Viewers have a bone to pick with 'American Idol' — and it has a lot to do with eliminated contestants
ABC's 'American Idol' Season 26 has been capturing hearts with its talented contestants and high-stakes competition. As the reality show moves forward with its Top 7, the race to the top is growing fiercer. However, despite ongoing praise for the show, viewers have expressed frustration over how it treats eliminated contestants. Many fans have called out the show for disrespecting the contestants who were eliminated from this season.
During the reveal of 'American Idol' Season 26 's Top 14, the show failed to acknowledge the eliminated contestants, sparking backlash despite the season’s overall popularity, as per TV Show Ace. Fans feel 'American Idol' is being dismissive by not acknowledging eliminated contestants, as many believe a simple farewell would show more respect and care toward those leaving the competition. The viewers also expressed their displeasure in the comment section of a Reddit post.
A fan said, "It really bothered me too that their names weren't even mentioned. I understand being pressed for time, but a quick "Thank you" or "Wishing you all the best," followed by their names would have taken 5 seconds. It could have been done even with the credits rolling. Still not great, but at least it would’ve been something. I'm used to the endings being rushed, but this just seemed very unnecessarily dismissive." Another commented, "Jax was so mad about this in S14, she wrote a whole song about it called La La Land, so I agree, it's disrespectful to the contestants and the viewers who supported those contestants! I miss the goodbye video packages of the earlier seasons."
Another 'American Idol' fan noted, "I agree. They put a lot of effort into trying to make us care about these contestants by sharing their personal struggles and backstories, but when they're no longer relevant to the progression of the show their exit gets the same acknowledgement as last night's empty pizza boxes. Makes all the previous "caring" by the show look quite hollow doesn't it?" Meanwhile, a fan simply noted,"I hate that they don’t do those anymore."
Notably, on the Monday, May 5 episode of 'American Idol,' the competition got even more intense as the show revealed its Top 7 finalists. Mattie Pruitt and Josh King landed in the bottom two, but the judges decided to save Pruitt, which meant King was eliminated, as per Billboard. After leaving the show, King said, "This gave me a wonderful experience performing in front of massive live audiences again. I got to feel crowds again. It’s such a wonderful feeling."
The remaining contestants, including Jamal Roberts, are now fighting for a spot in the finals. Roberts said, "It's basically how bad do you want it at this point. I want it real bad, so I have to keep pushing and keep doing what I'm doing now." Host Ryan Seacrest praised this season's singers, saying, "“I think they [the judges] have been emotionally moved more so by these performers than maybe ever in the past." Judge Carrie Underwood also showed support for the contestants, saying, "I want them to shine. I feel like that's where we’re all coming from. We want these hopefuls to do a great job."