# Dammit! I drank the Kool-Aid! (American Idol) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569 "2011-03-30T22:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/1 "2011-03-30T22:02:53Z")
So last week I’m having a couple of beers flipping through the TV looking for something to watch. Flipping through the channels, I see that American Idol is doing Motown. I thought to myself even tho’ I hate this show, I _do_ love me some Motown. So I figured “Ah, heck. I’ll give it a shot.” I wound up enjoying the show. Now I see _this_ week, they’re doing Elton John. Now I’m finding myself looking forward to this stupid f’n show! Even worse, I actually care about the contestants! Gah! I’ve officially become the very person that I hate! :mad: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/2 "2011-03-30T22:09:22Z")
Happens, mate. I’m still 100% \*Idol \*free and aim to stay that way. I did watch one of the Dancing shows when Chuck Liddell was on, but that’s the extent of my showbiz/reality genre experience. Though I will say that it’s a shame that they didn’t let [Mr. Methane](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFLw8aH-M2w) give Susan Boyle a run for her money on _Britain’s Got Talent_. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/3 "2011-03-30T22:09:33Z")
I hate you now too if that helps, though I don’t see why it would. What do have against music that you enjoy seeing it tormented so? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/4 "2011-03-31T01:15:59Z")
One of us! One of us! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/5 "2011-03-31T08:21:51Z")
Do you think the show itself is better without Simon? I’d check for myself, but I don’t see full episodes available online, and I don’t have a digital tuner or cable. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/6 "2011-03-31T14:41:51Z")
I followed Idol Season 7, the year of the network writers’ strike. I discovered David Cook, who is a wonderful singer & rocks in concert. I’ve tried watching Idol since, & I just… can’t - except when I hear Cook returns ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/7 "2011-03-31T15:53:04Z")
Let me know when they do They Might Be Giants week, and I’ll be sure to tune in. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/8 "2011-03-31T18:07:07Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > One of us! One of us! Nooooo!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/9 "2011-04-02T14:59:55Z")
So Thursday comes around and… RESULTS NIGHT!!! wtf has happened to me? ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/10 "2011-04-04T13:27:21Z")
On Thursday night you get to hear David Cook sing the bye-bye song this year. hee hee. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/11 "2011-04-04T17:41:37Z")
You picked a curious season to start watching. AI is a shadow of its former self, it’s like an imitation of AI. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-drank-the-kool-aid-american-idol/576569/12 "2011-04-05T02:36:50Z")
I must admit, the first couple of years I enjoyed watching the first few weeks of Idol just to see the delusion, and Simon’s harsh and sometimes amusing criticism (I was on the road constantly… not much of an excuse but it’s all I got lol). I quickly lost interest as the weeks and years went on, so I hadn’t watched it much up until this year. Not sure if I can put a finger on it, but this year something got me on past the initial delusional, bad auditions and made me interested in the singers and their talent. If I had to guess… the loss of Simon Cowell has given the focus that this show needed for legitimacy (and that’s a term I use fairly liberally). Sure… it was still amusing to watch the bad and the delusional, but this year it’s gotten past that, and what we have left is people watching the show and being able to appreciate the talent that has made it through, without being sidelined, or even distracted, by the Simon Cowell commentary, and without the focus on the negativity. It’s no longer a circus or comedy show, but a search for real talent. That’s the way I see my ‘drinking of the kool-aid’. That’s something I never thought would happen with this show.