# American Idol Top 13 3/10... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969 "2009-03-10T16:00:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/101 "2009-03-11T13:14:22Z")
My ratings, on a scale of 1-5: 1. Lil R - 5 2. Scott - 3 3. Danny G - 5 4. Michael S - 3 5. Jasmine M - 2 6. Kris A - 4 7. Alison I - 2 8. Anoop D - 3 9. Jorge - 3 10. Megan - 3 11. Adam L - 5 12. Matt G - 3 13. Alexis - 5+ She was the best last night, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/102 "2009-03-11T13:38:21Z")
I was very disappointed in Kara, who I think is very sexy… she has been wearing shirts that reveal cleavage, shoulders, clavicles, and neck… she has been appropriately critical, while oozing sexuality… However, last night her neck and upper-body were wrapped tight, and she merely gushed at how great everyone was… she didn’t bring it… ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/103 "2009-03-11T13:58:26Z")
For those of you who don’t know, the recaps at the end are actually recorded during dress rehearsals. That’s why they sometimes sound different than the performance. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/104 "2009-03-11T14:51:02Z")
Did I pick up some hints, during the usual insipid banter between Seacrest & Cowell, that they’re changing up the elimination process? Any speculation as to what that will be? My guess (and if not, it’s what they should do): America picks the bottom 3. Judges kick one of them off. Would’ve gotten rid of Sanjaya about 6 weeks earlier, which is what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/105 "2009-03-11T14:56:10Z")
If the judges start making the decisions, it will piss too many people off and hurt the credibility of the show even more. I think the only “twist” tonight is that it will be a double elimination in order to bring the show back in line with its slotted number of weeks. Two still isn’t nearly enough. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/106 "2009-03-11T15:01:04Z")
Re: Tonight’s “big twist”…I promised myself I wouldn’t crosspost things I wrote on Domebo and here – well, that lasted about a day. I’m not going to retype it all, so C&P will have to do: I guess I’m jumping the gun a bit here, but I’ll say this about tonight’s “surprise format change”: Very, very bad idea. It seems to me that Simon implied that the judges will now have a hand in the elimination. Foolish move, and 100% unnecessary. Let’s start with a wild guess about the new format: America’s votes are tabulated and the bottom three are identified. The judges will then determine who goes home (again, complete speculation on my part). They’ve now taken away one of the strongest draws about the show – that it’s the will of the people to determine who stays and who goes. They’re going to tick off a lot of people with this idea, and lose a portion of a viewership that is already sagging. Here’s the real kicker, though – they don’t need to do it. Even if the judges/producers thought that the voters were making an utterly wrong call each and every week, they still don’t need to go this route. The _AI_ vote is a closed vote. They don’t have a public accounting firm making the tabulations. Ernest & Young haven’t been hired to make sure everything is on the up-and-up. Bottom line, if the producers want Contestant X to go home, there is \*nothing \* stopping them from having Ryan say “…and after our nationwide vote, Contestant X, your journey ends here”, even if Contestant X _wasn’t_ the low vote-getter. Not exactly a nice move, I agree, but they could certainly do it. It already takes a lot of faith to think they never do anything hinky with the voting as it is. Kudos to them if they wanted to keep this on the level, but there is going to be some major backlash here. Of course, I could be completely wrong about the “new format”, in which case we can ignore several of those paragraphs. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/107 "2009-03-11T15:03:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > If the judges start making the decisions, it will piss too many people off and hurt the credibility of the show even more. > > I think the only “twist” tonight is that it will be a double elimination in order to bring the show back in line with its slotted number of weeks. Au contraire, on 3 counts: 1. They announced the double-elimination, so there’s no surprise there. 2. So You Think You Can Dance (also 19 Entertainment) lets judges make the final pick, and the world seems to continue to rotate on its axis (granted, SYTYCD is not quite the entertainment juggernaut that AI is) 3. They need to do something to \*recover \*any shred of credibility they hope to have – the Sanjaya debacle revealed that America is Stupid, and can’t be completely trusted with a decision as monumentally important as crowning the next AI. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/108 "2009-03-11T15:18:20Z")
The producers _could_ fudge the voting and get rid of the person they want to every week, but I don’t think they can risk getting caught. That’s why they have to let people know about a format change. If it got leaked that the contestant going home and the contest with the lowest votes weren’t the same, it would be A Scandal. AI could potentially lose all (or a good chunk) of that revenue from the voting. If American thinks their votes count for _something_, they’ll keep voting. If they think they’ll count for nothing, they won’t. Unfortunately, if the format changes to producer’s choice, that just means the contestants that the producers deem “marketable entertainment” will advance. And on Idol, “marketable entertainment” means cookie-cutter pop music. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/109 "2009-03-11T15:34:37Z")
