Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Katy Perry and Luke Bryan talk to a contestant about whether or not they’re advancing on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

I’m going to issue a challenge to American Idol.

I don’t expect the show to take me up on it.

But I sure wish they would.

And I’m sure as hell going to issue the challenge anyway.

You know all those Hollywood performances we didn’t see featuring the Top 24?

You know all those Showstopper performances that were cut short, that we only saw portions of?

Well, Idol, how about playing fair for every member of the Top 24.

Post them online. In their entirety. And you don’t have to bother cutting in coaches’ reaction.

In fact, I’d rather you didn’t.

Just let us see each member of the Top 24 sing and perform so we — not the show’s producers — can determine who deserves our support moving forward, before voting begins.

After 19 seasons of American Idol and 20 of The Voice, I no longer expect singing show producers to play fair.

In fact, I’ve come to expect that they’ll tilt the table in favor of The Chosen One(s).

I watched Season 10 of Idol, where the show was hellbent on orchestrating a Scotty McCreery-Lauren Alaina finale, whether that’s what should have happen or not. (Haley Reinhart should have been in that finale.)

I watched Season 9 of The Voice, where the show made damn sure Jordan Smith walked away from the finale holding the winner’s trophy. (I’ll always believe the sister duo of Andi and Alex was eliminated early because they posed too much of a threat.)

And those are just two of the most blatant of many, many occasions when producers have tried to tip the scales in a favorite’s favor.

You can already see it happening on Idol Season 19. Alyssa Wray’s audition was hailed a historic Idol moment. Then it was pinned at the top of Idol’s YouTube channel for a week.

Her Hollywood Week duet with Grace Kinstler got the pimp spot in the Hollywood Week episode. Then it was pinned at the top of the YouTube channel for a week.

And during the showstoppers’ round, when we saw only snippets of so many performances, who opened the show and had her performance air in its entirety?

Alyssa Wray.

Slow the roll, Idol. Or I’m going to begin rooting AGAINST Alyssa Wray.