Who to Blame? The 5 Biggest Culprits in American Idol's Worst Season
Even if Crystal Bowersox ranks among American Idol's finest talents (and I believe she does), something's rotten in the state of Seacrest this year. Last season, Idol rejuvenated itself with a blend of personalities -- from subtle craftsman Kris Allen to sparkle sorcerer Adam Lambert. This season's Idol cast is dogged by a number of distracting elements -- and worst, the Idol-consuming populace is confused over the true culprits in this fiasco. Thus, we're ranking the five biggest contributors to Idol's weakest year. Hopefully number one will start to garner the skewering it deserves. Daggers ready!
5. The Kara/Simon Sideshow
This unfortunate non-drama subsided in recent weeks, but the memory burns on: Kara DioGuardi, who gives arguably the best criticisms most nights, confused herself for the star of the show and wasted our time caressing Simon's shoulders and gnawing his chest. At season's start, DioGuardi mentioned to the press that she felt obligated to revive some of Paula Abdul's shtick, which included contestant sympathy and an unpredictability factor. Well, that explains her flagrant attempt to stir up a saucy, buddy-buddy relationship with Simon, but it doesn't justify why she thought it should be so time-consuming.
4. Contestant Nervousness
No one should be crucified for showing nerves on a national stage, at least to start. But if these contestants are serious about pop idol status, shouldn't this platform be more empowering than discouraging? Lee DeWyze's worried warble, Aaron Kelly's prenatal shakes, Casey James' cautious bleat, and Alex Lambert's post-vomit trembles were eye- and ear-sores all season long. It made them seem like unwilling combatants, the least telegenic quality an Idol contestant can have.
3. The Themes/Song Selection
By this time in Idol's run, we need cooler themes. These months of outdated ideas ("Inspirational Week," anyone? "Frank Sinatra Week"? "Elvis Week"?) have transformed the talent pool into a mushy, urgency-deprived karaoke machine. Some of the burden is on the contestants themselves, who don't need to choose "I Believe I Can Fly" or "When You Believe" but labor our tolerance anyway. Still, the quantity of available goodness is seriously limited, and I can only think of a handful of times where the singers mined gems -- aside from Rolling Stones week, the competition's best moment.
2. Ellen DeGeneres
Let's put it bluntly: Ellen DeGeneres could not have been any worse this season. She was scarcely funny. She almost always agreed with and watered down Randy's "points." She couldn't authoritatively stand behind a negative criticism. Worst of all, she never justified her position on the panel, resembling a specter of the TV icon we once knew. Reviewing her comments from throughout the season, she said a version of the phrase, "You know I'm a fan" or "You know I think you're great" to nearly every contestant. You'd think a new presence infiltrating Idol's long-established panel would do more to substantiate her gig than pander to contestants.
1. The Voters
Surprise! You did this to yourselves! As much as we can lay into the judges' inconsistency, Ryan Seacrest's unhinged showmanship, or a cast of wheezing wannabes, the main problem with season nine is horrible home-viewer voting. There's a reason we were promised a year of standout female talents at season's start: Your Top 5 should've been Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Didi Benami, Lilly Scott and Katelyn Epperly. Lee DeWyze's (GrizzLee Bore) tuneless whimper-growls, Casey James' unassuming coffeehouse appeal, and Michael Lynche's Cool Whip commercial "soul" should've deserted Hollywood weeks ago.
We've witnessed so much sympathy voting this year -- from Tim Urban's continued survival to a grim use of the Judges' Save, all on behalf of the lagging male talent pool. Siobhan and Didi -- discernible personalities who not only had great voices but utilized them singularly -- gave one "off" performance apiece. Lilly Scott and Katelyn Epperly were voted out after some of their best efforts. When you reinspect the oeuvre of the four remaining guys, you find plenty more misses than hits.
While viewers can claim that Idol's personnel shifts have added a layer of annoyance to the show, they can't claim they didn't design this strangely uninteresting turnout themselves.
