Ryan Seacrest announced the Season 19 American Idol ‘twist’ on Monday’s Live with Kelly and Ryan. (ABC Photo)
Just when you thought American Idol was going to remind us how a singing show should be run and present a truly entertaining season …
After weeks of the judges marveling over the talent they assembled for Season 19 and the truly special Top 10 they’d be able to put on stage …
Idol unveils a gimmick.
A stupid gimmick.
An unfair gimmick.
A what-the-hell-were-you-thinking gimmick.
Quite frankly, a jump-the-shark gimmick.
Because I wouldn’t blame anyone for tuning out for the rest of Season 19.
Fretting over the fact that the Season 18 cast didn’t get the true Idol experience, the show has decided to invite back 10 Season 18 cast members.
They’ll sing on Monday, April 19, for one spot in the Top 10.
The lucky 10 include Faith Becnel, Franklin Boone, Dwayne Crocker Jr., Cyniah Elise, Arthur Gunn, Aliana Jester, Louis Knight, Nick Merico, Mikayla Phillips and Olivia Ximines.
Now, you might recall that Louis Knight finished Top 7 on Season 18.
You’re likely to recall that Arthur Gunn finished second. That’s right, he was the runner-up on Season 18.
Gee, you think those two might be immediate favorites on Season 19?
Look, Idol has a point here. I, too, felt some of the contestants got short-changed when performances went virtual for Season 18 because of the pandemic.
The virtual format, frankly, benefited singer-songwriters like Louis and Arthur and probably worked to the detriment of pop performers like Nick and Mikayla.
But here’s what Idol should have done: In past seasons, contestants who advanced to the Top 24 exhausted their Idol eligibility. Idol should have waived that rule for the Season 18 cast; only those who finished in the Top 11 should have been ineligible for future seasons. Heck, I wouldn’t have argued if you made it the Top 7.
Then Faith and Franklin, Dwyane and Cyniah, Aliana and Nick, Mikayla and Oliva could have auditioned for a future season of Idol, earned their golden tickets and proceed through the competition again as far as their talent and popularity would take them.
But injecting them into the competition this late? And including last season’s runner-up?
Imagine inviting David Archuleta back for Season 8. Or Adam Lambert for Season 10. Or Alejandro Aranda for Season 18, for crying out loud.
Anyone who thinks that’s fair has a very warped sense of fairness.
Aliana Jester American Idol American Idol Season 19 Arthur Gunn Cyniah Elise Dwayne Crocker Jr. Faith Becnel Franklin Boone Louis Knight Mikayla Phillips Nick Merico Olivia Ximines
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5 Comments
Bravo!
It’s worth noting that Arthur Gunn was offered a record deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records, which he TURNED DOWN.
Fire Trish Kinane and Per Blankens or just cancel “Idol” outright.
Wow i totally disagree — the kids last year got screwed over (like we all did) I’m happy theyre getting a chance to perform live with on a real stage. I do think they should’ve gotten an “automatic golden ticket” to hollywood and not dropped into the finals but super excited to see some of them perform! mikayla especially she was awesome.
Does anyone else notice all the writers on this blog can be super negative about Idol? Its a fun cheesy singing competition on ABC to showcase some talent. its supposed to be fun! let’s enjoy it even if the producers drive us crazy
A truly classy decision by the Idol producers. These kids from a year ago deserve this one-time shot on the Idol stage.
Let’s face it, the odds of one of them passing all the new crop of Idol favorites in voting are extremely long. There should be no fears of a returnee from last year leap-frogging this entire slate of popular singers.
I love this twist. It’s both entertaining and shows that Idol producers sometimes can and occasionally have a heart.
And as far as the voting procedures go, Idol is clearly a TV show first and a singing contest second. It has to be entertaining and fit the scheduling parameters that ABC gives it. So, deal with the voting windows and stop complaining.
I don’t think Arthur Gunn should come back if he declined a contract. Dillon James and Francisco Martin signed a contract and are not allowed back. Why should Arthur Gunn be allowed back?
I think it’s a great idea can’t wait to see Arthur Gunn & others