Last night on American Idol 2014 the Top 5 contestants were hit by a shocking twist that put them in the driver’s seat with the chance to undo millions of viewers votes. In perhaps a more shocking turn, the twist fell apart when two singers dissented and now we know who voted “No” on the Idol twist.
While host Ryan Seacrest said the results of the Top 5’s votes on the twist would remain a secret the actual votes have now been revealed. Chris Trondsen of Pacific Rim Video was backstage holding interviews with the American Idol Top 5 when he learned which of the finalists had voted against keeping this week’s eliminated singer.
American Idol fans: Caleb, Sam & Jess voted YES, keep everyone together (2 home next week). Jena & Alex voted NO, send someone home tonight.
— Chris Trondsen (@ChrisTrondsen) May 2, 2014
I’m actually a little surprised that it was Jena Irene and Alex Preston who voted against the twist. Like many of you I was trying to guess who it might be, but that was not a combination I had considered. Now as to why those two voted against keeping another singer, can we really blame them? It was a harsh move by production to put them on the spot like that and force them to decide the fate of another without even knowing if it was them going home.
Alex took to Twitter to defend his decision:
Everyone voted tonight, knowing that they themselves could go home. No one knew. It is Americas vote, has been for 13 years. It's shitty.
— Alex Preston (@RealAlexPreston) May 2, 2014
What do you think of the whole twist mess? Would you have voted along with Caleb Johnson, Jessica Meuse, and Sam Woolf to have kept this week’s eliminated singer or would you side with Jena Irene and Alex? Vote in our poll below and share your thoughts!
I believe one more week CAN make a difference.. Good Lord People… the game isn’t over until it is over… another thing .. I was in shock when one of the judges… said best performance of the night… and all the preformances weren’t done… OMG… really???? !!!!!
Its quite easy for someone to say…. “Best performance of the night”….. Obviously…They mean so far…..
They have also already watched all the acts during the rehearsals, so they do have a point of reference.
American Idol should leave things alone. Now they have just screwed with America’s votes!
Angie I agree and that is what Alex twittered that it is Americas votes
agreed!
I agree with totally 100%
that might hurt jena and alex now all of the ones that voted for sam will go against them two and get them voted off
They will not get my vote.
Jena is one I would have never voted for. If Caleb ever got voted off I was going for Sam or Alex. But now I will not for Alex at all.
Why because they played it right, I hate it when someone tries to change things in the game, it could of cost another contestant later. They did the right thing by saying no, it could have been one of them going home just as easy. They allowed America’s vote to stand, which was the right thing to do.
That is such a petty and childish approach. Sam fans are just using this as a means to place blame on someone else when, in all reality, Sam would not have been sent home IF HIS FANS VOTED FOR HIM. Sam isn’t bitter about it and you shouldn’t be either.
The point of a competition is to win. Those kids put in so much hard work in an effort to WIN. I’m sure, as friends, they will all be happy for the person that wins. But of course, they want to be the winner, and they understand that someone does have to go home. If anyone cares more about creating friendships than winning the show, they shouldn’t be there.
And really, how fair would it have been if Sam ended up winning (which I doubt he would have) after escaping the vote out twice?
I agree with you.
You people have know idea what you are saying. Alex just protected your right to vote…
If it went the other way, why should america even vote? What you are saying is that america’s vote shouldn’t count, let them just put in anyone they want. How dare they put any of those contestants on the spot like that.. Alex and Jena got it right…
I agree about Alex but I feel Jena is full of herself and out for herself.
No more full of herself then Caleb… He’s extremely cocky in his own way, yet he had one of the worst performances this week. The guy’s a one trick pony.
When the one trick works why change it? May the Lord bless him too.
She doesn’t seem full of herself, she just knows how to perform and sing. That’s what she is suppose to be doing. God bless her.
Tell her to articulate her words so I can understand her, and she does not know how to perform, she just over sings her songs without pronouncing the words
Amen!!
Tony, if it’s true that most of Sam’s followers are the teenage girls, I really don’t look for them to vote now. And – if his other followers were true and big lovers of his – many of them want vote now, either.
They like Caleb and Jenna too.
hope so…
Yup…Was huge Sam fan now I’m voting for Jessica and Caleb.
that is so stupid and petty.
Because I like their voices and personalities better than the remaining two? I see why you sign in as guest, that way you get to remain anonymous with your brash insults.
so its His choice
In all the years of AI, I have never voted on two contestants. Do you normally give them both the maximum number of votes?
I was strictly voting for Sam but now I’ll give the max votes to Caleb and Jessica for the reasons mentioned above. If I liked one better than the other a lot more I wouldn’t but pretty equal to me as far as I like them.
