Expert panel

To assess and train the potential Evitas and judge them during the live shows, an expert panel was chosen. The panel included:

• Willem Nijholt – actor and singer.
• Peter Van de Velde – Flemish actor from Belgium
• Erwin van Lambaart – (managing director of Joop van den Ende theatre)
• Pia Douwes – (musical theatre actress who is very successful in Europe)

Live finals

The final ten contestants competed in the live studio finals held on Sunday nights over eight weeks. Each week the contestants sang and performed during the live show, receiving comments from the judges following their performance. The public then got a chance to vote for their favourite Evita, and the two contestants with the fewest votes performed a sing-off in front of Nijholt, who then decided which Evita to keep in the contest. This was repeated with the top ten, the top nine, the top eight, the top seven, the top six, the top five and the top four.

Nijholt had no say in the final casting decision, when in the concluding edition of the series it was left to the public to choose who should play Evita out of the final two contenders, Brigitte Heitzer and Suzan Seegers. After more votes were cast, the winning entrant was revealed as Heitzer, who won a contract to play Evita at the Nieuwe Luxor Theater in Rotterdam.

Results summary

Week 1 (September 2, 2007)

Following the first week of competition, Tineke was the first Evita to be eliminated from the competition. The show performances were:

• Group performances:
  • "Dreamgirls" (from Dreamgirls)
  • "Rhythm of the Night" (DeBarge)

• Jury's favourite Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: Suzan (but revealed that his other favourite was Marjolein, but was positive about Suzan)
  • Pia Douwes: Suzan
  • Peter Van de Velde: Brigitte

Sing-Off

Week 2 (September 9, 2007)

Sabina was the second contestant to be eliminated from the series. The show performances were:

• Group performances:
  • "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" (from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
  • "Can't Help Falling in Love" (Elvis Presley)

• Jury's favourite Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: Marleen
  • Pia Douwes: Wieneke
  • Peter Van de Velde: Sabina

Sing-Off

Week 3 (September 16, 2007)

The third potential Evita to be eliminated was Sophie. The show performances were:

• Group performances:
  • "Get the Party Started" (Pink)
  • "Mijn pakkie an (My Strongest Suit)" (from Aida)

• Jury's favourite Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: Suzan
  • Pia Douwes: Marleen
  • Peter Van de Velde: Wieneke

Sing-Off

Week 4 (September 23, 2007)

Babette became the fourth contestant to hear she was not Evita. The show performances were:

• Group performances:
  • "We Go Together" (from Grease)
  • "Take a Chance on Me" (from Mamma Mia)

• Jury's favourite Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: Babette
  • Pia Douwes: Babette
  • Peter Van de Velde: Babette

Sing-Off

Week 5 (September 30, 2007)

Wieneke became the fifth contestant to hear she would not be Evita. The show performances were:

• Group performances:
  • "Don't Stop Me Now" (from We Will Rock You)
  • "Rainbow High" (from Evita)
  • "It's the Hard Knock Life" (from Annie)

• Jury's favourite Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: Marjolein (but also very positive about Suzan being his favourite)
  • Pia Douwes: Marjolein
  • Peter Van de Velde: Marjolein

Sing-Off

Week 6 (October 7, 2007)

In the quarter-final, the sixth Evita to be eliminated was Anne. The show performances were:

• Group performances:
  • "Shout" (Lulu)
  • "Foxtrot (Dutch version)" (from Foxtrot)

• Jury's favourite Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: Marjolein
  • Pia Douwes: Marleen
  • Peter Van de Velde: Brigitte

Sing-Off

Week 7 (October 14, 2007)

In the semi-final, the seventh and final Evita to be eliminated was Marleen. The show performances were:

• Group performances:
  • "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" (from A Chorus Line)
  • "Ik ben uitzonderlijk goed voor u (I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You)" featuring Roberto de Groot, who will play as Juan Perón in the upcoming Dutch revival of Evita

• Jury's favourite Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: Suzan
  • Pia Douwes: Suzan
  • Peter Van de Velde: Brigitte

Sing-Off

Week 8 (October 21, 2007)

The grand finale saw Brigitte win the competition, with Suzan coming second and Marjolein third. The show performances were:

• Group performance:
  • Finalists and former Evitas: "There's No Business Like Show Business" (from Annie Get Your Gun)
  • Finalists: "One Night Only" (from Dreamgirls)
  • Brigitte and Suzan: "Buenos Aires (Dutch version)" (from Evita)
  • Brigitte and Suzan: "Huil niet om mij, Argentina (Don't Cry For Me, Argentina)" (from Evita)

• Jury's verdict on who is Evita:
  • Erwin van Lambaart: could not choose between Suzan and Brigitte
  • Pia Douwes: could not choose between Suzan and Brigitte
  • Peter Van de Velde: Brigitte
  • Willem Nijholt: Suzan
• After being announced as the series winner, Brigitte concluded the series with a performance of "Huil niet om mij, Argentina (Don't Cry For Me, Argentina)".

Awards

On 1 October 2008, it was announced that Op zoek naar Evita was nominated for the Gouden Televizier-Ring 2008, for the best television from the season 2007–2008. On 24 October 2008 showed that this nomination was not silver, the Golden Televizier-Ring was won by Mooi! Weer De Leeuw.