> [@Shark\_Sandwich](#): > > The producers _could_ fudge the voting and get rid of the person they want to every week, but I don’t think they can risk getting caught. That’s why they have to let people know about a format change. If it got leaked that the contestant going home and the contest with the lowest votes weren’t the same, it would be A Scandal. AI could potentially lose all (or a good chunk) of that revenue from the voting. If American thinks their votes count for _something_, they’ll keep voting. If they think they’ll count for nothing, they won’t. > > Unfortunately, if the format changes to producer’s choice, that just means the contestants that the producers deem “marketable entertainment” will advance. And on Idol, “marketable entertainment” means cookie-cutter pop music. Can you imagine Paula keeping that secret? They’d have to leave her out of it… ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/110 "2009-03-11T15:40:09Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Can you imagine Paula keeping that secret? They’d have to leave her out of it… Tell me about it. A couple of times when she gushes about a contestant’s performance and then says something like, “I have a feeling you’re going to be back next week,” I almost expect Simon to elbow her in the ribs. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/111 "2009-03-11T16:20:27Z")
Maybe each week they could announce the bottom three and let the judges “save” one of them. Of the two left, the one with the least votes goes home. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/112 "2009-03-11T16:49:13Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Maybe each week they could announce the bottom three and let the judges “save” one of them. Of the two left, the one with the least votes goes home. Let’s hope they go that route. They’d certainly be making that decision with the advance knowledge of the results, so they’d know if their choice were actually having any effect, but the public perception would be much better if that were the way they going. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/113 "2009-03-11T17:08:41Z")
I guess I’m the only one hoping that the format change is that it’s the contestant with most votes that gets to sing, rather than the shlub who just got voted off. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/114 "2009-03-11T18:01:46Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I guess I’m the only one hoping that the format change is that it’s the contestant with most votes that gets to sing, rather than the shlub who just got voted off. +1 I know that they are [spin]“giving the one going home one last chance to share their talent with America”[/spin] rather than “giving the loser one last chance to remind everyone why they lost”. But really now, why not celebrate the winner? Name me one sport or competition where the loser gets a victory lap? ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/115 "2009-03-11T18:35:51Z")
Sine its a double elimination this week, maybe America will eliminate one contestant and the judges will eliminate the other. ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/116 "2009-03-11T19:58:44Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I guess I’m the only one hoping that the format change is that it’s the contestant with most votes that gets to sing, rather than the shlub who just got voted off. This will likely lead to a runaway winner effect… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/117 "2009-03-11T20:27:06Z")
Does Kara add that much to the show? No. Does she look crazier than Paula? No. Was she the most dynamic of the judges? No. Does she remain true to herself and show us who she really is? Holy God, that was sick! :rolleyes: The rhetoric Q&A style from Kara needs to go. Rockin Robin was horribly horribly bad. And Jorge reminded me of a 1975 disco singer in a white 3-piece leisure suit–so smarmy. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/118 "2009-03-11T21:32:11Z")
> [@ekweizn](#): > > This will likely lead to a runaway winner effect… That may not be a bad thing. Remember, they’re trying to produce someone with a large fan base. ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/119 "2009-03-11T21:40:18Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Anoop was no more karaoke or boring than any of the rest of them, but it loks like the judges have decided to script him as the first loser for whatever reason. Probably because he comes off as bright. There’s no room for intelligent contestants on this show. Interesting. I had a completely different reaction. All based on speculation, of course. I feel like they kept bringing him back again and again in the hopes that they could cash in on some of the Slumdog Millionaire hype with Anoop Dog. Intelligence and all. But he’s not able to perform up to expectations so they are reluctantly letting him slide, finally. JMO. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969/120 "2009-03-11T21:54:55Z")
Maybe the bottom two will get one more chance at a sing-off for the judges to decide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-13-3-10/488969.md?page=7)