Makes sense to me. The two are so different I just can’t imagine anyone liking both of them, but glad to see Jessica getting some of your votes. I may be wrong, but I believe Jessica will get maybe more than her share of Sam’s votes – which I’m hoping will carry her into the top three. I don’t look for the teenagers to vote heavy any longer – now that Sam is gone.
I agree and Jena and Alex should get voted off, its a competition but these people will tour together for a year wheres the loyalty they were all touted as such a tight group.
George U have no proof that Alex and Jena voted
No and u r stupid to say they need to be voted off for that… Dont u realize this is exactly what American Idol wanted to do is start this rage and make people change their votes. Dont fall for their ploy. they have their pick and they want to change peoples votes now by spreading vicious rumors about other contestants.
Go to the idol site. jena and alex admitted it.
That’s true we don’t know really and whoever did it, did right! It’s like I love you as a freind, but, hey, I want to win
your just bias shows, you want Jena to win at all cost, not me I don’t like her
They did the right thing. When it comes to a contest and you really want to win, you don’t let nothing stand in your way. It just shows they are fair, and want it the most.
This isn’t even about loyalty. OPEN YOUR EYES.
Who voted yes? Sam, Jess, Caleb. Selflessly? Not a chance. Sam and Jess were probably most in jeopardy of going home, of COURSE they’re going to vote not to send someone home this week.
And all Caleb is really saying is “I’m cocky and won’t be in the bottom anyway so this doesn’t affect me enough to say no.”
Direct all your ire at Chris Trondsen for disclosure, and Pen Blanken for giving Chris the opportunity to be a scumbag.
Chris needs to be fired. Pen needs to come face the audience and fess up – “I did something bone-headed… “
Did you forget that this is a competition? Stop hating on Jena and Alex because they said no. Remember that there can only be one American Idol! Also I’m glad Sam went home, he can leave the heartthrob label for good & he can start his music career HIS WAY!!!!!!
Can they send Jena next , because she over sings songs without pronouncing them. ( the words )
thats a crap, the producers pushed them to the corner,we can only blame them
I think no was the right answer! The ploy would not have been tried if the bottom had been Jessica. AI has tried to get her off, but failed. She is not my favorite, but I will vote for, Fair should be the name of the game!
I have gained so much more respect for Jena and Alex. It’s a competition so why would you wanna keep your competitor in another week when a week can be a tremendous difference. They know what it takes to win and what they did in no way should affect their position in the competition.
IMO they all should have voted no as a middle finger to TPTB for their manipulation.
Its really hard to be that spontaneous on the spot. A good metaphorical tribute, though, to be sure. 🙂
pay back time
We vote faithfully thinking that our vote might matter, they should matter every week. We don’t always like the outcome, but we deserve our votes to be counted and used accordingly.
Joni I agree I have been voting for 13 years and I believe that is what keeps the singer in the competition American Idol is trying to make things different and it is not working most of us are so discussed this year
I wish I had your sincere sentiments. I will contend the producers, at the end of the day, will always calculate who stays and who goes. They’re British, after all. They still believe in monarchy and majority rule. You can see how they’ve morphed the whole ‘vote’ system over the years to include such convoluted mechanisms as SuperVote, 50-votes max., etc.
Its no longer 1-person, 1-vote. Never has been. People found ways, early on, to skirt the system. The producers know this.
The producers also know they have to a.) keep the show viable, b.) keep adverti$ers happy, & c.) come off with results that speak well for the show.
Inserting a Yes/No vote like they did is but one method at their disposal to drum up drama (pun intended) without affecting the validity of the show.
You may think your vote deserves respect. I don’t think it does to the fullest extent you’d expect. The producers will run the show as they see fit. Yes, they will take the vote tally into consideration. But the final say rests with them and their monarchy.
Per Blankens is Swedish, not British.
Still hailing from a monarchy.
always new alex was a fake but jena was a surprise guess you never know who your friends are sam. I liked you same jena and alex were just jealous maybe they need to be eliminated too.
Jess is tops in my book
So very true. I’m just an eternal optimist. Wanting to believe that the competition is legitimate, and for the most part it feels like it has been. The correct people usually do leave when the time is right. Nice insight though.
if you read the story people they voted No because they felt it was Americas vote not theres
American Idol TRIED to screw with the America votes…but were unsuccessful…I hope they learned from this and don’t try to pull another fast one next week…leave the show alone Amercian Idol…you may be doing more harm than good. Just my opinion….
