American Idol: Still Relevant?

There have been 11 seasons and have produced notables entertainers such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and a few other singers who haven’t really done anything. Yet for some reason American Idol is still on TV. I haven’t watched the show in maybe 4 years because the allure of it is gone. When the show first started Simon Cowell was ripping everyone who couldn’t sing, people were left in tears, it was amazing. As Idol grew in popularity and was a credible location to hear good talent week in and week out. 

But over time it seems as though the creators and FOX got complacent, they knew everyone would watch their show so why try and spice things up? I understand the formula is very vanilla, people audition, go to Los Angeles, sing more, get votes, try and win. But they could add something more to it couldn’t they? Now we have shows like The Voice, Duets, or X-Factor where the premise is similar but different enough to get me to watch. But American Idol is the same old same old than to top it all off, as I’m driving home listening to the news I hear this.

“Mariah Carey has agreed to become a judge on American Idol for 18 million dollars”. 

Pardon me? Mariah Carey gets paid 18 million dollars to sit down and listen to people and tell them they can or cannot sing? This is a serious thing? Whatever happened to the love of music to get new talent? Wheres the mentor taking the unrefined singer and taking him or her under their wing and making them the next superstar for free? Let’s be clear about something the reason Mariah Carey is doing this is because she’s getting paid 18 million dollars to fly around in a private jet to different cities in America and tell people they suck. 

This year when American Idol comes back on TV with flashy video clips of people who really cannot sing, that may be enough to get you sucked in, but not me. American Idol was once a must watch show on TV but not anymore. It’s just one big joke now where people are being paid way to much to sit there and tell people they suck at singing. 

Now if you are one those people who love American Idol (and I know some of you are) explain to me why you love it so much. I mean what makes you continue to watch this show year after year especially since it seems to be getting stale? Let me know your thoughts

However if you are looking for a good singing “reality” tv show check out The Voice. It really seems like a good show, very similar to American Idol but doesn’t seem as stale. Another interesting show is Duets. I just watched the 1st season and it seemed ok, has a good premise of contestants singing with some of the biggest names out there in, Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles. ( Actually if anyone can tell me just who Jennifer Nettles is and what she has done I will be forever grateful) 

American Idol was amazing for the first 6 seasons but it no longer is the king of the game anymore. It’s just like anything else in life sometimes things go on for just a bit too long before they reach a sad conclusion.

- Steffan L. Watson 

Follow me on Twitter: @SteffanWatson23