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Comments
You have to remember just exactly what American Idol is supposed to be....entertainment. The fact that so many people have an opinion, negative or positive, about the show shows that it accomplishes what it sets out to do. The vast majority of the contestants have no more talent than most singers you can see in any bar in any city on any week end. If most current popular artists like John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber could anonymously try out for the show they would most likely not make it out of the regionals. The show does not truly find the best talent, it finds the most interesting characters that people will want to watch. The artists who became successful and popular are not always the best technical singers. They have something intangible that can not be developed over a matter of weeks on a TV show. That being said, I still enjoy watching American Idol. It is mindless entertainment to me. I get what I look for out of it.
The best voice ever in AI was Carrie Underwood. She was pitch-perfect every time, and could sing any style. Aside from her musical talents, she looked especially attractive, as well.
Last night's performance by Crystal was her best, but I also like Lee a lot. (Could it be his beautiful blue eyes?) Teekay's comment about just enjoying AI for its entertainment factor is one I agree with wholeheartedly. If I want exceptional singing, I go to an opera. Can't beat those voices!
in my opinion, Katelyn Epperly and Didi wouldn't have deserved to make it top the top five. I agree with yall all the way with lilly Scott and Siobhan, but lee is an AWESOME SINGER! Big Mike wasn't that bad either. So I pretty much disagree entirely with number 1. Also with number 4. These people are still getting used to being famous! Let them be nervous!
Has this person done lost their mind? The reason this season sucked was because we were given crap to vote for in the top 24. Are you seriously going to tell me that out of 110,000 people that auditioned, this was the best? Oh, PLEASE!!!! The dog that lives above me howls better than most of these contestants. I don't say that I can sing, but Didi Benami? And to say that Kara's critiques were awesome, I mean can you say, "I did not feel you were connected to the song", to every one, that is the critique! EVERY TIME! Ellen was ok, she wasn't a superstar, I would have loved to hear Paula stumble through again, but I was really not a fan of Ellen and now, eh, who cares? Next season, without Simon, the show will tank. I can't wait for X-Factor.
Do any of you really know anything about music
This season has been very blah; the judges seem to be cliche bound and did not seem as switched on as normal. Seacrest was more irritating than usual! The contestants were, in the main, bland. The stand out was Siobhan Magnus, a quirky but adorable young woman with one heck of a voice. Accused of screaming, (Bowersox does it as well), she was harshly citicised sometimes for faults other lesser contestants got away with. Judges remarks do, I am sure, sway voters.
Left with DeWyze and Bowersox, the later should win but there is something about her that just does not gel with me. I have seen a lot like her at BikeFests and although she will work after AI, I cannot help thinking Siobhan would have been the better choice. Casey was cutsey, Lynche a great Do-Wop singer but the rest were lacking. All said, every one did better than I could!
Maybe with a win Crystal can get those teeth fixed.
Kara is good BUT tooooooo loooonnnnng winded. Say what you must, keep it brief and to the point, then SHUT UP. Gonna miss Simon and the show will suffer. He's smart to get while the gettin's good. Randy: Am SOOOO tired of hearing "Yo Yo YO" and "Check it out! Check it out! and someone needs to teach him the different between the sexes because male or female, they're "Dude." And lastly, Ellen. Such a waste of air, mirror's most things Randy says almost to the word, and has NO musical background to judge ANY performance with. Perhaps someone at Idol thought bringing Ellen on would attract the gay audience. If the like the show they're already watching regardless of Ellen or if not, I doubt her presence will make gay's to watch because OF her.
I can not believe there is even a question as to why the ratings have dropped...Hello...this is America....Hello...you don't stick an Ellen of any kind in our faces and expect us to watch....
I think the first few seasons of American Idol were what the show was all about. I don't think any of the singers they have on now could compete with the singers in season 1 and 2. People forget. These kids sang with recorded taped music, no backup singers. No fancy lighting or scenery. You HAD to have a good voice. And I think whoever Idol wants to win, wins. After season 2 I don't trust their voting or counting system. Nygel Lithgoe,was one the producers and after season 2 he stated that CLay received 80% of the votes every week.Then on the final day, his line was so tied up his mother couldn't even vote and he lost. After that I didn't give too much credence to their counting and voting. Also the highest number of viewers Idol has ever had to this day was season 2 and the finale of season5. Gee I wonder why?
