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Is American Idol rigged? That’s one question on every lip since American Idol contestant Iam Tongi beat finalists Megan Danielle and Colin Stough out of the winning prize. The competition show has raised controversy through the years, with several fan theories suggesting the whole competition was simply a ploy to impose a pre-decided champion into the hearts of Americans. This wild belief and the resulting scandals have prevailed since the show’s premiere in June 2002.
Many have called attention to the supposedly flawed voting system. In contrast, others have blamed the constant failure of the show’s chosen idol to reflect the hearts of Americans on production bias. Nonetheless, the end of every voting season on the show brings about its fair share of controversies and questions surrounding the vetting process.
Is American Idol Rigged?
[Updated on September 5, 2024 – Updated links and fixed formatting]
American Idol season 21 ushered in an unexpected winner, eighteen-year-old Iam Tongi. His win on Sunday, May 21, 2023, was met with mixed reactions as most did not exactly deem him the most talented contestant, especially when contending with runners-up Colin Stough and Megan Danielle, both country singers.
This ultimately left fans who disagreed with the top pick utilizing social media to criticize the competition show. While some protested against the choice idol, others claimed American Idol is rigged, citing Iam’s win as proof. Iam, an 18-year-old high schooler from Kahuku, Hawaii, snagged the coveted $250,000 grand prize and a recording contract with Hollywood Records/19 Recording after a star-studded finale.
The win ultimately made him the first non-country music artist to take home the grand prize in three years. Fans have since pointed out the many flaws in the turn of events, including suggestive examples of why the show may have been rigged. Most deemed Iam less deserving of the win than Colin, who snagged the lowest number of votes during the finale.
American idol is rigged. Colin Stough was the best one out there. Big Hawaiian dude that has the best sob story is going to win. American Idol I thought it was about talent. @AmericanIdol #lukebryan@lukebryan #americanidol
— Barry Reeves (@TwistedDawgBone) May 22, 2023
One tweeted,
“American idol is rigged. Colin Stough was the best one out there.”
Come on…this show has always been rigged…super fans?? Etc…Simon determined the winner…always has
— Carl Dez (@CarlDez324859) May 23, 2023
Another tweet read,
“This show has always been rigged. Super fans? Etc. Simon determined the winner. Always has.”
Backing their allegations, American Idol fans fired off scathing remarks against the production crew and the judges. Most of these centered around claims that the show has somehow rigged the results for years or manipulated the outcome of viewers’ votes.
Katy Perry’s Prediction Was the Biggest Give-Off That the Show is Rigged
During American Idol‘s season 21 auditions, Iam Tongi wowed viewers and judges with his emotional rendition of Monsters dedicated to his late dad, Rodney. The performance went viral, attracting over 16 million views on YouTube, making it the most-viewed video on the show’s page.
Following We Ani’s and Zachariah Smith’s elimination, Katy made a big prediction about finalist, Iam. The American Idol judge declared Iam Tongi the season’s champion among the three finalists one week away from the grand finale. Katy said,
“I know that you’re Iam, but, when I see your name, I see ‘I am’ the next American Idol.”
Many believed her prediction to be a slip of the already pre-decided winner and proof American Idol is rigged. Ahead of the finale, Reddit user hypnaughtytist wrote,
“Katie “predicting” Iam will be the next Idol was a Freudian Slip, she let the cat out of the bag.”
Sure enough, Iam went on to win the show, validating the fan theory that the judges already knew the winner long before the finals aired. Many events that played out throughout the season also suggested some form of conspiracy. Iam was one of the select contestants who got the chance to share their backstory. Additionally, he was put under viewers’ radars earlier in the season with his story and the auditions. Subsequently, the show seemed to edit subsequent episodes to give him more screen time, enough to sway viewers’ emotions.
The Sympathy Card
A common trend viewers noticed over the years was the seeming favoritism towards contestants with the most touching back story. In fact, it’s become almost predictable that any hopeful who gets asked to narrate their back story must have something sad to put out there. And as if on cue, the judges are often inclined to give their undivided “yeses.” For years, viewers have pointed out this trend, which seems to gain credence with each passing season.
A glaring example played out on American Idol season 12, where Muriah Pulice aced her audition among other hopefuls but barely made it through Hollywood Week. During the auditions, Nicki Minaj dutifully asked the hopeful if she had something to say about herself. Expectedly, she had the saddest story about how rough the past years have been for her while dealing with anorexia.
YouTuber Sean Klitzner pointed out the irony of the situation, noting how the host already summoned her family to join her onstage even before the judges gave her their unanimous “Yes.” According to him, it seemed almost staged, as if the producers already had the foresight she would scale through.
