The third season of Idol premiered in Sweden on August 29, 2006, and continued until its grand finale on December 1, when 24-year-old Markus Fagervall from Övertorneå was crowned winner.[1] The series gained a record-breaking 1.1 million viewers during its first episode, and was the last season to feature Claes af Geijerstam as a judge, who left the series citing financial issues.
Sara Burnett, 19, Karlstad | Audition song: "I Know What Love Is"
Semi-final qualifyings
Top 20
Format: Two out of five semi-finalists made it to the live finals each day (competing in gender-divided groups), based on public phone voting. Two additional semi-final contestants who had not initially gained enough votes were also chosen by the public to advance to the finals, along with a wildcard chosen by the judges.