American Idol 2018: Why eliminating bad auditions for Season 16 was long overdue

American Idol 2018 producers confirmed that the upcoming 16th season will not feature bad auditions. And we think it is a move that is long overdue.

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In the early days of American Idol, the series was known for highlighting delusional bad singers during the audition rounds. That led some to fear that the upcoming reboot on ABC would do the same. But showrunner Trish Kinane said during the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour that this wouldn’t be the case.

“You might have noticed in the past few years, we haven’t really majored on people who are really bad, because one of the key things about the show is it shouldn’t feel manipulated or fake because 15 years ago, nobody had ever seen it and it was funny,” she said. “Viewers know now, they’ve all watched all these shows in 15 years, and it doesn’t feel comfortable to put borderline unstable people up and laugh at them.”

Kinane did clarify that American Idol 2018 could showcase an oddball or two. “Humor is a very important part of Idol, so if someone’s eccentric, slightly different or if they’ve got a different voice or if they do something we don’t normally hear, we’ll put that up, that’s fun. We want the humor but we don’t want the exploitation,” she added.

Still, it doesn’t sound like there will be episodes where half the auditoners sound like William Hung. And that is a positive development for the show going forward.

Part of the reason American Idol originally showed these bad auditions was to keep up the illusion that the judges saw all of the thousands of contestants who showed up in each city. But, as Kinane herself noted, this is no longer necessary. Viewers now realize that producers screen and eliminate the majority of the auditioners before they even reach the judges.

“I think that people once thought that the judges saw everyone, and now you know there’s a line of producers who screen before them,” Kinane continued.

There are plenty of other reasons that limiting the bad auditions is a good move. For starters, many of these bad auditioners are simply seeking their 15 minutes of fame. If American Idol 2018 stops showing these attention-seekers on television, fewer of them will show up to auditions. And that means the producers and judges can spend more time on the auditioners who are serious about a singing career.

Indeed, limiting the bad American Idol auditions primarily benefits the legitimate contestants. After all, it must have been frustrating for talented singers who got cut in the early rounds to see joke acts like Norman Gentle or “Bikini Girl” advance to Hollywood.

Limiting the bad auditions also allows producers to showcase more of these talented singers during the early rounds. In the early seasons in particular, many contestants would make it to the live shows with zero fanbase because they were barely shown on screen during the audition and Hollywood rounds. And this hurt them once the live voting began.

While Kris Allen did manage to win Season 8 without his audition being shown on TV, he was the exception, not the rule. With fewer bad auditions to showcase in the early rounds, producers can make sure that audiences have seen all of the semifinalists and finalists before they perform live for the first time.

What do you think of American Idol 2018 eliminating bad auditions? Let us know your take in the comments section below!