'Idology': Judges for sale! Are Randy, Keith, Nicki and Mariah credible?
Credit: TVLine.com
TVLine.com's American Idol expert, Michael Slezak, is back with Season 6 standout Melinda Doolittle for an all-new Idology.
This week, Michael and Melinda discuss one of the most infuriatingly lopsided nights of critiques in twelve seasons: the top 4 performance night of American Idol season 12. Is the Amber Holcomb agenda harming whatever credibility these judges had? What's the point of having judges if Nigel isn't going to "manipulate within the framework of reality"?
It's a fiery episode, so check out the video below via TVLine.com:
Thoughts:
In the Idol Week In Review I did with Trey, I went on a bit of a rant about the lopsided judging while posing the question of whether what the judges say even matters to the outcome of the show anymore. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that, these days, the only time the judges’ opinions seem to matter is when the transparency of their agenda shines through. Sure, the producers have always had their favorites, and they’ve always done what they could to keep the ones they like while bussing the ones they don’t. But I don't think there's been a point in time where there has been a greater disconnect between what the judges say and what the audience can clearly see/hear, and I wouldn't be surprised if viewers rebelled against the manipulation in some fashion, Haley Reinhart style. It's debatable whether the judges were ever trustworthy arbiters of taste to begin with, but I do remember a time where the judges had some measure of credibility.
Amber seems like a sweet girl, and she's certainly talented, and very beautiful. But I just can't reconcile the praise she's getting with the end product of her performances. And when the disconnect is that severe, I find myself coming to the same conclusion as Michael and Melinda: these judges are for sale. And maybe that's always been true of the series, but it's particularly depressing here because of its tactless transparency.
Do the judges’ opinions matter anymore? I suppose they matter to the contestants, but because these are judges and not coaches, the advice is always really vague, like “pick better songs” or “connect more”. They can’t really shape these contestants because they’re supposed to be objective. Yet, they really aren't being objective about their criticisms at all, and this makes it almost impossible to take them seriously, as a result.
What do you think? Are the judges simply following a script? Or did Amber really deserve two standing ovations Wednesday night? Sound off in the comments!