They still did screw with America’s votes…. The competition was just handed to Caleb…. People are pissed at Alex and Jena… American idol sabotaged their chances and for what… Sam was saved once… Why save him again…
Thank you Me!!!! AI needs to step back a couple of yards and let America do the talking!!!
Sorry for the repetition, but this needs repeating:
This was a cheap ploy by the new A.I. producer, Per Blanken, I think to drum up drama, without due consideration on his part.
Maybe that sort of tactic works in Sweden, but not here, not in the U.S. I think Per just hurt his own attempts to revitalize the show—a serious set-back. Fox needs to have a serious look into this.
Chris Trondsen had no business releasing that info. And he ought to be the target of everyone’s ire. Chris for releasing that info for his own personal gain (if I want to naively believe he did this on his own accord). But, the opportunity was afforded to Chris by A.I. producer Per Blanken’s hasty decision.
Chris Trondsen ought to be fired and never have anything else to do with A.I. Per Blanken needs to come on stage an apologize to his audience for a bone-headed decision.
I agree.
Good for Alex and Jena to protect our votes! This was just a cheap attempt to get people to watch the elimination show. Unfair to pit the contestants against each other. Sam holds no ill will; voters should not as well. Vote for the best contestants to go to the finale!
You said it! Hopefully next week America wises up and forgets about all this. If anything, Jena & Alex should be thanked for sticking with the format, the rebels!
jena should be sent home where she belongs
I think it would be more difficult to lose two next week, plus the voters should be allowed to have their wishes carried out. Sam is good, but the voters have placed him in the bottom 3 more than once. Jessica, as good as she is, will probably go next for the same reason.
For those who won’t vote for Jena or Alex now- Grow Up! They are clearly better and Idol should have never put them in that position anyways! Shame on Idol!! If Sam won, then the show would just be a sham! The professionalism that Caleb alone has on stage is clearly beyond what Sam can do with one more week provided to him. I really like Sam but it is what it is.
well put.
I agree. Sam is a likeable guy. Even humble as so many of you like. But, making him compete against Caleb or Jena was never going to get him anywhere. So let him be back with his friends and family.
By who’s standards, yours ? They are clearly better, hogwash, she cant sing, pronounce her words, hardly clearly better
I’m still voting for Jena and Alex lol
who cares if they said no? it’s their own opinion gosh.
You got that right! Everyone is open to their own opinion and they’ve done no harm in saying “no”. If i was put on the spot like that, I’d vote no too. Why delay the inevitable? I want to win American Idol my way, and letting America decide. The judges or producers have no right to use these double eliminations on us.
go ahead she will not win
Simple, if you don’t show results why vote. The time and energy put it by fans voting every week should not be disrespected. I think more people would be turned away had votes been tossed aside. Twists add to drama but this was not giving respect to the viewers and fans who want to know if their vote counted, did there guy or girl make it through. Not to mention the stress put on the five who are giving it their all every week. I am so glad results were shared this week.
This was a cheap ploy by the new A.I. producer, Per Blanken, I think to drum up drama, without due consideration on his part.
Maybe that sort of tactic works in Sweden, but not here, not in the U.S. I think Per just hurt his own attempts to revitalize the show—a serious set-back. Fox needs to have a serious look into this.
Chris Trondsen had no business releasing that info. And he ought to be the target of everyone’s ire. Chris for releasing that info for his own personal gain (if I want to naively believe he did this on his own accord). But, the opportunity was afforded to Chris by A.I. producer Per Blanken’s hasty decision.
Chris Trondsen ought to be fired and never have anything else to do with A.I. Per Blanken needs to come on stage an apologize to his audience for a bone-headed decision.
While I believe What Alex said its Americas vote, I feel Jena voted No because she felt the eliminated person would be Jess. If you study Jena in the background when she does not realize the cameras are on her she always has a “sour puss” on her face whenever Jess gets good feedback. Jena is a great talent and has no fear on stage but my “vibes” make me feel she is not as good or humble a person as the other remaining contestants. I think fans should ban together and vote her off. She is going to be a big star no matter what happens but I feel she needs to be knocked down a peg to remind her who she is.
exactly, and why I don’t like her
For quite a few weeks now I have felt that Jena and Calab were going to be the runner up and the winner. I think the top 5 contestants should have never been put on the spot like that, it didn’t seem fair!:-)
How about everybody just voting for the best singer….they should have just left it alone and sent the nights loser home…..
It’s interesting that many of the voting public focus on how it would have affected themselves if their votes hadn’t counted this week – and complain that their vote would have been wasted. Is it a hardship to click to vote? What about all the effort the contestants put in to their performances, all the anxiety, all the fatigue of another week? If the contestants had unanimously voted yes, the last week of all of their effort would have been, for them, futile. To me, it was disrespectful of the contestants to have that vote forced upon them.
