Following a public telephone vote, 27-year-old Deborah De Ridder [nl] was chosen as Maria with 25-year-old Fleur Brusselmans as the runner up and Liv Van Aelst in third place.
A similar format of Op zoek naar Maria has been used as well in The Netherlands in 2021 taking an unknown singer and placing the winner in the lead role of Maria for the 2021 performances in The Netherlands. The show is hosted by Frits Sissing and featured Pia Douwes, Jamai Loman, Carline Brouwer and Richard Groenendijk as the judges for the show. It was the fifth Dutch talent show to be produced by AVRO, 10 years after Op zoek naar Evita, Op zoek naar Joseph, Op zoek naar Mary Poppins, Op zoek naar Zorro and Op zoek naar Annie. In the final, on 4 April, Nandi Van Beurden was announced as the winner of the series. This was followed by Op zoek naar Danny & Sandy in late 2022, which was won by Tristan van der Lingen and Danique Graanoogst.[3]
A similar format has been used as well in the United Kingdom in 2006, with the show How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? taking an unknown singer and placing the winner in the lead role for the 2006 performances in the West End. On 16 September 2006, Connie Fisher was announced the winner of this show.[4]
Belgium
Finalists
Eleven contestants made it through the audition rounds and performed during the live shows.
The live shows saw the finalists eliminated one by one following both individual and group performances. Once eliminated, the leaving contestant ended the program by leading a performance of "Adieu, vaarwel (So Long, Farewell)" from The Sound of Music with the remaining contestants.
Week 1 (April 8, 2009)
Following the first week of the competition, Dorien was the first Maria to be eliminated from the competition. The show performances were:
Group performances:
"How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" (from the musical The Sound of Music)
"Do-Re-Mi" (from the musical The Sound of Music) featuring the children, who will play as the Von Trapp children in the upcoming Flemish revival of The Sound of Music
Richard Groenendijk, (comedian, actor, presenter and lyricist)
Finalists
Finalists
Finalist
Age & Date of Birth *
Dress Colour
Status
Sylvia Boone
29 (3 July 1991)
Royal Blue
Eliminated 1st in week 1
Willemijn Maandag
25 (25 December 1995)
Light Pink
Eliminated 2nd in week 2
Sanne Den Besten
29 (23 May 1991)
Bright Green
Eliminated 3rd in week 3
Renée De Gruijl
27 (22 March 1993)
Hot Pink
Eliminated 4th in week 4
Anouk Van Laake
25 (5 October 1995)
Yellow-Green
Eliminated 5th in week 5
Jolijn Henneman
29 (14 September 1991)
Purple
Eliminated 6th-7th in week 6
Valerie Curlingford
31 (3 December 1989)
Daisy Yellow
Eliminated 6th-7th in week 6
Tessa Sunniva Van Tol
29 (9 September 1991)
Sea Blue
Third place
Natascha Molly
25 (25 December 1995)
Salmon Orange
Second place
Nandi Van Beurden
30 (18 February 1991)
Italian Red
Winner
Live shows
The live shows saw the finalists eliminated one by one following both individual and group performances. Once eliminated, the leaving contestant ended the programme by leading a performance of "Bergen of Dalen" (Climb Every Mountain) from The Sound of Music with the remaining contestants, Unlike the Flemish version of Op zoek naar Maria and the British and Canadian versions of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, which their elimination song was "So Long, Farewell" (Tot snel, vaarwel) from The Sound of Music. After being announced as the winner, Nandi concluded the show with a performance of "Iets Waar Ik Zielsveel Van Hou" (My Favorite Things).
The Bottom 2 or 3 Marias voted by the public each week had to sing a contrasting song, then Pia Douwes would choose one of them to carry on in the competition.
References
^"Op zoek naar Maria". imdb.com/ (in Dutch). 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
