Sanjaya Malakar and the Fate of American Idol

Every season of American Idol has at least one finalist that is clearly less talented than the rest. Kevin Covais (a.k.a. "Chicken Little) from last season immediately comes to mind. The plucky teen lasted much longer than he should have, turning in a couple of awful performances before finally getting the hook.

This season, Sanjaya Malakar appears to be the contestant that fits this mold. After a semi-impressive audition, and sneaking through the various elimination rounds to the final 10 males, his vocal performances have been increasingly abysmal. The judges, and ostensibly much of the American Idol fan base, have gone from disappointment to dismay and finally to outright shock. However, Sanjaya is different than others who have endured embarrassment before getting the boot from the top-rated show. Not only has he stuck around, he has not been in the bottom two vote-getters since the very early rounds. What in the name of Kelly Clarkson is going on here?

The truth of the matter is, Sanjaya is not just a subpar vocalist who is showing surprising resilience. He represents a crossroads for American Idol itself as a television show. His mere presence in this competition represents a battle of cultural forces, and his fate will reflect the power of the victor, determine the direction of the show in the future, and even reflect the way that Americans view television shows today.

Pop culture fans and pundits have speculated that at least two primary voting blocs have been instrumental in Sanjaya's staying power. First, influential shock jock Howard Stern, who attracts listeners with his cynical view of the mainstream entertainment industry, has been rigorously urging his large fan base to vote for Sanjaya. Second, the website Votefortheworst.com, which has gained increasing publicity since American Idol meta-commentary has proliferated, has logically anointed Sanjaya as their representative. Both Howard Stern and Votefortheworst.com seek to de-legitimate American Idol by showing that the voting system that determines the annual winner is broken and that the show needs to be exposed. These two primary blocs, along with countless like-minded individuals, represent the interest of what might be called the "ironic" viewer of American Idol.

On the other side of the viewing demographic, those who are voting for contestants with actual singing ability, such as Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones, and desperate for Sanjaya to get the heave-ho, are the (for lack of a better term) legitimate fans of American Idol. These fans view American Idol "honestly," for entertainment purposes, and who take the show seriously. The attitude of this viewer is most succinctly displayed by a message board poster on USA Today's American Idol commentary named "brigettemc" who pleads, "Will you people stop voting for him and let the people who have real talent compete!! This isn't funny anymore!"

Between these warring factions of American Idol fans, it seems the ironic viewers of American Idol (with the help of the small number of viewers who are actually legitimate Sanjaya fans) have already demonstrated a significant amount of power, perhaps more than the legitimate fans would have guessed. Other singers with at least a modicum of ability, such as Chris Sligh and Gina Glockson, have been sent packing while Sanjaya remains. His presence has become more controversial with each passing week, and often he is the feature story on major internet and TV coverage the day after the weekly results show, rather than the consistently good performers.

The question remains, how long can Sanjaya survive? At this stage of the game, there are still some weak contestants who are only marginally better vocally than Sanjaya and/or much more forgettable, such as Haley Scarnato and Phil Stacy. Barring a sudden drop in interest on the part of ironic fans (which is not out of the question), one would expect Sanjaya to outlast both of these contestants. This would put Sanjaya in the top 6 participants, along with Chris Richardson, Blake Lewis, Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones-all talented performers with a legitimate shot to win this year's competition. If Sanjaya does indeed make it this far into the competition, this will be where the true capability of the ironic viewers will be felt. Knocking out any one of these remaining contestants would alone prove the power of the ironic viewership of American Idol and be cause for even more consternation for the legitimate fans.

Indeed, on various message boards on the internet, many legitimate fans have threatened to quit watching the show if Sanjaya remains on the show. Even Simon Cowell himself has threatened to quit the show entirely if Sanjaya wins. Are these threats realistic? It is difficult to say. One would think that American Idol, being the ratings giant that it is, would find a way to adapt to the unlikely scenario of Sanjaya remaining in the competition too long or even winning outright.

One thing seems certain. American Idol would have to adjust in some way for next season if Sanjaya finds continued success on the show. Though the controversy has been good for ratings thus far, the producers must be aware that the show cannot risk being reduced to a parody of itself. And if ironic viewers of American Idol can display their power via the most successful show on television, expect to see a new crop of reality shows catering to this cynical audience.