Ah, the price of fame
Being recognised while walking down the street is one thing, but a fan approaching you in the toilet is another, laughs Ben Lummis.
It's all part and parcel of being the very first NZ Idol, a title he won over three years ago, but in the minds of New Zealanders Ben has never really been away.
"I wanted to raise my profile again," he said, explaining why he wanted to be on the show. "I wanted to show people I'm still alive."
He said people still recognised him from NZ Idol, and were keen to approach him, particularly in small towns. One avid fan even came up to him in the public toilets in Paeroa, he chuckled.
One of the best parts of being involved in the show was performing in front of the live audience, he said.
And did anyone else notice he slipped while coming onto the stage to sing Maybe? Apparently his trousers were too long and were hanging over his shoes and he slipped. But instead of being a performers' worst nightmare, he said this was the funniest thing that happened to him on the show.
And the hardest?
"Probably getting knocked out. I'm not used to that," he said.
After all as the first NZ Idol he has not been eliminated from a show like this before.
"You never know what's going to happen on reality tv. Expect the unexpected."
Now he wanted to release a single as soon as possible, with a view to a new album being independently released in November, or early next year.
And he wanted to thank everyone who had voted for him during the show.
"Thank you, and I appreciate all the support. This is only the beginning."
