I have been an ardent Idols fan since the very first episode of season 1 but after the conclusion of the current season I will never watch a single episode again. Why am I pulling the plug on one of my long-term addictions? Idols has turned me into a ‘hater’!
Since the first episode of Season 8 was aired conspiracy theories regarding head –hunting and the like have been doing the rounds. At first I tried to just brush it off as ‘sour grape syndrome’ but my initial apprehension soon turned into full-fledged belief.
There are many factors contributing to my current mindset.
The judges have always been rather inconsistent in their feedback but this year they have reached an all-time low. I have been getting the distinct impression that their feedback on the performances are scripted and completely irrelevant to what is happening on stage. How else can the praise of poor performances and the slaughtering of the not-so-bad be explained?
If Gareth Cliff’s childish outburst after Dominic’s Top 9 performance and Randal’s snide remarks aimed at Simphiwe last night are indicative of the level of professionalism within the Idols infrastructure, I sincerely hope that this is the last season that will be aired. How are the contestants supposed to improve on their performances if they fall victim to the scathing tongues of 3 power hungry judges?
If the judges aren’t enough to discourage even the most hardened Idols supporter from watching then the Idols Facebook page certainly is. Blatant racism and malevolent remarks set the precedent on this poorly governed social platform. The page description clearly states that no racist remarks and hate speech will be tolerated yet it took almost an entire week for such posts to be removed. The total disregard by the page administrators of the abuse inflicted on both contestants and fellow page users just confirm what many of us have suspected all along: Mnet really couldn’t care less!
I wonder how Simon Fuller would react if he was to be made aware of the pitiable manner in which his brainchild is managed in good old South Africa.
Bring on the fans!
Someone needs to devise a system by which the users of a social network can be filtered according to their ability to conduct themselves in a courteous manner. Facebook and Twitter have become inundated with socially inept people spewing malignant remarks and then trying to validate their behaviour by playing the “I am a victim of the apartheid era” card. It is no wonder that many feel that South Africa has no future. If these are the future leaders of our beautiful country I too hang my head in shame.
Idols has transformed from light-hearted family entertainment into a cesspit of overrated indulgence. Someone needs to intervene and save both the South African Reality TV repute and the devoted aficionado from the curse that is scripted and predictable production ethics before the industry completely dwindles into obscurity.
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