So what’s the deal here? These no-talent idiots were presumably fooled into thinking they have talent and “won” an audition, and I assume the judges have their compliments scripted no matter how bad the performances are. And holy flurkin’ schnitt, they sure are bad.
But how do they hide the truth from the contestants from week to week? And how do they keep every single person in the audience from saying something?
Well, as far as the contestants never finding out, they were never allowed to see any of the other contestants perform, so they had no idea how they stacked up. And the WB took great care it seems in getting people that truly believed they were good singers, to the point where even when they heard and saw their own past performances, they thought it was great, despite any non-tone deaf person being able to tell they are horribly off key.
As for the audience, my guess is they just told them to pretend like they are awesome. Most audiences will play along, and the one or two people who will invariably yell out ‘you suck’ will get drowned out by the screaming.
I haven’t seen the show, but an article I read in TV Guide a couple of weeks ago gave the show a “jeer” for telling the audience members that the contestants were cancer patients having a wish being granted by the Make A Wish Foundation.
The funniest part. When they told the winner that it was all a fake, I don’t think it registered with her. I don’t she realized what she was being told.
Hey, did I miss it? I thought that wasn’t on til tonight.
Also, the scheduling of the show as-broadcast is not the real-time schedule of the recording – the whole thing start-to-finish was taped within a very narrow “window” so to avoid the “week after week” risk mentioned in the OP.
I haven’t watched it but I’ve seen the ads. I think the concept is extremely cruel and represents a new low in “reality” TV. And if they really had to tell the audience that these people were cancer patients getting their dying wish that is even more despicable.
That’s a couple hours of my life I’ll never get back, not to mention the sandpaper scrubs I’ll have to do to expunge my shame.
But still, I watched in horrified fascination.
I have to admit, I thought the whole thing was a whoosh on the viewing audience. I reasoned that nobody could be that talentless and that clueless for a prolonged period. I expected the final two to come out and be suddenly great singers and dancers, and the Ryan Seacrest-clone to pull the “gotcha!” on us sitting at home.
Given that it was real, I don’t understand how they picked the “winner”. She actually managed to hit a few notes, which is more than you can say for the other two. She was the most likeable, which makes me wonder if they were trying to up the cruelty factor when they revealed their hoax.
I felt dirty when the host told her she had a horrible singing voice, and the camera zoomed in on her confusion. . .
What a let-down! They really did whoosh us. I was waiting for the cringe-worthy reveal and all I got was someone who should have come in third last night being told that if they work hard enough, they can become a superstar. …the hell?
I guess that’s why she was chosen out of the three. She WAS able to hit some notes. I can’t see Rosa or Mario being marketable anytime during this millenium, so they had to go with Jamie.
It could have been so deliciously evil. But even saying “Hey, they signed up for it!” doesn’t really fly this time, either, since they didn’t know they were being had. Yikes.
Now, pardon me, while I prepare to be whoosed by Joe Schmo 2 this evening. 
I heard a Jamie Foss interview on the local radio station this morning. She really DOES think she can sing. She also claims that they told her to over-sing, that they edited many of her performances to only include the worst parts, she sang each song upwards of five times to maximize editing options and they only gave her a couple of hours to prepare for the song. She didn`t choose the songs or her wardrobe.
She also said she had an inkling that something was up.
She is a U. of Minnesota student (two years into a degree), so she’s not a stump. She has been singing her whole life and she actually sang a few notes over her cell phone during the interview and she didn’t sound all that bad.
The bottom line was, she isn’t all that embarrassed, she really loves the money and the attention, and she does intend to produce an album. And take acting classes.
There were far worse than her.