You Take The Good, You Take The Bad

There is a lot of talk going around about how bad this week's show (songs from the 21st Century) was and although I am guilty of the same, I have to remind you of this:

In the end, this is a television show. It's about ratings and number of viewers. So, much like the contestants are coached to select good songs/arrangements/clothing, I can't but help and wonder if these "bad weeks" are encouraged by the producers...I don't believe they outright tell the contestants what's going on. But a little nudge here (Katharine, dress like a toy soldier from The Nutcracker), a faint whispered suggestion there (Ace, be more literal: touch your hair when you sing 'hair', touch your scar when you sing 'scar') and a bad performance is born.

Would the show be as talked about if every week was stellar? No, because that is boring. American Idol is, and always will be, about the controversy, the upset, the heartbreak and the bad performances. Why do we endure weeks of auditions at the beginning of the season? Because millions of people love and sometimes even *gasp* prefer those performances! Don't get me wrong, we love seeing our favorite knock it out of the park, but much like real life relationships, our love affair with Idol wouldn't be as compelling (and we certainly wouldn't have remained monogomous this long) if it weren't for the craptastic show like we just endured.

In conclusion: do not fret. We have been setup to see some great performances ahead. Who knows if Country Week will deliver said knockouts, but they are there, just on the horizon.

And personally, I can't wait for all the ups AND downs.