai and Chinese heritage (Gladys Ng), a contestant of Indian and Chinese heritage (Sufeia Azura Sunir), some sporting professionals and one loyal viewer of Channel 8 dramas.
BYD Auto replaces Audi as its official car this season, with the top three finalists winning a BYD car each (BYD Seal, Atto 3 and Dolphin for the winner, runner-up and third place finalists, respectively). Mitsubishi Electric is the only sponsor to return from the previous season. New and known sponsors for this season were Holistic Way, Recogen and Shopee.
The 20 contestants were announced on 12 September, as follows:[11] [12] [13] [14]
| Act | Age(s) | Occupation | Gender | Profession | Semifinals Team | Finals Mentor | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Student | Female | Acting | Lee Teng | Yeo Yann Yann | Winner | |
| 28 | Breakdancer | Female | Hosting | Lee Teng | Yeo Yann Yann | Runner-up | |
| 25 | Sporting coach | Male | Hosting | Lee Teng | Qi Yuwu | Third place | |
| 25 | Freelancer | Male | Acting | Lee Teng | Qi Yuwu | Fourth place | |
| 27 | Designer/Breakdancer | Male | Hosting | Quan Yifeng | Yeo Yann Yann | Fifth place | |
| 21 | Influencer | Female | Hosting | Lee Teng | Yeo Yann Yann | Finalists | |
| 28 | Freelancer | Female | Hosting | Quan Yifeng | Qi Yuwu | ||
| 23 | Student/model | Male | Acting | Lee Teng | Qi Yuwu | ||
| 24 | Student | Female | Acting | Quan Yifeng | Qi Yuwu | ||
| 25 | Postgraduate | Female | Hosting | Quan Yifeng | Qi Yuwu | ||
| 21 | Student | Male | Acting | Lee Teng | Yeo Yann Yann | ||
| 25 | Student/actor | Male | Acting | Quan Yifeng | Yeo Yann Yann | ||
| 22 | Student/model | Male | Acting | Quan Yifeng | Eliminated | ||
| 17 | Student | Female | Acting | Lee Teng | |||
| 19 | Student | Female | Acting | Quan Yifeng | |||
| 23 | Artist | Male | Hosting | Lee Teng | |||
| 24 | Freelancer | Male | Acting | Quan Yifeng | |||
| 17 | Student | Female | Acting | Quan Yifeng | |||
| 22 | Undergraduate | Female | Acting | Lee Teng | |||
| 25 | Actor | Male | Hosting | Quan Yifeng |
The semifinal stage were broadcast over three taped 90-minute episodes from 20 October thru 3 November. All episodes provide closed captioning, unless otherwise stated. Unlike the previous seasons, all episodes are given a parental guidance rating similar to other primetime programs.
The first episode covers highlights based on the two rounds of open audition, including the Emotion (which enact a script given by the producers) and Charm (which test on charisma, physical and mental fortitude, or fashion detail) challenges covered by the contestants, as well as Talent Scouts across the five Polytechnics.[15] [16]
The second episode features the Top 20 contestants attending a 29-day masterclass (大师班) and training inside a private "Talent House" bungalow, from several professional artists, producers, designers and studio management, hosted by Dennis Chew and Guo Liang. The results for each of segments and its featured contestants were as follows:[17] [18]
| Part | Day(s) | Synopsis | Advisors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articulation and linguistics | 1-5 | Narrate a drafted script from Star Awards to test articulation and linguistics. | Dennis Chew Guo Liang | |
| Stage presence and body language | 6-9 | Taking a personal selfie of a contestant, without relying assistance, then a catwalk, and shoe wearing to train adaptability. | Ade Sheila Sim | |
| Drama technique | 10 | Acting in a simulated disaster scenario, by testing on character and display empathy. | Loh Woon Woon | |
| Body movement | 11-14 | Take part in body exercises and form in groups of five contestants, performed a scenario to test creativity. | Nelson Seah Yeo Yann Yann | |
| Product placement | 15-19 | Continued from stage presence, contestants have to take certain shots to promote a product. (in order: BYD Seal, Holistic Way, a Shopee advertorial[19] [20]) | Ade Sheila Sim | |
| Acting coordination | 20-25 | Group into 10 pairs of two contestants to act in a simulated environment. | Loh Woon Woon Qi Yuwu | |
| Personal styling | 26-27 | Under advisory from guest stylists, contestants come with a creative costume design. Two contestants were selected for a makeover to display transformation. | Jeremy Tan Frederick Lee Peter Khor | |
| Interview | 28 | Simulate an interview. If the contestant was able to perform well in the first two questions, a third question may be offered. | Dennis Chew Marcus Chin Guo Liang | |
| Voiceover | 29 | Simulate in a radio drama using provided scripts. | Dennis Chew Jeff Koh |
The contestant's potential profession are revealed at the end of the episode, with eight aligned to hosting profession, and the other 12 aligned to acting.
