Michael Falkner
2021-05-17 23:47:37 UTC
You would THINK that people would realize this isn't FOX' American Idol anymore.
People ARE going to look into your past, and anything that is distasteful to a Disney-branded Idol -- whoops, you're gone!!
And, in this day and age, seen next to a KKK hood and all, even at 15 or 16... That's enough.
Look, let's get down to reality:
1) The American Idol is, effectively, a political position more than anything else. It was that way in the FOX years (or Archuleta, Aiken, and Lambert would've won their seasons and Sparks would not, just for four examples), and it's been redoubled here with the first out LGBT winner last year (something which NEVER would've been allowed on FOX) and the action here (the first Grand Finalist to ever be disqualified -- and, make no secret, he was allowed to "quit" so the show didn't have to disqualify a Grand Finalist).
2) It is going to be time for ABC and the Idol producers to start pre-screening their Golden Ticket winners to screen this out -- this is a MASSIVE embarrassment. One which, had American Idol not been a 20-year institution of varying degrees, could very easily have seen the show cancelled without even a winner!!
3) There is going to have to be an expectation made, and it's going to have to be stated to contestants Day One -- if you've done any of a laundry list of things, do us all a favor, turn around, and leave.
The fact is, the show is going to have to change the mentality and methodology of contestant selection. Whoever selected Caleb is gonna have to go -- fired. Now.
Mike
People ARE going to look into your past, and anything that is distasteful to a Disney-branded Idol -- whoops, you're gone!!
And, in this day and age, seen next to a KKK hood and all, even at 15 or 16... That's enough.
Look, let's get down to reality:
1) The American Idol is, effectively, a political position more than anything else. It was that way in the FOX years (or Archuleta, Aiken, and Lambert would've won their seasons and Sparks would not, just for four examples), and it's been redoubled here with the first out LGBT winner last year (something which NEVER would've been allowed on FOX) and the action here (the first Grand Finalist to ever be disqualified -- and, make no secret, he was allowed to "quit" so the show didn't have to disqualify a Grand Finalist).
2) It is going to be time for ABC and the Idol producers to start pre-screening their Golden Ticket winners to screen this out -- this is a MASSIVE embarrassment. One which, had American Idol not been a 20-year institution of varying degrees, could very easily have seen the show cancelled without even a winner!!
3) There is going to have to be an expectation made, and it's going to have to be stated to contestants Day One -- if you've done any of a laundry list of things, do us all a favor, turn around, and leave.
The fact is, the show is going to have to change the mentality and methodology of contestant selection. Whoever selected Caleb is gonna have to go -- fired. Now.
Mike