Ex-‘American Idol’ judge reveals what's wrong with reality shows nowadays — and it’s not the contestants
Former 'American Idol' judge Randy Jackson is shedding light on the evolution of singing competitions! During an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Jackson, who served as a judge on the ABC singing show 'American Idol' from 2002 to 2013, stated that these days, many reality shows are being way 'too nice' to their contestants and not telling the artists the real truth about their voices. “One of the things I don’t like today, there’s very little truth being told on these shows. If you’re terrible, you need to know it. I think they’re all too nice now. … This is a tough, hard, mean, give-zero-F’s business. … [A] real reality show, you’re telling people the truth. Wouldn’t you want to know the truth?” Jackson told the media publication.
Along with this, the seasoned A&R executive mentioned that he was motivated by the setbacks he faced over the years. “The people that didn’t like me, didn’t like my playing, didn’t like my songwriting, didn’t like my producing. That’s what made me work and try harder. It’s the same thing that goes in bands. You’re in a band. You bring in these songs, and everybody starts laughing. That song’s terrible. You go back, and you write an even better song. The competition and the challenge help us get better, not the yeses, not you’re lovely, but not today. That doesn’t do anything for anyone," Jackson explained.
In the same interview, Jackson reflected on the time when he used to be one of the judges on 'American Idol' alongside fellow judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. “Simon Cowell and I were A&R guys. We were not just performers like you see on these [singing shows today]. We were A&R guys. So our life’s work was to try and sign, develop, find, and discover new artists and make great records. So what they were about to do was exactly what we did," Jackson said.
While addressing the topic of singing competitions treating their contestants too nicely, Jackson also revealed that there were times that Cowell would "berate" the singers, and sometimes he would even take things a bit too far. However, Jackson felt that some contestants auditioning on the show needed a reality check. Later on, Jackson expressed that over the years, the judges may have gotten nicer towards contestants because they don't want to receive any sort of criticism from the artists. “An artist is never going to be that brass with someone because they don’t probably want to get it back. They don’t want to get it back, and they want to be liked,” Jackson shared at that time.
For the unversed, let us share with you, Jackson bid adieu to 'American Idol' in 2014 after 13 seasons to focus on his record label and other business ventures. In an official statement issued to the BBC, Jackson said, "To put all of the speculation to rest, after 12 years of judging on American Idol, I have decided to leave after this season. I am very proud of how we forever changed television and the music industry."
