Three Things You Must Know About American Idol

(1) First is the Worst: For some reason, it is the worst thing to go first. Maybe it's because people forget about you by the time the show is over and it is time to vote, or maybe because if others are lousy before you and you do okay, you'll get more credit, because you were better than the others. Going first eliminates that possibility. So many times contestants got voted off because they went first, even though they weren't bad and others did worse. This is especially true in the semi-finals when four contestants are eliminated per week. For Season 8, however, the top 24 format has been eliminated and they are going back to a 36-contestant wild card scenario. Even so, as a contestant, you do not want to go first, and if your favorite goes first, better start praying.

(2) Last is the Best: For the same reasons stated above, going last is to your advantage, because your performance will be remembered more than any others. And if the show was lame and your singing was okay, the judges will talk about how they saved the best for last, how they ended the show on a high note, and you're almost guaranteed to come back the next week. Among fans, this slot has become known as the pimp spot, and looking back, I don't think I remember one instance when a contestant went last and was eliminated that week.

(3) The Judges Pimp: Hardcore fans pick up on when judges seem to be rooting for a contestant to succeed. When a performance was mediocre yet the judges are effusive in their praise that is a sign that the judges are pimping the contestant. Likewise, if the performance was good but the judges are using superlatives as if we have just seen the second coming of Elvis, you know that they want said singer to go far. Why do judges pimp? Either because they genuinely like the contestant's talent, or because the winner of Idol signs a contract with the show to produce an album, and if the judges perceive a contestant as being more marketable than the others, it is in their best interest to have that singer win.

Either way, these things drive Idol fans crazy, but it comes with the territory, and despite these idiosyncrasies, it is still one of the most entertaining shows on television.

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