When Bad Things Happen to Good Idols

Each week, millions of Americans tune in to American Idol, my family included. This is by far the one show my whole family can agree to watch, and trust me, we watch it with intensity.

Each week, we get to know the contestants more and more, and learn the real person behind the talent. And with each passing week, my family feels more connected to each contestant and can’t wait for the next week of Idol. The one part of the show we hate: elimination. There is always that one person on every season that goes home too early or doesn’t win. The elimination of Pia Toscano this past week left the judges, and the rest of America, in absolute shock. Which got me thinking…why do bad things happen to good idols?
 
Exhibit A: Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry. These are two of the most talented and successful people to ever grace the American Idol stage. Yet they could not even make it to the finale of their respective seasons. Jennifer Hudson’s soulful R&B voice led her to land an Oscar for her role in Dreamgirls and Chris Daughty’s  debut album sold four million copies, outselling the winner for that season, Taylor Hicks. Sometimes, people set out to be the typical “American Idol” are girl-next-door, cookie-cutter pop singers (with a few exceptions, of course). With this vision in mind when voting, many viewers have a tendency to lean towards more mainstream singers, which brings me to…
 
Exhibit B: Kris Allen wins over Adam Lambert. Adam Lambert was arguably the most unique, creative, and talented singer on the show. Ever. Each week, I would mainly look forward to his performances to see what kind of changes he would bring to songs. Yet did he get to be the one singing the winning song? No. I’m not saying Kris Allen wasn’t talented, but he was nowhere near the level that Adam Lambert was on. Maybe Adam Lambert was too theatrical or “different” for America, but who’s single did you buy on iTunes? Probably Adam Lambert’s “Whataya Want From Me.”
 
Exhibit C: The attractive boys that make it WAY father than they should, such as Jason Castro, Casey James, and Tim Urban. Alright, they’re all nice on the eyes and enjoyable to watch, but chances are you would never buy any of their songs, or listen to any on the radio. The problem with voting with American Idol is teenage girls. They will sit for the two hours of voting on Wednesday nights and endlessly redial the number of their Idol crush so he can get through another week.  While these girls cast maybe 200 votes for their favorite boy, the rest of America will maybe call once or twice to cast their vote for their favorite contestant, making the voting process quite unreliable.
 
Pia Toscano has a bright music career ahead of her, and the day after her elimination, she was spotted walking into the offices of a record label company. It would have been amazing to see someone with her talent win the tenth season of American Idol, but we can all be comforted that she is moving along in her career.  In many cases, the winner has not won everything. Taylor Hicks and Lee DeWyze never had number one hit singles, and many of the past Idol winners have disappeared from the music scene. So, maybe leaving the show early can be seen as a positive thing, and can allow the true talent of the show to jump start their careers.