Australian Idol bus stuck in Sydney lane draws online roasts

A large Australian Idol-branded bus became the focal point of online roasts after footage captured it struggling to navigate a narrow inner-west Sydney laneway on Wednesday. The video, circulated on Reddit, showed the bus momentarily halted in a tight stretch of road and appearing unsure of which way to move forward, before it began to reverse in a bid to turn around. The clip quickly drew attention as viewers piled on with jokes and memes about the mission being ill-suited to the site.

Social media users did not hold back. One post quipped that the vehicle was merely trying to take the show in a new direction—backwards—while another mocked the driver, asking, “Was Shannon Noll driving?” The memes rolled in, with captions like, “Today on small inner western roads. Australian Idol going in brave new directions... backwards... badly,” underscoring the playful disbelief at the scene.

The incident comes as a reminder of Australian Idol’s recent run, which aired on Channel Seven from February to April this year. The season was guided by judges Kyle Sandilands, Amy Shark and Marcia Hines, and culminated in a finale that crowned Marshall Hamburger the winner by a narrow margin over Gisella Colletti and Iilysh Terallick. Hamburger walked away with a $100,000 prize and a recording contract with Sony Music Australia, a moment that left him visibly emotional and grateful for the public vote that carried him to victory.

“Thank you, Australia, thank you so much,” Hamburger told fans as the results were announced, fighting back tears and expressing his appreciation for the support that propelled him to the top of the leaderboard. The finale had built toward a dramatic showdown, with Gisella Colletti eliminated first and Hamburger and Iilysh Terallick advancing to the final rounds.

In the closing moments of the season, Hamburger chose a well-known Police track, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” to perform on the finale night, a performance that helped solidify his reputation as a rising star. Judge Kyle Sandilands lauded Hamburger’s talent, joking that a psychic medium might be needed to determine which dead music legend the 17-year-old had reincarnated, a remark that underscored Sandilands’ theatrical—yet affectionate—commentary style.

Hamburger’s victory speech—built on gratitude to his supporters—set the stage for what the show’s producers described as a promising future in music. His debut album arrived in April and entered the Australian Top 50 Albums Chart, signaling the start of what the series hoped would be a long-running career for the young winner.

The lighthearted moment of the bus video sits alongside a season that produced a high-profile win and a new recording contract, illustrating how a major pop-format program can intersect with the everyday humor of fans online. While the bus episode drew laughs in real time, the show’s broader arc—its finalists, the judges’ dynamics, and the success story of Marshall Hamburger—reinforced the entertainment value that the franchise has built across its seasons. As Idol continues to influence the Australian music landscape, audiences will no doubt remember not just the performances that decided the trophy, but also the moments when the public found humor in the offbeat sides of television culture.