Please get over the fantasy that viewer votes are being counted. Every season suffers with surprising eliminations of the contestant who most threatens the chosen winner. This year was spectacular since six of the eliminated top 24 were all brilliant and would have created an exciting season. It was obvious to me that this season's winner would be the weakest winner to date (Taylor Hicks, get ready to relinquish your crown). They even dragged in poor Tim Urban to round out the top 12. Please!! And remember that beautiful singer, Angela, who was on her last of three times making it through Hollywood? Her backstory was amazing and could beat a paint stockboy or even Mama Sox. We couldn't even risk her making the Top 24. What kind of human decency takes someone all the way to the door three times and slams it even louder on the final trip? Lilly, Alex, Katelyn, Angela, Didi and Siobhan all threatened the chosen one, Lee DeWyze. The time has come to realize that Lee DeWyze threatens the continuing success of AI. The dominance and momentum were exterminated this season. Lee DeWyze, the pale imitation of Cooke and Allen, will fill a warehouse for 19 but will not even score a Broadway tour. See you with The X Factor!!
As soon as the non-talented, non-musically trained fur trader ellen came on the show, I stopped watching.
Any show that continues to push their Gay rights agenda on me will never get my support or never get me to ever buy a product they advertise. We the people on the other side of the issue have our freedom of speech and freedom of choice too and I choose not to bend over for the politically correct, everything is acceptably OK world, they are trying to create.
I do hope the talented kids who sing their hearts out do well.
Sioban should have won, but the judges undermined her when she balked at a contract. Simon and Kara, the trailer park slut, did everything they could to trash Sioban. Shelby should have made the finals but the judges screwed her over. Lee was good and better than Crystal. Neither of the two finalist had any personality or stage presence. Sioban has by far the best voice, best personality and was perfect for the IDOL personna. Ellen stunk as a judge and Kara isn't nearly as hot as she thinks she is.
@Rudewaitress: you are right on! Agreed 100%. The Janis Joplin thing was boring about one minute into the season.
Thanks Jan. I totally agree with you. I think this is the worst AI in history. I haven't watched it for 3 years now and thought i'd give it a chance this year. I've watched the first 45 days, then quit. This show is definitely rigged and voters need to take heed to that. The talent was the worst talent that AI has ever had on their FAKE show.
AMERICAN IDOL HAS JUST KILLED ITSELF. THE JUDGES ARE ABSOLUTELY NO HELP TO THE CONTESTANTS. Instead of giving them constructive criticism, they give them their person opinion. We don't care of Randy didn't like the song or if it didn't do anything for him, who gives a rip about that. And as far as song choice, I got so tired of hearing the judges sit there on their worthless ass and tell the kids that they made a bad song choice, they should get up off their overpaid fat ass and help the kids choose their songs. It was evident during the week of the judges pick that they picked crappy songs for the kids too, so they should keep their uneducated mouths shut. THEY DON'T NEED THE JUDGES ON THE PROGRAM, let America vote and not have to listen to their worthless drivel. This year the judges didn't have their heads on as they didn't pick any good contestants on their trips around the country. There was no outstanding talent on the show like Fantasia, Adam Lambert, Kerry Underwood. These people had star quality, there was none of that this year. I, along with everyone I know have written off AI. Sorry you signed up for three years Ryan, I don't think you're going to get your money. Good Bye and thanks for eight, not nine years of viewing pleasure. Your show has surely JUMPED THE SHARK. Don't give up your day job.
Another year of a winner whose talent won't go anywhere. Bowersox, you rock! You win in spite of the so called voters. You will go far and do well, Good wishes.
