Bashar's fame started along with the reality television show called Star Academy on LBC. There were rumors of a love affair between him and Moroccan contestant Sophia Marikh. Gulf News reported that teenagers welcomed him as a superstar, but Islamists disapproved. Bashar was the runner-up, but lost to Mohammed Attiyeh of Egypt.
The following October, according to an Al Bawaba report, police investigated al-Shatti following a scuffle in Marina Mall in Kuwait. The report stated that fans gathered for pictures and autographs at a coffeeshop where he and his brother were sitting, and that al-Shatti got into a physical altercation with some young hecklers, who later called the police.
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