X Factor judge Stan Walker has come under scrutiny of his own from viewers unimpressed with his take on the English language.
Since the popular TV3 series began airing last month Walker's expressions - such as "yous done really well" and "don't let your nervous take over" - have been a hot topic on social media.
After Sunday night's episode Walker hit back at critics who had taken to Twitter to judge the judge.
Tawna Whitford described his speech as a "destruction of the English language", and Moses Filipo asked: "Can we get judges that speak proper English?"
Walker told viewers they should embrace his form of "hori" English.
"To all the well spoken people in Aotearoa, u will all need to learn a new english. Its called Hori lol. Cos thats basically all i speak haha [sic]," he tweeted.
Walker was unavailable for further comment last night.
The series continues to be a hit with New Zealand audiences, with 395,500 tuning in on Sunday night, according to Nielsen ratings.
Last night the 12 finalists were announced as Benny Tipene, Tom Batchelor, Whenua Patuwai, Cassie Henderson, Eden Roberts, Jackie Thomas, Anna Wilson, Maaka Fise, Taye Williams, Gap 5, L.O.V.E. and Moorhouse.
In a twist, it was announced the public could vote for a 13th finalist to go through to the Live Shows round of eliminations.
- Morgan Tait of the New Zealand Herald
