American Idol Sob Stories...

I’ve watch American Idol for years, 11 years to be exact. Every year, without fail, some contestants come to tell their heart wrenching stories. And while I sympathize with their situations, I never thought it was fair to the other contestants to give some an edge because they have endured hard times. It is a singing competition, but people’s voting can be influenced by many factors and sob stories are definitely on the list. Let’s face, no one cares how they get their votes and stay on the show, the important thing is to get as much exposure as one can while there. So even the pity vote is a welcomed vote.

Now, not all of these stories are going to be true. Some may be exaggerated for good measure, some told with tearful eyes, others are just bold faced lies. This season, season 11, we have a contestant who apparently made up a story saying his father abandoned him and his mother 10 years ago and has only resurfaced now, because his son is on the show and might make it big. Jermaine Jones told producers he was very upset that his father picked this time to come back into his life. He says his father Kevin Jones was a lousy father and Jermaine wanted nothing to do with him. 

Well today’s media being what it is, investigates every story, either to confirm or refute it, and they did so with Jermaine’s story. They managed to contact his father, Kevin jones, who said the story was totally false. He says he has always been involved in his son’s life and even had dinner with him Wednesday and Thursday of last week. He was even sitting in the audience cheering him on.

I guess the producers of American Idol didn’t do all their homework and Jermaine’s story just may have gotten him a spot on the show. But all the drama should be eliminated and everyone should be treated the same. They should spend more time singing and less time for background stories. If they give us background information, it should be the same information, like what city and state the contestant comes from, how old they are, what do they do for a living etc.

Let’s see if the lie backfires on him this week. I’m sure show executives and maybe the judges are feeling duped, made a fool of, and his fate may be sealed. Maybe he will be eliminated this week. Frankly, as far as I am concerned, his voice is very deep and I never cared for it. I think by virtue of his limited range, there are going to be very few songs he can sing well.