The top 20 contestants compete in a series of three tasks assigned by production, and are judged by Mark Lee, Kym Ng and season one winner Zoe Tay.[21] [22] These contestants are grouped into teams of two, helmed by either Lee Teng or Quan Yifeng, to complete these challenges, which are:
Eight contestants were eliminated after the episode. The summary for each of the contestant's tasks (in order of appearance) and the final results (weighted percentages of scores in parenthesis) were:
| Act | Task 1 (30%) | Task 2 (35%) | Task 3 (35%) | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order | Task | Order | Task | Room | Order | Task | |||
| 1 | Horse | 7 | Ask a female to dance together, and ask the female to share about her first dance | Black | 9 | Disgust | Advanced | ||
| 1 | Horse | 9 | Find a male to do a hairstylist by a female contestant, then ask the male to share about his favorite haircut | Blue | 6 | Sorrow | Advanced | ||
| 1 | Horse | 3 | Interview a customer on their favorite food | Red | 2 | Joy | Advanced | ||
| 1 | Horse | 5 | Interview a couple under 40s on their strengths and weaknesses | Red | 3 | Embarrassment | Eliminated | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 6 | Teach a student three relaxation exercises | Black | 10 | Envy | Eliminated | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 10 | Find a person with a height over 170cm to share a trendy product | Blue | 5 | Disappointment | Advanced | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 2 | Interview with a children under 10 years old about their favorite animal | Black | 8 | Fearful | Advanced | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 4 | Ask people to pose the alphabets of ACT | Blue | 4 | Admiration | Eliminated | ||
| 1 | Horse | 1 | Take a photo with a person with big eyes | Blue | 7 | Distraught | Eliminated | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 8 | Interview with a person carrying a backpack and ask to take one item as a travel essential | Red | 1 | Furious | Advanced | ||
| 1 | Horse | 1 | Take a photo with a person with big eyes | Red | 2 | Joy | Advanced | ||
| 1 | Horse | 5 | Interview a couple under 40s on their strengths and weaknesses | Blue | 4 | Admiration | Advanced | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 2 | Interview with a children under 10 years old about their favorite animal | Blue | 7 | Distraught | Eliminated | ||
| 1 | Horse | 3 | Interview a customer on their favorite food | Black | 9 | Disgust | Advanced | ||
| 1 | Horse | 9 | Find a male to do a hairstylist by a female contestant, then ask the male to share about his favorite haircut | Blue | 5 | Disappointment | Eliminated | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 10 | Find a person with a height over 170cm to share a trendy product | Red | 3 | Embarrassment | Eliminated | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 6 | Teach a student three relaxation exercises | Black | 10 | Envy | Advanced | ||
| 1 | Horse | 7 | Ask a female to dance together, and ask the female to share about her first dance | Blue | 6 | Sorrow | Advanced | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 4 | Ask people to pose the alphabets of ACT | Black | 8 | Fearful | Eliminated | ||
| 2 | Porcelain | 8 | Interview with a person carrying a backpack and ask to take one item as a travel essential | Red | 1 | Furious | Advanced | ||
In the pre-finale episode, through the one-minute aptitude tests which involve script reprisals of drama serial scenes, both Qi and Yeo handpicked six contestants to serve as their respective mentors for the final and which films they will partake in the final. The episode also shows behind-the-scenes footage of the short films and supporters from each of the finalists.[23] [24]
Unlike the first four episodes, the final was a live broadcast and no closed captioning were provided (except for the Drama segment).[25] [26] The guest judges for the finale were Raymond Lam, Christopher Lee and Sandra Ng.[27] [28] The guest performers for the finale were Desmond Ng performing the theme song of "飞高梦远" (backed by a live band and chorus singers),[29] and Tasha Low performing her single "Everything You Wanted".[30] The episode reran with post-production edits on 30 November.
