At the start of the show, 30-year-old primary school teacher Toby Moulton shocked the other contestants, the judges, and the audience by announcing his withdrawal from the competition. "I've come to a point where I've realised at this stage, I'm not sure if I want a career as a singer, and these four people do. They each have an enthusiasm and a drive that I cannot match and I've got to step aside so they have the best chance to prosper as young Australian artists," he said. He apologised to the fans who had voted for him and to his family and friends. "I've had the most amazing experience of my life and I now know who I am: I'm a teacher. I'm a teacher who now knows he can sing and is no longer afraid of being heard."
Andrew G then announced the results from the previous week, revealing that Toby would have been in the bottom three for the first time, along with Nathan Brake and James Johnston, but James had received the lowest number of votes.
Nathan Brake - "Closer" by Ne-Yo
This RnB hit was a surprising song choice for Nathan. During the workshop, guest mentors Joel and Benji Madden from Good Charlotte said while Nathan was perfect for musical theatre, they were concerned that he was not tough enough to be a pop star. Ian "Dicko" Dickson said it was a slice of pop that was way out of Nathan's depth. However, Marcia Hines was singing along to the performance and Jay Dee Springbett said Nathan had raised the bar on the night after being "crap" in rehearsals.
James Johnston - "Daughters" by John Mayer
Given a lifeline due to Toby's departure, James responded with a song by one of his influences. Jay Dee said there were moments of great light and shade in the performance, and moments where he had just been bored. Joel said that during the workshop he had seen an 18-year-old kid with a guitar just doing what he loved, and suggested he bring the guitar to the stage next week. Benji said James had lots of potential and was keen to see what he'd be doing at the age of 21. Dicko said James was too fidgety, "like a frightened marsupial".
Stan Walker - "Let Me Love You" by Mario
After some problems with his lower register in previous weeks, Stan kept within his comfortable vocal range for this song. Jay Dee said he was confused as to why Stan chose to sing the remix over the original, which had more melody. Joel said he was not fond of the song but liked watching Stan sing. Benji said Stan had a natural rockstar swagger. Dicko said the performance was okay for "an all ages disco at the RSL".
Hayley Warner - "Heavy Cross" by Gossip
Hayley was the fourth singer of the night with this recent dance-punk top 10 single. The Madden brothers said Hayley looked comfortable on stage and they couldn't believe she was only 17. However, Dicko said the song got the better of her and Jay Dee said she didn't reach the dizzy heights she usually gets to.
Nathan Brake - "Red" by Daniel Merriweather
For his second song, Nathan sat on a stool and delivered a tearfully emotional performance, but Dicko said Nathan had asked too much of his voice. Jay Dee said other than a problem with Nathan's transition into falsetto, it was a great interpretation of a great song.
James Johnston - "This Is How a Heart Breaks" by Rob Thomas
Although he is actually older than Hayley, James still couldn't escape the comments about his age in his second song, except this time Dicko said he had put his "teenage nervous energy" to good use. Marcia said guest mentors gave the Idols knowledge that the judges couldn't, and that James had responded with a free and youthful performance. Joel said James had brought a young "fun-ness" to an "older" song.
Stan Walker - "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus
During the workshop, Joel Madden told Stan it took balls to sing a Miley Cyrus song. Jay Dee described the performance as "sensational" and rated in 9.9 out of 10, saying Stan sung so well and with so much passion. Joel said Stan made him want to sing RnB. Benji said he would go anywhere to watch Stan sing because he had soul. Dicko was amazed that the night's "big moment" came from "a Miley sodding Cyrus song" and the performance wasn't sugary as it could have been.
Hayley Warner - "I Don't Care" by Fall Out Boy
As a Fall Out Boy fan, Hayley's attitude-filled second performance of the night was better than her first. Joel said Pete Wentz and the band would have been happy with it.
Unfortunately, after the dramatic departure of Toby at the start of the show, the performances were generally a bit flat. Joel and Benji Madden saved the best moment until last, closing the night with an acoustic performance of Good Charlotte's "Dance Floor Anthem".
Next week, Fall Out Boy front man and bassist Pete Wentz will be the guest judge on Australian Idol.
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