2016 American Idol Final Season thread - is anyone gonna watch?

Last season was better. Season 13 wasn't a mild improvement because Season 12 was a complete farce.

Premiere was solid. Saw a country girl who could flat out wail. She tried out for the Voice, didn't make the cut, but she's gonna do well this season. I run an Idol blog (long, long story) and got some DMs saying she's in the Top 20. I was pissed, because I don't want spoilers, but the girl is good.
There was another guy who I thought was a Top 5 lock, but somebody DMed me and said he didn't fare well. Can't wait to see why this guy misses.

 

I haven't watched it since the guy with the gray hair won, but is it fair to say that, as a whole, the losers have achieved far more success than the winners?

Lambert, Hudson, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, the guy from Rock of Ages, the girl from Scorpion. All losers.

I wouldnt be able to pick more than a handful of winners out of a lineup.

 

Rhody, I'd hate to be you, getting inside scoops and prior notices about people way beforehand.

The fun and entertainment of watching these type shows is just to see what happens, watch people grow and perform, and, most of all, use God-given talents that we probably all wish we had, and get at least some real, and potentially, life-changing chance to succeed or fail on the basis of them.

There are so many talented people out there, and these types of shows just bear that out.

That said, there were a couple of contestants they put through last night that I can't believe and that I was kind of annoyed at -- tops among them being the off-the-grid wailing cellist. I don't think that's who you referenced, but, boy, did I question that one.

 

The only artist who really popped for me was the Indian woman from Massachusetts.

I questioned advancing the cello girl and the indy rock guy whose mother died. Wasn't impressed with the husband and wife with the cute baby, either. I would pick her over him, but neither was that good.

And the last guy, the rapper with the pregnant wife, really sucked.

 

SCOOPS!

 

Write, I hate when people send me spoilers. I like the show for what it is - singing and competition. I talk a lot about strategy on my site and people are so confused that you need a good game plan to do well on the show. I won't post spoilers, just predictions and the such. The Friday before the live shows I run a post where I pick songs Idols should sing and what they will. Last year I hit a couple and people thought the Idols were feeding me info or taking my advice, unaware that song selection is made two weeks before the actual performance.
I went to the live tour last year - one of the girls hooked me up - and met everyone back stage. Got to talk with them and it's amazing all the shady shit that goes on in the "competition." I know for a fact at least two of the contestants last year were told they would be Top 36 next year provided they came back.
The kids who do well are very talented and I'm not taking anything away from them, but it gets disgusting when the show blatantly pushes for one contestant - like it did last year with Qaasim Middleton - it takes away from what Idol used to be. When winners earned it the show was better. Since the ratings dipped and producers started involving themselves more, it's lost some of its luster.
I just can't wait for auditions to end. This is just scouting for me, making sure I know who's good so I don't sound like an idiot when things start and so I can get them promoting me on social media.

 

Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood both won and have outsold all the other competitors combined many times over.

 

Well of course the losers do better, there are more of them. It's also a good example of performers finding their lane. AI seems to seek someone for everybody. And in the media market of today, there are very few of those. Better to hit a genre and own a chunk of it, than be kinda popular with many groups. I've always been fascinated with articles comparing the presidential primaries with AI and how both end up with "winners" who people may not "love" but that a consensus can tolerate.

 

Last night's episode was an hour of awful, then solid talent for 55 minutes, then they surprised a pretty talented girl with her mother, who was stateside from overseas service. I don't care how prepackaged that shit is, those military things bring a tear every single time.

 

I agree.

The best of the performers, though, was the young blond guy with the beautiful eyes who looked like a cross between Niall Horan of One Direction and former U.S. Olympic swimmer Aaron Peirsol when he was a teenager. Totally reminded me of him -- in looks, mannerisms and enthusiasm. It was almost like a blast from the past for me.

 

Just watched that clip on YouTube. TEARS EVERYWHERE.

I've really liked having some of the former Idol contestants on to give encouragement and advice to those auditioning. I haven't watched the last few seasons (they lost me around the time that Adam Lambert lost)

Other Idol runners-up who have done well: Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee (who has had a few TV shows the last few years). But seriously...the show has brought us a 7-time Grammy winner, an Oscar winner and a guy who gets to hang out with Brian May on a regular basis. That's not too shabby. (I would take the last of those, fwiw.)

 

Funny how Lee DeWyze found him in his busy schedule.

Watched the first two auditions. Not bad ... A few people I've been impressed with. I am far, far more impressed with tone than I am with ability. So you can do runs. Big deal. Tons of singers can do runs. You have power? Oh wow. I don't need power or another Christina Aguilera impression. I'm far more blown away by tone, which unfortunately for most of us (myself included), we're born with.