Resolve Voting Issues
The biggest controversies for AI always revolve around the issue of voting. Because the current system allows for unlimited votes per person, die-hard fans can put their favorites over the top even if the majority of viewers would prefer someone else. This happened first in Season 1 when Nikki McKibbin made it into the third place spot over Tamyra Gray, and again this season when crooner John Stevens outlasted numerous more talented singers.
Fox's line on this point has been to encourage the complainers to vote, which is a fair argument. However, casual fans are more likely to be discouraged by constant busy signals than the true aficionados, thus perpetuating the current problem.
Short of changing the voting system entirely, Fox could take one small step to stifle this controversy. The network should simply release the total vote count every week and reveal how many votes each performer received. It has been mentioned numerous times the results are often close, in some cases separated only by a few thousand votes. If the show were to provide more clarity as to just how close the vote was each week, it would likely both spur more viewers to try to get their vote in and also quiet many of those who believe the show is fixed.
Onward To Season Four
Even without any of these changes, American Idol should continue to be a cash cow for Fox and 19. But, for the show to truly have staying power, creator Simon Fuller can't just rest on his laurels. Here's hoping that next time around, we'll see something new.
Article comments
1 - TDavid
Good summary although I don't agree with some of this. Particularly that the show should be a talent show. That's more boring for most viewers than a reject show. I know several people who only look forward to the first few weeks of rejects being cast off. It also serves as a deterrent to those who actually think they can sing that before coming to the audition that they better have their stuff together.
I'm guessing though with the success (cough, cough) of William Hung, next season will be teeming with more wannabe singers than this year.
Without the rejects, you'd just have a boring talent show with little fanfare and I think it would quicken the demise of the show.
BTW a technical aside it is 19 Entertainment not 19 "TV" so you might want to change that if you get a second.
Good job!
2 - AIRules
Come on Scott.
How long will you go without admitting the real problem of AI? It's not that people can vote more than once. It's that you don't vote people off, but rather vote people to stay on.
If FOX, however, goes to allowing people to vote contestants off, then the show will get very predictable and boring. At least now you honestly do not know who will be the person with the least number of votes.
The reason Millionaire failed was because of overkill. Yes it was a hit, but 3+ times a week was simply too much. They should have only, and always, done a once a week primetime show. Then perhaps Millionaire in its original form might have lasted a bit longer. Look at "Survivor." Already seven seasons, I think. TOTAL OVERKILL, but still a highly rated show that stole viewers away from Friends.
AI won't change anything until ratings slip. You might say AI 3 was a slip compared to AI 2, but I think that has a lot to do with Fantasia vs. Diana compared to Ruben vs. Clay.
I seriously doubt nothing will ever top the Ruben vs. Clay issue. When you combine that with K. Lo, Josh Gracin, Ricky (Hercules!) etc, you realize AI 2 was a great season.
Simply put, AI 3's finalists didn't hold a candle to AI 2's people. That might be a reason people are calling for changes. Many of us were disappointed in the finalists as a whole, namely: Leah, that big fat idiot, Jennifer Hudson, and the lack of Lisa who could have done very well.
If AI 4 completely loses viewers... (highly unlikely, unless, in January 2005,
1.)NBC puts another season of "The Apprentice" up against it
or
2.) CBS puts "Survivor" against it
or
3.) Some other new show emerges that happens to be in the AI time slot and steals all AI viewers away)
...THEN maybe we'd start to see changes. But from FOX's standpoint, why mess with the Status Quo? 3 Seasons and they still get very high ratings, and lots of ad money from Ford, Coca-Cola, and Old Navy. Pretty good deal if you ask me.
3 - boomcrashbaby
My disappointment with AI seems to stem from my disillusionment of other reality shows like Survivor. I think we'll give Survivor another chance next season, probably not AI, and I doubt we'll try to even get into any new reality shows.
While I enjoy the concept of Survivor and AI, I tend to actually come to like certain individuals within it, and really want them to win, like Ethan (Survivor) or LaToya (AI).
When Ethan got booted on Survivor, the next week, I sat down to watch the show, and realized that there were about 9 more weeks of shows left, and I just didn't care about anybody that was left. I watched the whole season because I felt obligated to, I had invested so much time and interest up to that point. Same when LaToya left, I didn't really care who won anymore. Does anybody else keep watching a show when you don't really like anybody on it? I'm not sure I want to drag myself through another season of that.
When your fav gets booted, do you come up with another fav on equal ground based on who's left? Or do you 'settle' for another fav because you have no alternative. It's like Batman got booted from the franchise, but here's a movie about Robin...interested?.....No.
4 - Bob A. Booey
Scott, my love.
I give you credit for using schadenfreude but as usual, you've just missed the mark once again. The key to the show IS cruelty and delighting in the suffering of others, as Simon has said multiple times, so the reject shows are essential to building viewers every new season. That's why they even trotted out some of the audition shows as re-runs the past week or so. The 32 in LA might be the slowest part of every season and would lose viewers if it were any more drawn-out. There's no chance that what you say about this aspect of the show will come to bear.
Superstar USA isn't mocking American Idol's use of rejects so much as embracing and stealing it. They've realized that the BEST part of the show is the cruelty toward bad singers and we'll see how the ratings are for Superstar USA.
Here's the real reason the finale was down: First, it was TOO damn long with nothing happening for the first 1:30. They need to figure out a way to make the finale more compelling overall. I'd guarantee you the viewership for the last 30 minutes was much higher than the season average of 25.8 million. Secondly, there was a sense of finality in Tuesday's final performances. Everyone though Fantasia would win based on the judges' comments and people didn't realize how close the vote was (about 1% difference). Last year's contest, on the other hand, was SO competitive and featured two very different styles of performer that people could root for. I think that's the main culprit, but I wouldn't write American Idol's epitaph yet: it increased its ratings this year over last year's overall and it was the number one show on television, averaging about 26 million per episode. I'd also say that if a stronger singer had been up against Fantasia, like LaToya London, people would have had more rooting interest and the Wednesday finale might have had more audience.
The 4 judges idea probably wouldn't work since they already cut Simon off anyway and don't seem to have time to say much. Each judge speaks for less than 30 seconds as it is now. They should consider replacing judges, but that might backfire if they picked the wrong person. I think it kind of works to have two more personable judges to counter-balance Simon's meanness. If all three judges were vicious and honest like Simon is, then the show would take on a decidedly meaner edge and alienate many of the younger and older viewers. Not to mention the fact that Simon's commentary would no longer shock or tickle anyone at all. If a judge did leave, my bet would be on Randawg. Paula seems to have toned down her bizarre comments enough and gotten it together toward the end of the season. I don't think there'll be a judge change at all, though, for AI 4.
I think there's a chance the voting gets changed, but Fantasia winning reduces the impetus for that. If Diana had won, the uproar would have made the producers think harder. My bet is that the show stays largely the same and they try harder to find better, more compelling talent for next year's finalists.
That is all.
5 - Bob A. Booey
I hate to continue my tradition of addenda to every post, but here goes:
BoomCrash and Ethan sitting in a tree. K I S S I N G ... you know the rest.
Booey OUT!
6 - Esther
Diana, please sing some Carpenters songs. I think you would be brilliant
with that material. Thank you for being
brave enough and talented enough to hold our attention last season. Be well and safe, Es
7 - LoLo
The whole idea of their voting process is pretty crazy. Talent is completely ignored by most voters. Proof you ask? JPL...