Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Wow, that last segment on Idol Wednesday night is already stirring up some controversy.

It featured Chris Medina, a 26-year-old from Oak Forest, Ill.

He got engaged. But while he was working on his wedding vows, his fiancee was involved in a tragic accident on Oct. 2, 2009.

She suffered a serious brain injury. She’s now in a wheelchair. Chris and her mom are her caregivers.

“What kind of man would I be if I wasn’t there for her when she needs me most?” Chris asks.

Then he wows the judges with his rendition of “Break Even,” earning a golden ticket to Hollywood.

After the audition, the judges insisted on meeting his fiancee, who was taken into the audition room in her wheelchair and wheeled out holding Chris’ golden ticket.

Some found it touching. Others found it exploitive.

Some early reviews from Twitter:

Kimberley Locke: “Early prediction…. AI 10 “Chris Mandena. That was an amazing segment!”

something pitchy: “What steven tyler just said to her…made me cry. amazing.”

But …

Idol360: “Something about that whole segment was just wrong. I didn’t like it.” A later tweet called it “exploitive and unnecessary.”

mjsbigblog; “Shameless.”

Personally, I was touched by the segment, but found myself cringing a couple of times.

No doubt though, Steven’s comment about how Chris probably sings so well because he sings to her all the time was quite sweet.

So what did you think? Feel free to comment below.

Meanwhile, here’s a video Chris posted on the day he was supposed to be married.