Advice for American Idol on Hollywood Week

So, more of the Hollywood round, and in a way, it's anticlimactic knowing that the list of the top 36 has already been revealed, so it's like watching Survivor while knowing all along who the winner is going to be. It takes away from the drama.

The producers of American Idol are concerned about the slipping ratings. Granted, we're talking about the number one show in the country year after year, and the lower number of viewers can be attributed to viewing habits in general. So we're not talking about a show that is running on fumes. Yet the constant tweaks such as the fourth judge Kara Dioguardi and the wild-card format indicates that the producers see a need to keep things fresh.

So here is an idea. Aside from the fact that we know who made it and who did not, which makes the Hollywood round useless, how about showing the Hollywood round later in the season, when we know the contestants better so that we can appreciate what was going on back then? Also, some of the contestants that we see and start rooting for have been eliminated, so what is the point of wasting all the energy on them?

Finally, some contestants are showcased more than others. Even during the auditions, the cameras take us into their homes and we meet their families and get to know their situations. Others are unknown until Hollywood and sometimes even until the first rounds of the competition. By then the contestants that we know have an unfair advantage that they were able to build a fan base, while the newcomers start off already behind the eight-ball.

Therefore, I suggest we start the season with the top 36, and then look back throughout to see where they came from. That would make things fair. Then again, it's all about entertainment, and that means that things will be unfair, which will drive some fans crazy, but not crazy enough for them to stop watching the most popular show in America.