‘American Idol’
isn’t kind to teens

America is speaking loud and clear. They are calling and text-messaging every week, and what they are saying is that when it comes to the next 'American Idol', teenagers need not apply.

Jessica Sierra was the latest youngster to fall on Wednesday, becoming the third of the 12 finalists to be shown the door. The 19-year-old follows 17-year-old Mikalah Gordon to the exit, leaving Anthony Fedorov as the only teen left in the competition. Since Fedorov's already been in the bottom three once (though he avoided it this week, with Nadia Turner and Anwar Robinson getting the last-minute reprieves instead), it appears unlikely that last season's triumph of 19-year-old Fantasia Barrino indicates any sort of a trend among 'Idol' voters.

When the show's producers made the decision to raise the age limit to 28 for contestants this season, they tapped into a voter base that was sick of the high-school talent-show nature of the early stages of previous competitions. In particular, last season saw finalists like Jasmine Trias, John Stevens, Camile Velasco and Leah LaBelle. All were teenagers and all had their fan bases, but none were ready for this kind of a challenge.

The result was a real lack of drama early in the competition, since more than half of the performers didn't come close to showing they had what it takes to win a competition like this one.

Sure, Fantasia won as a 19-year-old, and 16-year-old Diana DeGarmo came in second. It's not that all the teenagers were mediocre. But did we really need so many of them?

Clearly, the 'Idol' folks decided that the answer was no, that while having a few talented youngsters was perfectly fine, some actual adults would also be appreciated. Thus far, the voters have agreed.

Four of the original 12 finalists were 28 or 29; all four are still in the competition. Four of the finalists were 20 or younger, but three of the four are gone, with Lindsey Cardinale joining Gordon among the unlucky.

Fedorov is left to carry the banner for the teenagers, and given his struggles and the lack of praise from the judges – as well as the lack of love from the Clay Aiken fans of two years ago — he's always a threat to be shown the door.

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