So was American Idol rigged or what?

[Tyler Generation]

Seemed so predictable the non-gay Kris pulled an "upset" and won. That on top of the judges reaction which seemed to be full of forced surprise.

Yeah, I know American Idol is serious business but it's clear FOX couldn't take having a gay man win their little pageant.

[BoneDaddy]

1. Adam was CLEARLY the better singer

and as Simon has said numerous times before "this is a singing competition".

An argument can be made that Kris was a more talented performer in regards to singing, and playing the piano and guitar, but Adam had a better voice with far greater range

Edit: on that note, I do not think it was rigged. I think all of Danny Gokey's people were far more likely to vote for Kris than Adam

[Love Bug]

2. I don't agree. If anything, Idol was favoring Lambert

Did you notice how many times the camera was on him during group numbers last night? I did. They sure didn't give Kris that treatment. It's been going on awhile, too. Or how about last week when giving the results? Kris was declared "safe" first because they knew everyone expected Adam to do well and they wanted to create more tension. They did that before as well.

Unfortunately, until they fix the voting system, the one that appeals to the 12 year old girls who are willing to hit "redial" for 4 hours straight is going to win.

[wyldwolf]

3. I dunno, but here's a theory

Both Danny and Kris are heavily involved in Christian music ministries. When Danny was voted off, lots of people believe his fans switched to Kris.

[billyoc]

4. Electronic voting is hoplessly compromised.

With a few thousand dollars, I could have arranged it so YOU won.

[Fla_Democrat]

13. Kool, we need to talk...

Kool, we need to talk before next season... :evilgrin:

[billyoc]

18. Can't help you with the auditions, though.

:rofl:

[stray cat]

5. Americans vote and can vote unlimited times and even like different styles of music

the people who vote the most have the most sway on the outcome. If anything, Lambert was the choice of the judges but like with Daughtry the voters on a given day made the decision.

[Christa]

6. Yes, I do believe it was

Sadly I think the Evangelical vote tipped the scales in Kris Allen's favor.

The average American is just not ready yet for a gay, cross dressing singer even if he has much
better vocals than the Evangelical Christian worship leader.

I was watching our local news after the competition ended and they had a lot to say about Adam's
lifestyle. You would have thought he is an alien and that dark nail varnish is a sign of the devil.
(god, how I hate these religious conservative nutcases who let emotion interfere with reason)

The people that came out to vote for Kris (or rather against Adam) are at the core of the future
of the GOP: young, Christian, ultra-conservative, white Christians who are motivated by
fear and ignorance.

I compare Kris' victory over Adam on the level of Katrina: a day that the US showed its
true colors to the rest of the world and it ain't pretty.

However, I think Adam will make it big on the international stage.

Adam will be free to soar as he chooses.
He is a class act, and those who are homophobic and
didn't vote for him may just have done him a great favor.

[stray cat]

7. But thats not rigged - its a group of voters voting many times for their choice

[LaydeeBug]

37. I'd agree with you were it not for the fact that my gay friends all favored Kris

because they thought he was 'cuter'. Adam also brings out the self loathing aspect of their personas. And five of the 'mo's live in San Diego.

Adam is one of US, though. The theatre troupe, the facing bigots with a brave face, all of it. He is the guy I would have done Oklahoma! with, and I am sad that he lost.

[bighart]

46. Actually Votefor theworst.com is claiming a big hand in the result

and saying it wasn't even a close vote. They are claiming that 38 million votes came in from Arkansas alone.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

8. Some people have not watched the results show..

so a less obvious subject line would be nice. A spoiler alert should also be in the subject line.

Last night someone from the East Coast posted the results and pissed me off - we here on the WC are time delayed by 3 hours -

I have watched all season and at the last minute was robbed of the finale'.

Adam should have won - he was clearly head and shoulders above the rest.

[tomreedtoon]

9. Who cares?

In a year, either these guys will get work performing or they won't. The opinion of a conceited hater like Simon Cowell won't matter. And you have more important things to pay attention to than this crap, anyway. It isn't even entertaining.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

11. Oh boy... another preaching moment

from the "better things to do" crowd.

Never, ever do anything that is "entertainment" and yes... it is entertaiment.

