Ruby Rae could be one of the contestants affected by live voting on East Coast time on American Idol. (ABC Photo)
Sorry to break it to fans, but there are two distressing bits of news on the American Idol front this week.
First, we’re going to miss out on another chance to watch the Top 20 perform Monday night.
Second, the show is going to live voting with results announced at the end of the night.
That made a whole lot more sense when Idol was being simulcast on Sundays than it does with the show airing at different times in different times zones on Mondays.
Let’s tackle the first bit of distressing news first.
In the past two seasons, Idol has hosted a separate Top 14 reveal show.
Every member of the Top 20 performed, some with the knowledge that they were already safe thanks to fan voting, some knowing it was their last chance to convince the judges they deserved a wild card spot.
For Season 24, Idol has completely eliminated that show. Results will apparently be revealed at the beginning of Monday’s show.
Then the Top 14 will perform, singing songs of faith in hopes of making the Top 12.
Add that to the fact that there was only one round of performances in Hollywood, and it’s a disturbing trend, especially for anyone who’s watched The Voice become a sad and sorry shadow of its former self.
Honestly, the live voting bothers me more, for a couple of reasons.
First, The Voice has used it for years to determine instant saves for Tuesday night shows. Over and over and over and over, it’s proven grossly unfair to West Coast singers, where the show isn’t even airing while voting is taking place.
Granted, The Voice instant save voting window is 5 minutes. Idol’s will be two hours. But that still means fans on the West Coast will have to vote between 5 and 7 p.m. their time.
Performers who could be most affected, should they make the Top 14, include Abayomi and Ruby Rae, both of whom hail from Cali, and Julian Kalel from El Paso in the Mountian Time Zone.
The other problem about live voting is that it seriously diminishes the importance of that night’s performances. Fans are encouraged — and quite likely — to vote for already established favorites as soon as the show begins.
Those who perform late in the show have less of a chance of inspiring more votes than those who perform early. That’s especially true with Idol now allowing fans to vote in five different ways.
With Idol apparently airing on Mondays only this season, there’s no reason the show couldn’t have overnight voting — I’d argue the voting shouldn’t begin until the show ends — then announce results at the beginning of the next show.
Yep, that’d likely mean two singers would prepare for performances they’d never give each week.
But that’s a small price to pay for a voting system that’s fair to everyone.
See also …
Two distressing developments on American Idol
Song by song grades from Monday’s show
Most popular performances from Monday’s show
Song by song grades from 1st Top 20 show
Most popular performances from 1st Top 20 show
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