Randy, Paula and Simon. If these star-studded names don’t ring a bell, then the name “American Idol” surely will. With five successfully completed seasons since 2002, “American Idol” helped the term ‘reality TV’ reach whole new heights. Since it began, it has given America many new, talented and powerful voices such as Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, and the newest “American Idol,” Carrie Underwood. Just this week alone, in the heart of the explosive sixth season, Ryan Seacrest announced that the show had received 35 million votes for America’s favorites in one night. Why is it such a must-see TV show for millions of viewers every week? It could be the variety of talented vocals that hit the stage each Tuesday and Wednesday night, often with a new targeted genre for the competitors to perfect and make their own. Or, maybe it’s the show’s unique way of getting America’s involvement by letting them be the sole judges of who makes it to the next show, regardless of how the judges feel. However, if you talk to anyone who has ever watched an episode, they would undoubtedly say the most memorable part of the show is Simon Cowell. With his sarcastic humor, witty criticisms, and tell-it-like-it-is attitude, he’s a love him or hate him kind of guy, who is perfect for playing the part as the devil’s advocate judge.
Donnie Elmo, a visiting student from Remington College, said the lone reason he quit watching the show was, “because of Simon. He’s a ****.”
However, some people stopped watching for other reasons. Freshman nursing major, Cordelia Alikah, said “after a while, it just got repetitive. The first season was good, and the second season was good, but I got tired of all the one-hit wonders,” and moreover, she’s just become, “turned off from reality television.” More and more people seem to be making similar comments, which makes one wonder, what’s keeping those millions of people hooked?
One guess is this season’s most talked about contestant, Sanjaya Malakar. What makes him stand out is not powerful vocals, for he has only blown the judges away once or twice this whole season. What does make him stand out is his natural stage presence, ever-changing hair and clothing styles, and his teeny-bopper appeal that becomes more pronounced every week. It seems he can do no wrong. During the Top 10 episode, he forgot some of the words in his performance of “Bathwater” by No Doubt, but the only thing that America seemed to remember was his rockin’ hair style, a pony-tailed mohawk. The judges have cut him down in every way possible, and yet he keeps making it back each week. The show is only down to seven contestants, and he is already getting air-time on shows such as VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” due to his charismatic stage presence and again, his ever-changing style.
Sophomore Vanequa Warren stated, “I like Sanjaya simply because he already thinks he’s a star. It’s funny.”
Alikah said, “Pre-teens like him because of his curls.”
Just a few weeks ago, Alikah’s comments seemed to be true when a young, blonde, star-struck pre-teen cried through his entire performance and then cried again when she got to hug the entire panel of contestants, but especially Malakar. She told Ryan that they were all tears of joy.
As the number of contenders left gets smaller and smaller, America wonders whether the elusive Malakar could work his magic another week? Will Simon’s criticisms finally catch up with Malakar and open America’s ears? And who will make it to that number one spot? Tune in Tuesday to find out.