Today: Feb 17, 2025

Has American Idol run its course?

Photo Courtesy | kelizabeth.wordpress.com Kelly Clarkson

Robin Glynn – General Assignment Reporter

While American Idol has catapulted Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry to success and Jennifer Hudson to an Oscar win, has American Idol finally run its course?

With the top 10 contestants for this season of American Idol being revealed last week, ratings have continued in a going down spiral the last few seasons. But the big question is how many other contestants from American Idol have been successful?

Photo Courtesy | kelizabeth.wordpress.comKelly Clarkson
Photo Courtesy | kelizabeth.wordpress.com
Kelly Clarkson

Of the 11 winners, only Clarkson and Underwood have become the most successful winners since their triumphs, while Daughtry and Hudson have also become successful since competing on the show, but other winners and contestants weren’t so lucky.

Other reality competition shows include X-Factor and The Voice, but if you watched all three shows, can you name who won? Since season five, I just remember the hype being about who was going to be on the show; for every season of a reality singing competition show, the rumors of who was returning as a judge and who the producers had allegedly hired was all anyone talked about.

During the first few seasons of American Idol, it was about the contestants and what infamous judge Simon Cowell and other judges, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, thought of the performances. The show then brought other judges in and that seemed to be where the ratings, and the show itself, began to dip. The show’s focus has steered away from the contestants and moved to what would make a good reality show.

The show began to be more about the judges and their relationships than the contestants. Over the years, other judges included Kara DioGuardi, Ellen DeGeneres, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. Prior to this season’s audition round at Idol, it was a guessing game as to whether Randy Jackson would still be on the panel while producers brought in other current judges Keith Urban, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.

For a few seasons, ratings for Idol have continued to fall. This past season’s premiere of Idol dropped 19 percent from last season’s premiere, with 17.8 million viewers tuning in. Prior to the season premiere, TMZ reported a major fight between Minaj and Carey. Minaj allegedly threatened Carey, which caused Carey to hire extra bodyguards.

This fight could have possibly played a role in the ratings falling, though it was not the only reason. The main reason the show has had a decline in the ratings is because it is an aging show, now in its 12th season, whereas X-Factor and The Voice are only a few seasons old. They are fresher shows with today’s top artists, though there is a rumor that X-Factor season one winner Melanie Amaro could possibly be dropped from her record label due to the lack of sales for her first album.

While X-Factor and The Voice have been successful, they are also no strangers to the game of guessing what judges will be on the panel.

While American Idol has produced some amazing talent, the show has run its course and should go out on top. If you think about it, a good percentage of the contestants that sign a recording deal post-Idol are dropped and we never hear from them again.

Watching the top 10, there are only one or two that could have a career in the industry, but overall, they all seem to be good just for the show.

While it is still too early to tell if last season’s winner Phillip Phillips, whose hit single “Home” was used to help raise funds for Hurricane Sandy victims, will have a career like Clarkson or Underwood, Idol should still leave while on top.

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