16 Years Later, This Is What The "Pop Idol" Contestants Look Like

    Let's go back to 2001.

    Tabatha Leggett
    by Tabatha Leggett

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Hello! Before we get started let us acknowledge that 2001 Pop Idol was the best talent show there has ever been in the history of talent shows.

    Yui Mok / PA Archive/PA Images

    OK let's go!

    1. Will Young

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, instagram.com

    Will Young was Pop Idol's first ever winner. Since releasing his first single, "Evergreen" he's released banger after banger — and he even won two BRIT awards. Will has also done a lot of presenting and acting work, most notably his role in the West End production of Cabaret which got him a Laurence Olivier award nomination. Will is still the nicest guy ever and is well known for doing loads of charity work.

    2. Gareth Gates

    All Action / EMPICS Entertainment, instagram.com

    After coming second to Will Young and making literally every teenage girl in the UK fall in love with him, Gareth released three albums and four number one singles. Nowadays he works in musical theatre — he's in Footloose on the West End at the moment. He was part of a band on The Big Reunion and he recently launched a performing arts academy in Manchester. He's also a qualified speech coach, which is particularly close to his heart after overcoming his own stammer.

    3. Darius Campbell (formerly Darius Danesh)

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, Twitter: @DariusCampbell

    By the time Darius entered Pop Idol we'd already seen him on Popstars. He finished third and went onto release "Colourbind", a criminally underrated banger. He won Popstar to Operastar in 2010 and he now works on the West End. Most notably he played the male lead opposite Sheridan Smith in Funny Girl and Billy Flynn in Chicago.

    4. Zoe Birkett

    Yui Mok / PA Archive/PA Images, Twitter: @iamzoebirkett

    At only 16-years-old, Zoe was the youngest contestant on Pop Idol. After the show she released one single and then enjoyed a very successful musical theatre career, including taking on the lead female role in Thriller Live. Zoe entered the Big Brother house in 2014 and she runs a performing arts school in Darlington.

    5. Hayley Evetts

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, Twitter: @hayleyevetts

    Hayley came fifth on Pop Idol and went on to do a bunch of presenting and TV work after the show, including a role in Coronation Street. She played Sandy in Grease the Musical on the West End and she entered The X Factor a couple of times, even making it through to boot camp on 2007. Most recently, Hayley was selected as one of the finalists hoping to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016.

    6. Rosie Ribbons

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, facebook.com

    Rosie, who was born in Australia, had two top 20 hits after Pop Idol and supported both Liberty X and Blue on tour. She later moved to Australia and entered Australian Idol in 2007. She then moved back to the UK and continued releasing new music. Rosie is now working as a teaching assistant in Wales.

    7. Laura Doherty

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, Facebook: DerryJazzFestival

    Laura moved back to Derry after Pop Idol and started teaching hip hop classes. She ended up marrying her childhood sweetheart in 2008 and continued singing in bands called The Fontelles and The Commotions.

    8. Aaron Bayley

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, aaronbayleyband.co.uk

    Nowadays Aaron fronts a Newcastle-based wedding band. He's a man of many talents as he's still releasing country and rock music and he has his own photography business that covers weddings and events.

    9. Jessica Garlick

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, youtube.com

    After Pop Idol Jessica represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest and came a very respectable third. She ended up marrying her childhood sweetheart, starting a family with him, and getting a job in a special educational needs school in Wales. She still sings with her school's choir.

    10. Rik Waller

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, SWNS

    Rik released a top 10 single after Pop Idol and appeared in a few reality shows, including Celebrity Fit Club and Back to Reality. He's now working as an exam invigilator in Kent and he runs a mobile karaoke business with his dad.

    11. Korben Niblett (formerly Korben)

    PA Photo/Press Association Images, Via linkedin.com

    After Pop Idol Korben went into the beauty industry. He's had jobs at Christian Dior, Clarins, and Jemma Kidd Make Up Ltd, but he now works for Estee Lauder as a regional education manager.

    ✨ Congratulations, class of 2001!