After a hard fought season in which she gave it her all every time she took the stage, Amber Holcomb’s American Idol journey came to an end last night. The 19 year old from the Houston area was clearly one of the most talented singers this year but in the end America voted and she now stands on the sidelines as the final three prepare to compete.
I’m not even going to sugar coat this: Amber Holcomb was robbed, a victim of a heinous crime committed at the hands of a voting public that prefers image over substance and one that does not have the mental faculties to discern true vocal talent from pedestrian warbling. When Ryan Seacrest read the decision on Thursday night, Amber was not surprised, she was waiting for it. Not because she knew she didn’t deserve to move on but because all throughout this season the viewers had made her a perennial bottom three dweller. The same thing happened to Joshua Ledet last year and Pia Toscano the year before that. Truth be told, the best singer usually doesn’t win American Idol.
What happened last night to this immensely talented young singer was nothing short of a travesty. Simon Cowell used to say “this is a singing competition” whenever a contestant would choose showmanship instead of passionate and compelling vocal performance. Maybe that’s why he left the show he helped make into a ground breaking television phenomenon. It’s much more of a popularity contest than it is a true competition. When it’s all said and done, these days it’s just another schlocky reality show with overpaid judges.
Can American Idol be fixed? Is it possible to restore some credibility to the franchise? I don’t think so. The ratings have been in steady decline and just hiring the next “big name” singer to sit on the panel won’t be enough. However, changing up the voting system (not a problem for the show’s producers who routinely and randomly change the rules from week to week) may at least act as life support. How about doing something totally nuts like letting the judges score the contestant’s performance every week and then allowing America’s vote to be factored in? A 50/50 split seems fair. Oh, wait a minute that makes too much sense so scratch that. It’s a shame really because if Jimmy Iovine or even Randy Jackson had any say in this based on true “singing” Amber would be learning songs right now for her next night of competition.
Follow Ruben on Twitter @FOX26RUBEN
