Reid About It

Frankly, I'm stunned.

I'm not sure why, though. After eight years of American Idol, I guess I should be used to talented singers being voted off the show by now. It could be argued that not winning the show might actually help your career more than actually being named the last Idol standing. However, Big Mike getting the boot, albeit temporarily, this early in the competition floored me.

If you missed the results show, Michael, Aaron, and Andrew were the bottom three. Andrew joined Mike in the final two, and Mike was eliminated. After he sang "This Woman's Work" for his encore, the judges used their one-time save to bring him back for next week.

It's not hyperbole to say this is the worst American Idol season yet. While the ratings are still strong overall, the show is no longer the king of the airwaves. Media writers are openly discussing this year's crop as the least talented, and bringing in Ellen Degeneres hasn't jump started the excitement level. Simon is in his final season, and lacks the sarcastic fire of previous years.

At this point, I only see three contestants who are smooth enough to win the contest and pick up the Idol gauntlet. Mike, Casey, and Crystal are all good enough, and already formed enough as artists to win it. The other remaining five certainly have good moments, but also seem differing shades of awful. They're just not consistent enough to take it.

And then, Michael gets knocked off in the round of eight, and a bad show gets worse.

It was stunning enough that Ryan Seacrest seemed shaken, his encouragement to Big Mike to sing his way back onto the show seemed sincere. The judges didn't seem to waste much time giving him their only pardon.

But that's the hook of the show, I guess. The audience wants what it wants, and votes accordingly. If they don't believe in Chris Daughtry, he's gone. If Adam Lambert scares them too much, Kris Allen is crowned the king.

If Big Mike's talent, stage presence, and life story aren't enough to sway the voters into making him one of the top seven, though, I'm not sure it matters.