[NRaleighLiberal]

16. I am entertained by things other than being advertised at for hours on end! We don't do TV.

[11 Bravo]

34. You are as predictable as farts after a burrito lunch.

Someone will ALWAYS come onto a thread like this to intone against the frivolity of the masses. Here's a thought ... shut the fuck up with telling others what's "more important". (And for the record, I didn't watch one second of American Idol. I came to this thread because I heard my local morning news team talking about the results and I wondered what DU's take would be. "Reality" TV bores my tits off, but I lack the unctuous self-important gene which prompts others to strut their supposed superiority by decrying as "fluff" anything they don't happen to enjoy. We get it, you're a very serious person with very serious things to do ... so go do them.)

[hewitt]

41. Bravo, 11 Bravo....

No one says it any better.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

43. off topic, but you have a hilarious way with words!

Much enjoyed -- :toast:

PS: wrt the topic; I'm not a big TV watcher. just a few shows of the three channels we get--Criminal Minds type stuff appeals to me more. But what I can't stand are the relentless commercials. Thank god for the mute button.

And yes, I admit to intellectual elitism when it comes to "reality" shows (sorry-- I try but I haven't achieved a high enough level of spiritual evolution yet to let of some of my judgemental attitudes... :yoiks:

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. Never watched it, never will.

[TheCowsCameHome]

14. Make that two of us.

[kikiek]

12. I'm torn. I am ticked. Didn't follow the show, but it was obvious who was the best

singer to ever come from it. So did people vote for Allen because he was an underdog, labeled as "Christian" singer, or did people not vote for Lambert because he had it locked up, has a lot of experience, or was identified as possibly gay in the press? We will never know. The truth is Adam will continue and become a bigger star than any of them ever has. And O'Reilly wasn't able to manipulate the votes to kick Adam off as I heard he was trying. Haha Bill.

[HillbillyBob]

15. I pay no attention to idle.

I told a friend off that voted for ( * ) 2x who was more interested in American Idots than bushco crimes. His excuse was that it was more excitin to watch that mess than what our own government was up to at Gitmo or the soldiers that were being electrocuted in the showers at Haliburton built barracks or poisoned short rations of water. I ll never ever give fox the time of day let alone follow their nonsense.
It is just another "bread and circuses" distraction.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

26. I manage to watch American Idol and still be up on current events

Just because there's a lot of shit in this world doesn't mean people aren't allowed to have fun.

[Odin2005]

30. It's the Calvinist attitude in a modern, secularized form.

You can't get more Puritan than "Fun = Sin".

[Odin2005]

27. Oh jeez, I hate the BS "as long as bad things are going on we aren't allowed to have fun" nonsense.

If escapism makes me a bad person in your eyes I really couldn't care less. You are nothing but a modern, secularized Calvinist, "work is holy and idle fun is the Devil's work".

[Stevenmarc]

17. We'll see who really wins a year or so down the line when the sales figures come in.

So at the end of the day it really doesn't matter who won the show and how they won it.

[ejpoeta]

19. i don't really care. i haven't watched the show in years.

i don't frankly think it has to do with him being gay... probably more to do with the judges apparently crowning adam already. from what i have heard on the radio anyway. i quit watching after season 2.

[NNN0LHI]

20. I am convinced it was a conspiracy

What is American Idol anyway?

Don

[Blue_Tires]

21. reality TV? rigged???

why i'm shocked, SHOCKED!!!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. No, when fan voting is a factor, it's a popularity contest and I see lots of young girls voting for

Kris.

I watched Dancing With The Stars and the same upset happened when the best dancer, Giles Marini lost to 17 year old cutie Shawn Johnson.

BTW...Giles is not gay.

[Stuckinthebush]

23. I think it was predictable

Kris was the obvious favorite of teen girls who vote like crazy, and for disaffected Gokey supporters. That put him over the top.

Also, while Adam does have an amazing voice it is hard to think about him on pop radio. Kris is a better fit for current pop music.

I don't think it was rigged at all. If it was rigged, then the judges favorite would have won. That was Adam.

Either way, they are both great singers and should do very well.

I enjoyed the show very much this year.

