Yes, there are the occasional deluded souls like you and me who think they're the awesomest shower singers the world will never hear, but, surely, no one is THIS wrong about their... "talents".
I'm not saying the producers of Idol are trying to cheat their viewers, and I'm not trying to make fun of those contestants; no way. But it's highly unlikely that anyone would be so stupid as to make fools of themselves on a TV show that is watched by millions of people the world over (unless, of course, it's publicity that they're after.. and, as everyone knows, there's no such thing as bad publicity).
It's one thing not being able to sing and to give a less than stellar performance (vocals wise), even on international TV, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that (I can't sing for toffees myself :p ), but it's absolute lunacy to sing something like Genie In A Bottle and dance like a retard, when you know you're a perfectly sane and rational human being.
I find it all a little hard to swallow.
It's a safe bet that more viewers worldwide watch the latter stages of the show (the run up to the finale) than the audition and 'Hollywood' rounds. This, quite possibly, is the case with a majority of so called reality TV series.
Could it not be a ploy on the part of the powers that be at the big networks aimed at giving a boost to a given season's initial ratings (which, to be fair, is not a heinous crime)?
Is it ethical, though, to "display" such auditions? Sure, you watch it, have a hearty laugh at someone's expense, and forget it the moment the next contestant comes along. No biggie. After all, what's TV for, if not entertainment, right?
I dunno.
Anyway Wikipedia has this to say:
Before contestants get the chance to see the show's judges, they go through two rigorous sets of cuts: the first consists of a brief audition in front of one or two of the show's producers with three other contestants. Contestants are then either sent through to the next round of producers or are asked to leave. Only about 100–200 contestants in each city make it past this round, which is a staggering statistic considering that tens of thousands of people show up to audition in each city.
So, clearly, the producers decide who gets to meet the judges (and, consequently, end up on TV). Is it so impossible that they intentionally send the really bad ones to the judges just for laughs? Obviously not.
But what about those over enthusiastic few who go the extra mile to annoy Simon? Contestants are only required to sing; they don't have to do anything else (again, unless they're looking for 15 minutes of fame).
Do they really want to make fools of themselves like that? Or do they genuinely believe that they're good at what they do? OR are they told to get all theatrical like that (for a few hundred bucks maybe?).
Somehow, I don't think it's the first two.
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Disjointed post. Tired. Hungry.
