Marina Beridze

Geostari is the Georgian franchise of the Idol series, broadcast on Rustavi 2. Georgia became the fifth former Soviet country to adopt the Idol format after Armenia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Russia. The show started in 2006 as an Idol-inspired spin-off, and in its third season (2008) officially obtained a license from FremantleMedia, adopting the standard Idol format where viewers alone decide contestants’ fate. In earlier seasons, judges could save one of the bottom two contestants using a “Power of Veto.” After six seasons as Geostari, the show was redeveloped in 2012 under the new title “Sakartvelos Varskvlavi” (საქართველოს ვარსკვლავი). Although originally planned for September, the premiere was postponed due to the 2012 Georgian protests and finally aired on October 8 using the Hall of Idols format.