# American Idol 4/25 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189 "2006-04-25T19:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![CatsCradle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cab0a1/32.png) [@CatsCradle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatsCradle)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/201 "2006-04-27T17:51:23Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] OK, here we go: Chris - 12/26/79 - \*\*I Will Survive \*\* (out of the comfort zone!!) [/QUOTE] Except I’m pretty sure Chris will sing the Cake version, not the Gloria Gaynor version. Which is an awesome version, to be sure, but it’ll be _in_ his comfort zone. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/202 "2006-04-27T17:59:41Z")
[QUOTE=BabaBooey] This is really bad, but was Gideon (sp?) in this year’s or last’s season? He was a very strange fella, but he had the pipes. [/QUOTE] He was there this year. Gedeon McKinney, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/203 "2006-04-27T18:01:12Z")
[QUOTE=CatsCradle] Except I’m pretty sure Chris will sing the Cake version, not the Gloria Gaynor version. Which is an awesome version, to be sure, but it’ll be _in_ his comfort zone. [/QUOTE] Thank you! I had this idea in the back of my head that there was a rockier version of that. Hmmm, that could work out well. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/204 "2006-04-27T18:58:02Z")
So what’s the deal with this three groups of two nonsense last night instead of two groups of three? Anyone up for a game of “spot the nefarious intentions of the producers?” I think they want Chris to win. If not him, then maybe Katherine. I think they consider Elliott and Taylor too unmarketable. So what happens when one of them makes the bottom three? They cook up this 2/2/2 stuff to avoid exposing them as vulnerable. It happens every time, one of the favorites hits the bottom three, and his or her fans burn up the phone lines next week to save them. I wonder if they were trying to avoid that happening for Taylor and/or Elliott. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/205 "2006-04-27T20:08:07Z")
[QUOTE=Slacker] So what’s the deal with this three groups of two nonsense last night instead of two groups of three? Anyone up for a game of “spot the nefarious intentions of the producers?” [/QUOTE] The rumour I heard is that last night’s Bottom 3 = all the women. I guess they wanted to try to hide this by chaging the splits. Dunno. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/206 "2006-04-27T20:18:25Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] The rumour I heard is that last night’s Bottom 3 = all the women. I guess they wanted to try to hide this by chaging the splits. Dunno. [/QUOTE] Well, but Ryan referred to Chris and Katharine as our top two. I remember because I was surprised that K was at least #2; not that she should be out but not that high either. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/207 "2006-04-27T20:30:41Z")
[QUOTE=Slacker] So what’s the deal with this three groups of two nonsense last night instead of two groups of three? Anyone up for a game of “spot the nefarious intentions of the producers?” [/QUOTE] I really don’t think it’s anything nefarious at all. You can’t use groups of 3 indefinitely; it would look stupid when you’re down to 5 (group of 3 over here; group of 2 over there. Guess which one is the Bottom 3?) So you might as well go to Bottom 2 now, rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/208 "2006-04-27T21:01:46Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] The rumour I heard is that last night’s Bottom 3 = all the women. I guess they wanted to try to hide this by chaging the splits. Dunno. [/QUOTE] Then like **Gigi** said they outright lied to us by saying Chris and Katherine were the top two. > [@jsc1953](#): > > I really don’t think it’s anything nefarious at all. You can’t use groups of 3 indefinitely; it would look stupid when you’re down to 5 (group of 3 over here; group of 2 over there. Guess which one is the Bottom 3?) So you might as well go to Bottom 2 now, rather than later. Yeah but you can say that starting with week one of the competition. When they had 7 they did two groups of three and made Taylor pick one. Seems like they did three groups of three when 10 remained and just left someone (maybe Taylor again) on the couch. And don’t they still do the bottom three thing until the end? Next week they’ll just go down one by one and say you’re safe, you’re in the bottom 3, you’re safe too, ect. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/209 "2006-04-27T22:17:32Z")
If _I_ were to stack the deck, I’d come up with something a little more reliable than Wednesday drama finagling. Rigging the phones or something. Counting on voter gullibility _might_ be a little effective in the early rounds, but nobody’s going to presume anyone safe with just five remaining (and there are no underdogs or sentimental favorites left to take away votes, either). I also think that, at some level, the producers understand they created a program where their opinion means nothing, so whatever happens, they just have to deal with it. It’s called “reality TV” for a reason. And yes, I understand that a lot of it is totally bogus, but AI has always been the real deal (more or less). Anyway…if I’m in charge, I _don’t_ want Chris to win, as there’s a good chance he’d hate the experience and badmouth the whole organization. Katharine would be my woman, easily, and Paris my second choice. Honestly, I’d take clueless, happy, controllable Kellie over Chris any day. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/210 "2006-04-27T22:19:01Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Well, but Ryan referred to Chris and Katharine as our top two. I remember because I was surprised that K was at least #2; not that she should be out but not that high either. [/QUOTE] > [@Slacker](#): > > Then like **Gigi** said they outright lied to us by saying Chris and Katherine were the top two. Well, I did say it was a “rumour I heard.” I don’t know if it’s true or not. And we don’t know if Ryan lied or not. (FWIW, I find it hard to believe that Kat outpolled Taylor – but people seem to love him.) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/211 "2006-04-27T23:18:08Z")
[QUOTE=drm] and…_work_ [/QUOTE] Dude, what fight are you trying to pick here? “Maturity” implies all the experiences that will come with time, including work. She’s too young for us to see what all’s in store for her. But I still say, you take Glady Knight’s “instrument,” subtract the maturity (and all that entails), and you get, give or take, Paris. ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Windchill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Walter\_Windchill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walter_Windchill)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/212 "2006-04-27T23:37:38Z")
Good heavens, Taylor is exactly 10 years younger than me. He looks exactly 10 years older, but I guess it’s my good Christian lifestyle. Speaking of exactly 10 years, that’s how far Kellie set us back. Just when you think maybe a Yankee can hear a southern accent without assuming you’re simple, she comes along. Good riddance. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/213 "2006-04-28T01:43:12Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Dude, what fight are you trying to pick here? “Maturity” implies all the experiences that will come with time, including work. She’s too young for us to see what all’s in store for her. But I still say, you take Glady Knight’s “instrument,” subtract the maturity (and all that entails), and you get, give or take, Paris. All i was saying is that all the potential in the world won’t turn her into a great singer like Gladys Knight without a ton of work. It was just a missunderstanding on my part (sorry). ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/214 "2006-04-28T04:55:24Z")
[QUOTE=Slacker] So what’s the deal with this three groups of two nonsense last night instead of two groups of three? Anyone up for a game of “spot the nefarious intentions of the producers?” I think they want Chris to win. If not him, then maybe Katherine. I think they consider Elliott and Taylor too unmarketable. So what happens when one of them makes the bottom three? They cook up this 2/2/2 stuff to avoid exposing them as vulnerable. It happens every time, one of the favorites hits the bottom three, and his or her fans burn up the phone lines next week to save them. I wonder if they were trying to avoid that happening for Taylor and/or Elliott. Just a thought. [/QUOTE] I don’t think it’s that nefarious. It’s just that they are now down to two groups of three and still have to attempt to take a 30-second event and stretch it out to a sponsor-worthy half-hour. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189.md?page=10)