QUESTION REALITY TV

Another season of American Idol is underway, and I’m hopelessly addicted. Used to be that I just watched the early episodes to see all the really bad auditions. However, last season, the one with Taylor Hicks, the prematurely gray Joe Cocker channeler, was the first season I watched all the way through to the end.

Coincidentally, about the same time I started watching Idol, I quit watching Survivor. For most of Survivor’s run, I didn’t miss much of it. But it started getting dull right after the seasons with Rupert what’s-his-name. Boredom? No, Boneham. That’s right.

So, why is American Idol having its biggest season ever, and Survivor’s popularity waning? I think one of the reasons is that Idol is still about the contestants. The shower singers. The karaoke hounds. The people. You know, you and me. Survivor is about Survivor – the show, NOT the people on it.

The promos that run on Fox for American Idol say, “Look at these people!” Survivor says, “Look at our show!” For the past few seasons, Survivor has selected contestants who are more like the ones in previous seasons (and more like each other), and increasingly less interesting to me. And that’s why they lost me. I ran out of people to root for. Survivor tries to improve by changing the game, changing the challenges, changing the rules, changing the location. That show will improve when the contestants improve. The participants are screened and chosen by the show’s producers. Isn’t that how they choose actors for TV and film? That’s not reality. That’s Hollywood. I’d sooner watch if they drew contestants’ names from a hat.

Conversely, Idol contestants are average, random, could-be-your-next-door-neighbor types. Viewers see themselves and people they know reflected in some of those contestants, be they good singers or bad. Contestants progress by using their talent, and being better at being themselves than anyone else. That’s how American Idol pulls you in. They do give you someone to root for every week. Plus, we decide who advances. Here, the public has a say. They bring the concept of “me” into it, and that’s appealing to the millions of me’s who tune in every week.

I don’t know that I would ever audition for American Idol. What if I sucked? What if established professionals told you, “Stop pursuing your dream. Nooo, don’t even continue to practice. Just stop. Don’t even try anymore.” Could you tell someone that? Could you stand to hear that about yourself in an office setting, let alone before millions on TV?

Compared to that, eating bugs on a tropical island ain’t nuthin’.