It’s been widely reported that American Idol is planning to start next season with a clean slate of judges. In addition to Randy Jackson and Mariah Carey, it is now being reported that Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj will also not be returning next season.
It seems the show has become more about the judges and their antics than the talent of the contestants and it’s never been more apparent than in Season 12. It began with the well publicized feuds between Mariah and Nicki and led to Mariah being fired and Randy resigning.
Now there are reports beginning to emerge saying that Nicki was actually the cause of the drastic drop in ratings Idol saw this season and the other judges were only guilty by association. American Idol 2013 has seen a loss in ratings over the last few seasons but still held on to the No. 1. Since the start of Season 12 there has been an additional 25% drop in the ratings.
Nicki’s behavior while Mariah was making a comment was usually disrespectful and rude. Nicki frequently interrupted Mariah to contradict her opinion and the constant eye rolling by Nicki during Mariah’s comments was having a negative effect on Mariah, and understandably so. This disrespectful behavior by Nicki is in stark contrast to the demure sensibilities that Mariah displays and it is bound to cause her stress and affect what she says. She may have been so concerned that Nicki would seize on some aspect of her comment intending to start an argument, that Mariah exercised an abundance of caution and said almost nothing at all. The content and quality of Mariah’s critiques improved noticeably towards the end of this season, possibly due to her decision to simply ignore Nicki although the occasional spat would still break out, but usually initiated by Nicki Minaj.
Facebook and Twitter has recently been humming with comments stating that Nicki should be the one to leave and Keith and Mariah should remain and possibly even Randy if he can be lured back with the promise of a new dynamic in place for Season 13.
Most tweets and Facebook comments cite Nicki’s lack of credentials, questionable talent, and poor image as the main reasons she should have never been at the judge’s table in the first place. The core demographic for American Idol is not an ideal match for Nicki’s genre or style of entertainment.
The general consensus is that Keith, Mariah and Randy have the credentials to be good judges and their critiques and personalities would make American Idol fit for family viewing once again. Do you agree that American Idol can reclaim its’ former status by replacing Nicki Minaj and keeping Keith Urban, Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson at the 2014 judge’s table?