“American Idol” is in its tenth season. What is it about the show that makes it last? Well, I am an “American Idol” fan, so I can certainly say that this show has what all others lack, reality. All other reality shows out there these days are either scripted or so fake it’s like having a slow root canal done. Simon Cowell’s brutal honesty made singers go offstage in tears. Paula Abdul was the sweetheart of the group. Her analogies were always that of rainbows and puppies. Randy “dawg” uses constant references to things that I can only describe as ‘Randy-isms.’
This season however, is a whole new American Idol. We have the additions of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, who replace Simon and Paula. Jennifer is not as sugary as Paula. Let’s be real, I mean even my sweet tooth started to hurt with some of the things Paula said. Jennifer seems to give it to them straight, but at the same time is gentle with her delivery.
Steven is the judge to watch on “Idol.” He has charisma and confidence in what he is saying. Randy is starting to get tougher in response to (what I think) Simon not being there.Although Simon was pig-headed at times to the contestants, everyone generally agreed with him. With so much talent this year, “American Idol” could use someone like Simon.
The contestants also make the show. In the past, I admit wondering why in the world would some of the contestants make it past round 1. Everyone remembers Adam Lambert. What made him entertaining was that he was not willing to conform to what the show wanted him to be. Every week he came out and gave what I can only describe as “one hell of a performance.”
The third factor that makes American Idol real is the host. What can I say about Ryan Seacrest? Well for one thing. the guy is really short. Standing next to some of the contestants, he looks almost elf-size, but that’s beside the point. What I love about Ryan is the fact that he knows how to host a show. He knows when to be dramatic and when to be chill. That is what makes a good host.
I don’t know whether this will be the last season or not. All I can say is with the majority of the show being live, you never know what is going to happen. So as a hardcore “American Idol” fan, I would say hop on the bandwagon and enjoy the ride.
Jennifer Berlin can be reached at JB629094@wcupa.edu.