For these two rounds, contestants performed their own expertise and one dance skit. The X-Factor segment and Dance skit carries 25% and 15% weightage towards the final scores respectively.
| Act | X-Factor | Dance skit | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order | Description | Order | Description | |
| Gladys Bay | 1 | Performed square dancing | 1 | Performed a "city of lights"-themed dance |
| Ler Ka Ying | 2 | Performed a pipa rendition of "十面埋伏" | ||
| Tiffany Ho | 4 | Performed a fan dance | ||
| Marcus Sim | 7 | Performed breakdancing | ||
| Jona Chung | 8 | Performed parkour | ||
| Tan Zi Sheng | 9 | Performed basketball stunts | ||
| June Tan | 3 | Performed a piano piece of "圆舞曲" | 2 | Performed a carnival-themed dance |
| Amy Ang | 5 | Performed a Chinese play | ||
| Gladys Ng | 6 | Performed a Thai traditional folk dance | ||
| Jadon Lim | 10 | Performed an erhu rendition of "赛马" | ||
| Chua Seng Jin | 11 | Performed callanetics | ||
| Clement Yeo | 12 | Performed Taiwanese opera of "状元楼" | ||
Round three carries a 30% score towards the final score. In this round, contestants drew lots on questions issued by each celebrity (acting as respective characters in selected scenes). Contestants have 25 seconds to present their answers for the scenarios. Dennis Chew co-lead each of the segments.[32]
| Act | Order | Celebrity | Selected scene | Eloquence Question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ler Ka Ying | 1 | Yao Wenlong | The Little Nyonya | You are posting vacation image on social media; your friend responded "is that cool?", and how do you react? |
| Marcus Sim | 2 | Richie Koh | Cash on Delivery | Your friend borrowed your money but did not return since. How would you respond from this? |
| Gladys Bay | 3 | Kym Ng | Till the End | You are on leave and taking a plane flight, and you noticed your company boss in the same flight. Would you pretend not to watch or meet up? |
| Tan Zi Sheng | 4 | Hong Ling | Unforgivable | You received an unsophisticated phone call from someone claiming it was your long-lost friend. How do you react? |
| Tiffany Ho | 5 | Brandon Wong | Joys of Life | You met your celebrity inside a toilet; after a moment of admiration, what do you do? |
| Jona Chung | 6 | Carrie Wong | A Quest to Heal | You are on a date and you accidentally hang up the phone call while making a confession. What can you do from this? |
| Jadon Lim | 7 | Zhang Zetong | All That Glitters | You, as a host, are interviewing an actor who doesn't speak often; how do you break the ice? |
| Gladys Ng | 8 | Yao Wenlong | The Little Nyonya | You met your friend you haven't see for a long time, and your friend forgot your name. Do you react politely or act negatively? |
| Clement Yeo | 9 | Zhu Zheliang | Star Search | You are in a student gathering and you noticed someone you dislike entering the party; do you stay or leave the place? |
| Amy Ang | 10 | Desmond Tan | A Song to Remember | If you find out that your best friend’s significant other is your ex, will you choose to hide it or tell this friend? |
| Chua Seng Jin | 11 | Desmond Tan | A Song to Remember | You noticed your friend is spreading negative words inside a gym. Do you confront them or pretend to do nothing? |
| June Tan | 12 | Kym Ng | The Sheng Siong Show | Your mother noticed her favorite shirt is missing, and you noticed you accidentally discarded it. How do you react? |
This round carries a 30% score towards the final score. In the final round, the 12 finalists were divided into two groups to participate in either one of two short films.[33] [34]
| Acting Description | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order | Drama | Mentor | Director | Guest Actor | Cast (in order of appearance) | |
| 1 | Theatre Of Life (人生剧场) | Yeo Yann Yann | Cho Jun Ming | Lina Ng (as sister Mei) | Tan Zi Sheng (as Wen Hui), Amy Ang (as Xiaohui), Gladys Bay (as Wendy), Tiffany Ho (as Sam), Marcus Sim (as Johnny), and Clement Yeo (as Ah Hua) | |
| 2 | Talent Theatre (才华剧场) | Qi Yuwu | Jun Chong | Andie Chen (as unnamed director) | June Tan (as Emily), Jona Chung (as Ah Jie), Jadon Lim (as Wei Qiang), Gladys Ng (as Ah Jac), Chua Seng Jin (as Mark), and Ler Ka Ying (as Meifang) | |
| Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Fifth place | Marcus Sim 沈伟洋 | |
| Fourth place | Chua Seng Jin 蔡承峻 | |
| Third place | Jona Chung 仲伟杰 | |
| Runner-up | Gladys Bay 马䲰娗 | |
| Winner | Tiffany Ho 何睿烔 |