‘Idol’ judges aren't meaner, it's the editors

One rejected contestant, Kia stood outside the judges’ room, bawling. “I just wish I could change their mind,” she said. “I just wish I could change their mind. They said no. Sometimes you get tired of hearing no. You get tired of hearing no, and it’s not just for singing. You just get tired of hearing no.”

In Memphis, Ryan asked one contestant, “Will you dance with your song? Are you going to do a little routine, too?” Robert Lee Holmes said, “No, I’m not going to dance with the song, I’m just going to [do] a little movement.” The last part was not quite coherent, because Holmes appeared to have a slight speech impediment.

At that point, Ryan just stared at him. That absolute silence lasted a full eight seconds, forever in television time. One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand, five one-thousand, six one-thousand, seven one-thousand, eight one-thousand. The silence finally ended as Ryan opened his mouth, but he said nothing, leaving it hanging open as if the contestant’s reply was so incredible that it had rendered him speechless.

After Robert was rejected, Ryan did the same thing: “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you my man,” he said, and then stared at Robert for 10 more silent seconds.

Those moments of Ryan staring creepily at the rejected singers have been included throughout the show’s first four audition episodes.

Another contestant, 19-year-old Sarah Burgess, told Ryan and the judges that she’d auditioned without her father’s knowledge, skipping class and lying about where she was, despite a threat from her dad to remove financial support if she auditioned. Her story was captivating, to be sure, and it had a perfect ending when Sarah was sent to Hollywood by the judges.

But “American Idol”’s producers didn’t let the story end there.

Instead, Ryan had her call her father — on speakerphone, allowing more than 30 million people to voyeuristically listen in.

“Please don’t be mad at me, Dad,” she said, sobbing. Crying, admitting, “I didn’t spend the night at Rachel’s, but I went to New York, and I tried out for ‘American Idol,’ and I’m going to Hollywood. ... Please don’t be mad at me dad.”

After her father said everything was okay, Ryan hugged Sarah, nonverbally thanking her for letting the show exploit her in that moment. The judges may have praised her, but the editors, host, and producers took advantage of an opportunity to wallow in her misery. After all, that’s entertainment.

Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

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