RSSHow to Predict Your Next American Idol
Feb 23
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Need some advice on picking this season’s American Idol winner? With the Top 24 debuting tonight, use this handy 5-step guide for divining a winner and be sure to impress your friends.
1) The South Will Rise Again
It’s no secret that contestants from the south seem to last longer than the rest. The voting strength of that region is a documented fact. Check out the hometowns of the past Idol winners:
Season 1: Kelly Clarkson
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Season 2: Ruben Studdard
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Season 3: Fantasia Barino
Hometown: High Point, NC
Season 4: Carrie Underwood
Hometown: Muskogee, OK
Season 5: Taylor Hicks
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Season 6: Jordin Sparks
Hometown: Glendale, AR
Season 7: David Cook
Hometown: Blue Springs, MO
Season 8: Kris Allen
Hometown: Jacksonville, AR
To get the inside scoop on this season’s hometown heroes, check out the Season 9 contestants page and that’s almost all you need to know.
2) Don’t Pick a Poseur
You can’t fake it on Idol, and that’s a good thing. While they whittle it down to the Top 12, this is the perfect time to spot the poseurs. One or two always make it through. That’s okay with us. They don’t win in the end. Remember: the winners can sing, the winners can strut, and the winners can take make-up without looking like drag queens -- that goes for men and women. (This also applies to contestants who give up on the competition though that one is harder to pin down this early on).
3) Who’s Got the Looks?
Fortunately, Idol is rarely about judging physical appearance and vanity. That’s a good thing. It was inexplicable that Taylor Hicks beat out Katharine McPhee’s breasts, but there is a lesson to take with you. Contestants can (and do, if they make it far enough) get make-overs for the show. Voters are extremely forgiving when contestants have some, shall we say, less than pretty features. So cheer up Tyler Grady and Lilly Scott, you still have a chance. Being a frontrunner on the show is about being relatable too. That’s why being fat doesn’t count against you. I have no idea what the contestants are going to do with yellow teeth, but I guess we’ll see.
It works the other way too. Don’t let a hot crotch shot or big boobs convince you into thinking you have found your winner. A nice chest isn’t enough on its own in this competition to do any serious winning.
4) Squash the Believers
If a contestant, particularly at this point in the competition, spends on a lot of screen time talking about religion or their personal beliefs, run for the hills. Idol has never been a good soapbox for preachy contestants. Any time a contestant starts pushing really strong values on the audience, they lose the audience. Idol is all about mass appeal, and by bringing God up too often (or singing a overly religious song in the name of pop music, I’m looking at you Mandisa) you corner yourself into a niche market.
Nobody questions the value of being a moral person, but save the preaching for when you’re famous and people think you walk on water.
5) The Judges Have It
When all else fails to pick a winner, listen to the judges. Their influence on audience voting is at once the most obvious and the most understated aspect of the Idol competition. Even in the Top 24, it’s worth giving the judges their air time and using that to your advantage to pick a winner. Also don’t forget that contestants who talk back to the judges almost always get the axe from the voters. When you disrespect the judges, you disrespect the audience and it’s an easy rule for contestants to forget. So keep an eye on how contestants interact with the judges.
Ready to take out your notepad and jot down notes on the Top 24? Keep these guidelines handy and you’ll be able to spot a winner before you can say Top 12.
