Sunday night, American Idol aired the fifth and final night of auditions. On Monday, March 16 the Hollywood Rounds begin.
Last night’s final audition episode featured TWO joke contestants! It got me thinking how American Idol features the same kind of joke contestants they always have. Except now, the judges let them in on the joke, or let them down in a kind way.
Consider Jafar and Roberto, and how Katy Perry celebrated their fabulousness. Roberto even advanced to Hollywood. Now think about how Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson would have reacted to the exact same contestants. On season 6, the judges would wait until a contestant left the room before making fun of them. Remember Randy’s move–hiding his face behind a sheaf of papers to hide his giggles? Now, the show is a lovefest that celebrates goofballs rather than mercilessly mocking them. Mocking singing show contestants is so out of fashion, Simon doesn’t even do it anymore on America’s Got Talent or X Factor.