So it was Jean and Alex… I like it when people are fair, good for them, had it been me I would have voted the same way. I thought maybe Sam or Jessca had. I wouldn’t have blamed them.
Well, at least there are contestants like Alex and Jena who couldn’t be manipulated by American Idol to somehow save Sam for another week. Idol just wants to use Sam Woolf to attract more audience. And I think the reason why they offered a “twist” is because they already know Sam will be leaving and their viewers might decrease (because Sam is one of the popular contestants left). And one more thing, America decided who will leave, not Alex nor Jena. So, they should not be blamed for the outcome of the elimination.
The fans of Sam might be mad at Alex and Jena but keep in mind that…
if they wanted Sam to stay, they should have voted for him more. It is not Alex nor Jena’s fault that Sam left. It’s the fans’ fault because they did not vote enough for Sam.
By the way, Chris Trondsen is either a.) a complete scumbag (and probably taking $$ for ‘the scoop’ at others’ expense), or b.) a rat purposely let loose.
Either way, Chris Trondsen needs to be fired a.s.a.p. Otherwise, this is just more egg on A.I.’s face.
What do I mean by that? If A.I. permits this to be ‘okay’ action by Chris Trondsen, then by doing nothing, it means A.I. is powerless or apathetic (i.e., involved in the disclosure). There is absolutely no reason for A.I. to condone this disgusting behavior by an idiot.
I agree. What is the purpose of keeping the identity of who voted yes or no, if sooner or later they will also be revealed to the viewers? In that case, the ballots are useless. They could have just asked the contestants if they will vote yes or no on the spot.
What’s wrong with some of you people? This is a competition, not a team . keep someone else and rather go home yourself next week? I don’t get why some people mad with Jena and Alex for voted no, what difference does this make? go home today or next week? Sam should have gone home along time ago if they hadn’t tried to keep him on the show because he is cute, even though he has no talent. They had been using Alex to try to help Sam on the show many times but yet those judges esp Jennifer lopez never had good things to say about Alex, even though he is way better than Sam, I guess he is just not as cute as Sam. Jessica voted yes because she thought she might the one who might get send home and so is Sam. There is only 1 winner! and these contestant are there to try to win. I will continue to vote for Alex…!
To say Sam has no talent is crazy. Been consistently selling well on I tunes and was accepted to Berkley school of music. He’s improving where Alex is at his peek. Sam will be more successful in long run. Alex is a good artist but half decent singer imo
It could have went one more week. I was mad to hear that that it was Alex and Jena that voted no. Sam is the best. He should of stay and somebody else went home. I will miss Sam but he will be back for the finale. We all of his fans have come to love him.
Blame the FANS not Jena and Alex. Also I’m glad that Sam went home, he can leave the heartthrob label and start his music career HIS WAY!!! Just wait, you’ll probably see Sam in the music industry in a couple of months.
American Idol is getting just what they wanted. They don’t care whether we liked what they did or not. You can see from the many comments that it paid off. It didn’t really matter how the vote went among the contestants, because AI won either way. And – now everybody can look for more viewers and more votes in the weeks to come. And – American Idol must have the biggest smile of all.
One gone this week or two next week…it’s hard either way, but in my opinion 2 would have been harder! Everyone has a future career in music and I think getting a break before going on the road is a nice break! I think Sam has a gr8 music career ahead of him and he could have gone home before now had he not been saved before!
Jerri, What the !!!! were they thinking? You don’t change the rules in the middle of the game. I agree with who ever said no!! my vote should be counted. I was a little up-set when they changed my vote like it didn’t count. I thought it was by votes not who’s your friend….. I think the hole thing sucked.
outing the votes seems a little unfair on the contestants
I would have done the same thing. They took a risk as they had no idea who was going home, and even if they thought they were safe this week, why risk being one of TWO going home next week? Winning this show will change someone’s life. If they would have saved Sam (and ESPECIALLY if it was revealed Sam would have been going home even if he wasn’t) he probably would have had a vote rebound and then two others (possibly even Alex and Jena themselves) could have went next week. This would have been time #2 Sam escaped elimination… how many times can you expect to have someone saved when America clearly isn’t voting for them?
Either Jena or Caleb (instead of Jessica) were in the bottom two last week. That is why the producers pulled this stunt.
I agree, and I think it was jena
Nope Jena, a lot don’t like Her arrogance and I think she is fake as a three dollar bill. She cant pronounce Her words, over sings Her songs, And I just don’t like Her. VOTE HER OFF