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Christina Fakhry

Star Academy Season 1 Finalists: Then vs. Now

When Star Academy Arabia first aired in December 2003, it became a true regional phenomenon overnight as the first Pan-Arab reality show to ever hit Lebanese TV. And out of all the seasons that followed, Season 1 remains the most iconic, notably due to its unforgettable lineup of contestants.


Image via Beirut.com

Ever wonder what the top 8 finalists have been up to in recent years? We did our share of stalking to bring you the comprehensive update you’ve been waiting for.

1. Mohamed Attia

After winning the first season of Star Academy in what turned out to be one of the most memorable Arab TV moments of the past decade, Attia went on to release a couple albums and appeared in a number of films and TV series. Famous for his fun personality and sense of humor, he was on season 3 of Dancing with the Stars and is still on top of his acting career today. He also appears to have been working out a lot lately.

2. Bashar Al Shatti

Kuwaiti runner-up Bashar Al Shatti, or Bacharno as his good old nickname goes, released three albums between 2005 and 2009 and continues to pursue his hybrid artistic journey as a singer, songwriter, actor and TV presenter. He got married in 2011 and has a son named Abdul Rahman.

3. Bahaa Al Kafy (Baha Kefi)

Poised and hardworking, law graduate Bahaa Al Kafy was the last-standing female contestant of season 1. She released her self-titled first album in 2006 and starred in and Egyptian movie in 2008 before making a comeback on the music scene in 2015. Mother of a cute little girl named Joya, the charming Tunisian recently celebrated her 4th wedding anniversary.

4. Mohammad Khalawi

Apart from a couple singles under his name, Saudi contestant Mohammed Khalawi has not been as active on the Arab entertainment scene as his fellow season 1 finalists. You can follow his latest activities on Instagram.

5. Ahmed El Sherif

Tunisian contestant Ahmad El Sherif became one of the most commercially accomplished season 1 alumni after scoring a number of hits on various Arab charts and landing a main role alongside a panoply of prominent stars in Pepsi-produced movie Bahr El Noujoum in 2008. Following his years of mainstream success, he mysteriously disappeared from the music scene and is now raising two kids with his wife Eman.

6. Sophia El Marikh

The Moroccan beauty who stole our hearts in season 1 embarked on a successful music career after the show before she quit singing unexpectedly in 2013 following her marriage to a Moroccan businessman in order to focus on building a family. She also has her own spa in Rabat.

7. Cynthia Karam (Cynthya Karam)

Lebanese contestant Cynthia Karam who graduated with a BA in Theater from the Lebanese University grew into a talented singer and actress following her Star Academy journey, appearing in a number of TV series and theater plays and performing in several music festivals, concerts and community events. She also gave a TEDx talkon the topic of creating magical moments in 2014 and hosted two shows on Al Aan TV.

8. Myriam Atallah

Atallah signed up for the show shortly after earning her degree in theater and performing arts and scored a number of commercial successes with her recent song releases. The cute Syrian artist has also starred in a number of series and continues to make appearances in various music festivals and TV programs.

Honorable Mention: Bruno Tabbal

Despite not being one the eight finalists to go on tour, upstream Lebanese singer actor and director Bruno Tabbal is still remembered for his performances on the first season of Star Academy. Tabbal has pursued his singing career after the show and released a total of 8 music videos to date in addition to starring in a number of series and plays.