You are seriously a moron if you think Lee is not extremely talented and his singing sounds like "tuneless whimper-growls". He has an absolutely beautiful voice. I think he completely deserved to win. He's going to be a great artist and have a great career. Sure he's a little rough around the edges but I like that in an artist. I don't want to listen to Lady Gaga who is completely fake and whose music I cannot relate to. People can relate to someone like Lee and that makes him a great artist.
OMFG I LIKED CRYSTAL I HATE U LEE U SUCKKK!!
Simon Cowell is the reason this show worked so well, and his preparation for departure is a lot of the reason why this season just wasn't the same. Having likely been less motivated than in the previous eight seasons, the audience was treated to a monotonous cast of contestants that slipped by a less attentive Cowell. Most of the time it is short sighted to give one person so much credit, but there is a reason he made a ridiculous amount of money doing the show. Degeneres may have had a rough time establishing her place, but she was hardly the second reason why the season didn't work. The first reason was a poor cast of contenders who failed to make the most out of their opportunity, and the second reason was Cowell focusing on the next stage of his career.
To attribute a lousy season to the viewers is incredibly stupid. The competition just didn't have great contenders this season, and the audience needs to be compelled to become voters.
I was an Idol fan till Paula was treated so badly.Now I watch Dancing with the stars
I thought this was the worst American Idol season due to Ellen DeGenerous being a judge. When did she ever take voice lessons or take music lessons to appreciate others talents. She is also married to a woman! How gross! The Bible sets the example in Genesis of a man and woman as the example of marriage and love. If it was supposed to be woman and woman then in the garden it would have been Abagail and Eve. It was Adam and Eve. She sets a horrible example of a role model to all the kids, teenagers, young adults and adults who watch this show. I have enjoyed watching American Idol Seasons # 2 until this year. I hardly watched it this year because just seeing Ellen Degenerous on t.v. makes me sick. Every time I see her I think: " How can she want to be with another woman". If her thinking is not on that area then it may not be right on judging singers too. Hopefully, next year they will get some judges who really know what to look for in talent and stage appearance.
Ok, I swore that after Carrie Underwood won American Idol, I would never watch again. Until Adam Lambert came along...Yea the show gets ridiculous at times, but I'm glad that Lee Dewyze won. Crystal was awesome, they both deserved it, but I can actually hear Lee on the radio, more than I can hear Crystal. This year did stink, thanks to Kara's trying to impress Simon and Ellen's niceness, I just dont think that Ellen understands what true talent is, You can't be nice to everyone. As for Shioban, I'm glad she got voted off, because hearing her voice every week irritated me more than words can say. I hate screechy voices. She did NOT have good vocals from the beggining.
As for those of you disrecting Lee Dewyze, I'm am happy he won, and ya'll are just jealous that that wasn't you whose life was changed. I bet the guy that came out with his song "Pants on the Ground" had talent too right? BS it's just a way to fill a slot and make fun of someone else's inability to sing. He forgot half of his own words...now that was ridiculous! Yeah Idol sucked, and I didn't watch every episode, but Lee won because he can sing, he will make a ton more records because his genre is what ALOT of people like, Hence the reason he won. Simon "pimped" Lee because even though Lee was timid and shy, Simon saw something in Lee, Therefore the reason for the criticism which in the end Lee gained his confidence. Lee was holding back, but as soon as he gained his confidence, he was sure to win American Idol.
Good Job Lee you deserve it....these Idiots are just jealous, and don't kno talent...You people need to get a life and work on your anger issues~~~~~
The season SUCKED! None of the people selected this year had any TALENT!! The people with the talent never made it to LA unfortunately!
He's going to be there right along with the winner from last year (a name I can't remember, but I remember Adam, and the other winner with the grey hair from a few seasons back(oh that guy)!
Not only is Simon leaving the show, me too!
Get some talent on that show or you will be Seacrest OUT!
*disrespecting.
Simon, its sad to see you go, Idol will never be the same, because you actually tell it like it is and dont hold back on criticism. Good luck with your future goals...Idol I beleive is nothing without you!!!!
Congrats again to Lee!!!!
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