“American Idol used to be a quality singing competition. Its appeal was watching regular people sing to compete for stardom. However, it seems that the singing well has gone dry. While the format remains the same, with average Joes competing for a singing contract, none of the contestants have the natural talent it takes to make them deserving of a record deal.”
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American Idol used to be a quality singing competition. Its appeal was watching regular people sing to compete for stardom.

However, it seems that the singing well has gone dry.

While the format remains the same, with average Joes competing for a singing contract, none of the contestants have the natural talent it takes to make them deserving of a record deal.

This season boasts a particularly pitiful top 10, which includes Sanjayah Malakar, who mangled You Really Got Me, ultimately making any sensible member of the viewing public burn their Van Halen albums.

Enter any of season one’s finalists into today’s competition – the horrendous Nikki McKibben included – and they would be a winner for sure.

Seriously, there isn’t anything to look forward to when Idol airs anymore, other than Simon Cowell’s brutal, yet truthful, criticisms of the contestants.

Worse is how America votes for the less talented members of the pack, even though there are other singers in the competition more deserving of votes. Blake Lewis and Sanjayah can both expect a long stay on the show, despite the fact that neither is a stunning singer by any stretch of the imagination.

Sanjayah has basically cemented his spot because an excited little girl cried over his performance in front of millions of Idol viewers. That and Howard Stern’s relentless campaign to get him votes.

Blake Lewis, on the other hand, has a different yet equally lame appeal. He conjures his star power by beat-boxing the audience to death. Can he sing? Not really, but he can definitely hypnotize the audience with his version of the Jedi mind trick.

Possibly the lamest thing about Idol after the first season’s conclusion is that the winner typically has a less successful career than the runners up. In season two, Ruben Studdard won, yet today he is almost totally forgotten. Mention season two to someone, and it’s seldom Studdard’s name that gets brought up.

Instead they want to talk about the far more successful Clay Aiken. Last year’s competition was similar. Taylor Hicks won, yet is not yet known for anything other than being on countless magazine covers, while third-place winner Chris Daughtry already has an album out with a hit single.

Sometimes seasons of American Idol fail to produce stars at all. Fantasia Barrino won two seasons ago, and still does not have a successful album or single out, nor do any of the other contestants of that season.

Idol seems to have gone on too long, as evidenced by the fading supply of talent. At best, the current season is nothing more than a mediocre karaoke show. There are no singers who stand out because of their voice.

Instead they stand out for reasons similar to William Hung: They can’t sing, but there’s some novelty appeal to them, be it gorgeous locks or beat-boxing skills.

Idol has passed its prime, and looks to be getting desperate. It is no longer a singing contest. Instead, it has become a second-rate popularity contest where contestants’ star power comes not from singing, but instead from other meaningless talents.

Will American Idol ever see another truly talented winner like Kelly Clarkson? Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely.

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