Sanjaya could actually win ‘American Idol’

Sanjaya appears to be acutely aware of this tendency to reward those who stand out, but even if he isn’t, he’s certainly benefiting from it.

Perhaps he’s also watched a lot of “America’s Next Top Model.” On that show, Tyra Banks and her team of judges routinely drop aspiring models from the competition even though those women have looked fantastic in their photographs. Yet they still go home because, as Tyra frequently lectures her girls, some of them do not show desire, personality, and growth week after week.

Tyra tries to make an argument to the competitors and to viewers that those characteristics make good models, but that is a tough argument to make when the models with stronger pictures leave before those who stay.

That’s been a painful reality of “American Idol” for its entire six-season run. Never before has someone gone from Sanjaya’s position all the way to the end and won, but this could be the year that changes.

Sanjaya’s sister suggested that possibility in an interview with TV Guide last week, saying that her brother and Melinda could make it to the final round of the competition. “I could see Sanjaya and Melinda in the end, which would be crazy. It all depends on who is more popular,” she said.

While Melinda will have a difficult time increasing her popularity at this point in the competition, all Sanjaya has to do is continue to show a little bit of growth and inspire passion in his fans. His only alternative is to bore America, and for Sanjaya, that seems far less likely than the possibility that he will actually win.

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

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