TARISAI Vushe was not your usual Australian Idol contestant.
She was confident, brazen, lippy and a diva.
She also has one of the most sensational voices the series has ever heard.
But for these traits, which normally any successful pop singer must possess, she was called a fake and victimised by the show's middle-aged judges until the public bought it and voted her off.
Even if you haven't watched the TV show you may have seen Tarisai, such has been the vicious campaign against her in the past two weeks.
It began when the previous week's loser Daniel Mifsud slagged her off on radio.
The judges followed his lead.
If it was a tactic to boost falling ratings, it didn't work.
If it was an exercise in bullying, it was a gem.
Tarisai is a different personality. She is quirky, zany and even a bit bonkers.
But show me an "artist" who is not.
I would have thought the supposed "talent experts" who run Idol would know how to manage such "talent".
But they didn't. Instead, they persecuted her for their own failings.
Here we had a young woman making clear her ambition to do well or, God forbid, win.
Oh dear, how desperate of her. Isn't that what talent contests are all about?
So Tarisai stood up to the judges, Mark Holden in particular, and queried his judgment backstage rather than having a rant on national television about it.
If anything, it showed maturity beyond her 20 years not to make a public scene but to confront him later.
However, Holden chose to make it public and called her "fake".
Well, if a bloke who puts himself up on a pedestal as one of Australia's biggest music producers can't cop a bit of lip from a leprechaun-size young woman, than I'm surprised he's got as far as he has.
Australian Idol needed to look after Tarisai.
Instead, they allowed four supposed music industry leaders to gang up like schoolyard bullies.
If you go to the Channel 10 website you can watch Tarisai's interview after being booted off.
In it, she is nothing but gracious - more than most of us would have been in the same circumstances.
She describes her time on Idol as "wonderful experience" and advises future contestants: "Work hard ... be open to learning.
"Sometimes it can be hard, but it's up to you."
To the remaining four contestants she genuinely wishes them luck saying, "I love you".
For the judges: "To all the four judges bless you guys, even though I'm still angry with two of you some of your criticism has been constructive. All the best and God bless".
If that ain't the making of a star, then I don't know what is.