Mercy’s repertoire included the Alicia Keys hit, If I Ain’t Got You, Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing and Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares to You, but this week, 25-year-old Mercy’s take on Stevie Wonder’s Part Time Lover was not enough to keep her in the M-Net reality series, IDOLS WEST AFRICA, screened across Africa on DStv.

On Monday night (April 23), there was no mercy for Mercy as voting audiences made their feelings felt and with the least votes gained, she was off the Planet One stage and out of the show.

Tall, calm and always elegant, Mercy follows Uche Ume, who was out of the show the week before, leaving only six contestants now remaining in the race for the big prize – a recording contract from Sony/BMG Africa International - which would be awarded to the winner of IDOLS WEST AFRICA.

For Eric, Jerrilyn, Jodie, Omawumi, Temitayo and Timi, the time for nerves is over!

Now, as they head into the last five intense weeks of the competition, they must deliver great vocals, superb performances and every note on target to ensure they win the support of voting audiences.

That’s just what they did last week before an audience that included Nigerian muso, Paul Play.

Omawumi launched into Gloria Estefan’s Rhythm of the Night with her own rhythm firmly on display. Sporting one of the hottest trends in fashion (a graphic printed dress), Omawumi proved she’s a performer through and through.

Then Timi did what he does best, mesmerizing the audience with his take on Lionel Ritchie’s Stuck on You. From giving one lucky lady in the audience a chance to share the stage with him to an emotional response from Ghanaian judge, Abrewa Nana, Timi was a crowd pleaser once more!

Finessing the Celine Dion single All By Myself, Jerrilyn bounced back from last week’s disappointments and reminded judge Dan of her singing abilities in the process. Choosing a ballad as a change of pace from last week’s dance hit, Jerrilyn kept her fans happy with her performance.

Then as presenter Mike Majic announced Eric’s entrance on stage with the Fugees hit Killing Me Softly, the crowd warmly welcomed the crooner. Once again, Eric delivered a smooth performance, punctuated by his trademark smile and strong vocals.

Sporting spiky hair and a rock star dress, Jodie paid homage to an icon when she took on Tina Turner’s demanding super hit What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Prowling the stage in true Turner style, Jodie gave her full power to the attitude-filled words, earning positive remarks from all the judges, including Nigeria’s Dede.

After Jodie, Temitayo looked to the movies for inspiration and dressed to impress; she took on the ‘Flashdance’ anthem, What A Feeling by Irene Cara. From the cool vocals to the hot moves, Temi looked set for her own starring role on a blockbuster.

However, with spectacular four wrapped up, the contestants are already looking forward to next Sunday’s performance and on April 29, DStv audiences can tune in and see the sensational six take on African hits. Jodie, Temitayo and Jerrilyn will pay homage to Angelique Kidjo, singing her three hits Adouma, Agolo and Wombolombo respectively. Omawumi will sing Ekwe by Onyeka Onwenu, Timi will sing Oruka by Sunny Neji and Eric will sing Olo mi by Tosin Martins.

After the show, to be screened on April 29 on DStv channels M-Net and AfricaMagic, voting lines would open once more at 21:00 CAT. Lines would close at 13:00 CAT on Monday April 30.

To vote, simply text the number of your favourite contestant to the vote line (insert country details), or vote online at www.mnetafrica.com. Remember, you can’t keep your favourite in the competition if you don’t vote!

And you can win too! All voters stand a chance of winning USD10,000 at the end of IDOLS in May.