[Catchawave]

24. I stopped watching weeks ago thinking

Adam was the clear winner, the rest would just be filler for the sponsers. So this was a surpise to me!

[Odin2005]

25. The homophobic bigots and brainless adolescent girls voted for Cris over and over again.

[Soylent Brice]

28. i hate admitting this, but

i watched this year. i am no fan of this show. BUT my wife convinced me to watch this year because of adam. i thought he was great throughout the whole thing. i watched last night as though it would be a slam dunk for adam. then they announced the winner, and i looked at her and said, "this is why i don't watch this stupid fucking show."

"rigged" is not the word for what happened last night.

i prefer "PURE FUCKING BULLSHIT"

i heard this kris guy was a missionary or some shit too. wonder if there was a "prop 8" style campaign against him involving a certain religious group...

[Seeking Serenity]

29. I didn't watch, and I didn't vote

Although my Arkansas citizenship will probably be revoked for not voting for Kris multiple of thousands of times.

[Bonhomme Richard]

31. It seems to me that people like Adam, some like Kris, and....

some liked Danny. All for various reasons. Some good (I am a musician and I preferred Kris's style over Adam, but that's just me)and some bad.

I thought that when Danny got voted out his supporters would naturally drift more toward Kris than Adam because of the singing styles. I don't think it was rigged. Are there assholes out there that voted for prejudicial reasons only? Absolutely.
Was the whole thing rigged? I don't think so.

[madaboutharry]

32. I really supported Allison until she got voted off, but then

I felt that Adam was the superior singer. I don't know what to make of the results other than I am disapponted. But I can't say that Kris Allen doesn't have worthy talent, I think he does.

The bottom line is that Adam didn't need this. He is going to became a millionaire many times over and became a big international star. I think he will have a much more enduring and successful career than Kris anyway.

[jimmydale]

33. Yes indeedy. So are all other similar shows. Itza SHOW.

They need ratings, so you can't trust the outcome to be UNtainted.

[salguine]

35. It's all awful anyway. If they had panelists like Iggy Pop or Richard Hell, or maybe

Jim Carroll or John Lydon, that would be brilliant. I'd never miss it.

[Hubert Flottz]

36. Who Cares?

I boycott FOX...

[Tracer]

38. I was very surprised to read in the morning paper that Kris had won.

To my ears, he was an extremely boring performer.

He massacred songs with his constant ooooooOOOOO baby, waaaa, waaaa, OOOOOoooooOOOO style of "singing".

Adam wuz robbed.

[Kahuna]

39. I don't think so. Two things: Bitter Gokey fans voted for Kris and..

Kris was always a favorite among the nibble-fingered tween texters.

[KittyWampus]

42. I dare you to say that 10 times fast "nibble-fingered tween texters"

:D

[Kahuna]

45. I tried. I cannot do it..

:D

[peekaloo]

40. Nah. Simon Scowl is psychic. He told everyone last week he sensed

an "upset".

[pipi_k]

44. I don't think it was rigged...I just thought it was wrong

But then, maybe it's my own bias because I don't care for Kris's voice or his style.

Too wimpy and laid back. Rather "vanilla". He probably appealed to the prepubescent chickies and the older women who saw him as sort of a "Son figure".

Whatever....I think Adam will do just fine...and wouldn't it be ironic if his career was better than Kris's?

;)

[Tommy_Carcetti]

47. Not necessarily.

I think there may have been people who voted against Lambert (i.e. for Allen) on the basis of his orientation, but there may have been just as many people who voted for Lambert solely on the basis of his orientation who might not have otherwise voted. They could have cancelled each other out.

I think Lambert just may not have jived as well with AI's core audience as Allen did. I myself found him to be a little over-indulgent and pretentious in his singing style and how he performed the songs. He had a good voice, no doubt, but that is due in part to the fact he's a professional in musical theater. That in and of itself should have been a disqualifier for him if the producers wanted to keep it a strictly "amateur" show.

[Dappleganger]

48. Definitely flawed in several ways but not rigged.

And there are enough significant flaws to keep the same kind of people winning for years to come.

[Orsino]

49. Rigged so that no matter what your level of participation, you're enriching Rupert Murdoch.

That is all ye know, and all ye need know.