David Archutella from the show’s seventh season also sailed on the sympathy card. He won the judges over after narrating the story of how he strived to get back up after his damaged vocal cords crushed his singing dreams. The then-16-year-old wound up finishing second place. Kelly Clarkson from season 1 also shared a story about how she lived in her car.
Fans Think Iam Tongi Thrived on Sympathy
Iam Tongi’s story on American Idol season 21 took a similar pattern. During his audition, the teenager narrated how his family moved from Hawaii to Seattle in search of greener pastures. He also opened up about losing his dad months before the audition. Iam struggled to hold back tears while recounting the tragedy of losing the one person who inspired his music pursuit. The Hawaiian’s emotional audition moved judges to tears, got him to Hollywood, and ultimately secured his winning card.
Many fans believe the American Idol hopeful with the saddest “sob story” often ends up becoming the next idol rather than the best talent.
Oh, I was not trying to pick on the big guy just saying these shows usually come down to the saddest story and not the best boys
— Barry Reeves (@TwistedDawgBone) May 22, 2023
One Twitter user commented,
“These shows usually come down to the saddest story and not the best boys.”
Some fans on Reddit opined that most contestants exaggerate their backstories to reflect a painful past. That way, they could have better chances of making it to the show. Reddit user, Hockey_cats_books wrote,
“This show thrives on sob stories and frankly it’s annoying because people start voting for the story over the talent. Guaranteed Just Sam would not have gotten as far as she did if they didn’t emphasize the homeless and playing in the subway story.”
Why American Idol Being Rigged Is Simply Wild Speculation
Despite the many pointers suggesting American Idol is rigged, the likelihood of that being the case is close to null. For one, faking a reality competition show is illegal, especially one that has to do with viewers’ opinions and a demographic voting system. Hence, it seems farfetched to think the show would risk it all just to promote their preferred contestant and offer them a chance at an excellent music career.
Additionally, most wild fan theories have loopholes when applied to previous seasons. For instance, judges have been known to falter or spew gaffes while addressing contestants. They also appear genuinely surprised when a winner emerges, and often time, these winners aren’t exactly those they rooted for.
Some Back Stories Turned Out as False
Among the prevailing fan theories is the belief that the showrunners try to sway viewers’ opinions by spotlighting contestants with the saddest sob story. This theory takes root in the conviction that producers and judges know these backstories even before the auditions. However, several incidents from previous seasons have proven otherwise.
On season 9 of the competition show, contestant Chris Golightly tried to sway viewers and judges with an emotional story. The tear-filled narration of his chaotic life in the foster system would have done the trick if the show banked on it. However, Katy’s remark put a cap on his tearjerker. In another dramatic twist, the producers discovered at the midpoint of the season that Chris already had a record contract elsewhere. That’s a huge detail to miss out on if, indeed, they fished for his back story before the auditions.
Then there was the season 13 contestant who was seemingly abandoned by her mom at an early age. Yet, it eventually came to light that she, in fact, only became an orphan after her mom’s death. Another contestant Matt Farmer, season 12, also narrated his war escapades in Afghanistan and his war injury. None of the judges were any wiser until a former friend called his bluff several episodes in.
The Reign of Country Music Put the Show at Risk
In most seasons, country music singers have emerged as the American Idol champion. This has left viewers speculating that the show was, in fact, best tagged “American Country Idol.” The last three seasons especially solidified these narratives, with only country singers taking home the trophy. Iam Tongi’s win on American Idol season 21 brought an end to the streak. While that may seem like the ultimate proof that American Idol is rigged, it is, in fact, the opposite.
The reign of country music does more harm than good to the show. In contrast to country singers, who attract mostly the older audience, contestants promoting other genres, like We Ani (season 21), have a better chance of attracting new viewers and millennials. Not to mention how the predictability of the most likely winner would become a turnoff for viewers. Hence, if they had the chance of rigging, the show would not risk the reign of country music idols for three consecutive seasons.
Not All Winners Went on to Soar
For over two decades, American Idol has strived to fish out America’s next top singer through a rigorous process of mentoring, performing, and voting. Each season, one winner emerges, supposedly reflecting the heart of Americans. The credibility of this process has been debated for years. Notwithstanding, the fact remains that the emerging idol always wound up snagging the prize money and a record deal. With such opportunities offered on a platter, one would think all American Idol winners would eventually become big names. But that isn’t always the case.
In the past seasons, only a handful of champions like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, and Fantasia Barrino have soared in their music careers and other showbiz ventures. If the show put in the effort and risks everything to push one person to the winning mark, they certainly would have a game plan for completing the career-building process.
American Idol may not be rigged, but like many reality shows, producers edit it to sway viewers’ opinions and experiences. From the extensive screen time availed to some contestants from the onset of each season to the judges’ tendency to reflect their preference for certain contestants through less critical judgment calls, viewers have seen cause to question the show’s system. There’s no denying most of these takes are indeed valid.
