Confession

OK...so I have a confession to make. I've found myself hooked on a TV show that I swore a few years ago I would never get into. I really don't like reality TV whatsoever. I could never get into Survivor, The Real World, Fear Factor, Road Rules, etc. but for some reason I can't stop watching American Idol.
When the show first came out 5 years ago, I watched it once and didn't like it. So, I assumed that it must be a bad show and never watched it again.
In Season 2, I caught glimpses here and there, but still wasn't into it.
With Season 3, I watched the first few episodes to see the really bad singers get made fun of. Then I watched the last six episodes or so because my wife was really into it. That was our first year living together as a married couple. It was then I realized that once you get down to the final 6 contestants, the quality of the performances go way up. The bad singers and the people who don't put in the effort to win get weeded out, and you are left with those people who actually have really good voices, put in a solid effort to learn the songs, make them their own and improve their performances. It's actually enjoyable to watch these talented people grow throughout the competition.
Once Season 4 rolled around, I watched the show even more. By the time they got to the Final 12, I had even picked out a favorite just to make it more interesting to me. I had someone to root for...and that was my downfall. That was last year, and the contestant was Bo Bice. It was the first time they had a "rocker" this far in the competition. In fact, that year they had 2, but Bo was the one I liked. Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to lean towards rock as my music of choice. So, I thought it would be pretty cool to see a "rocker" as the next American Idol. As you may know, Bo did really well, and made it to the Season Finale, competing against country-singing hottie Carrie Underwood. Anyone who knows me, also knows that I tend to NOT lean towards country as my music of choice...unless it's Johnny Cash. Johnny's the man and always will be (no matter what Jeff says), but that's another subject. Obviously, I wanted Bo to win. I thought he deserved it. he was consistently the best throughout the last episodes. Unfortunately, the final song, which is the song written for the final 2 contestants to perform in the Season Finale was more suited for Carrie than it was for Bo. He was in trouble, and I knew it. So, I did what any sane person would do in a crisis such as this. I voted. Yeah...I couldn't believe it either. I actually picked up my cellphone and texted my vote for Bo to win American Idol, and the whole time I'm wondering to myself "What am I doing?" "Am I really voting for American Idol?" "What is wrong with me?" "Have I gone insane?" Before I had even realized what happened, I had voted probably about eleventy billion times. That's right...I didn't do it just once...I did it many times. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, because every Cletus, Jed and Billy Sue in America had voted for Carrie Underwood eleventy billion times, as well. I can't compete with that.
Now we're in Season 5, and the Season Finale is a week away. I think I have watched more American Idol this year than any other previous year. Not only did I watch the beginning episodes to see people get made fun of, I watched many the middle episodes and all of the Final 12 episodes. I picked out my favorite very early this year. Another rocker, named Chris Daughtry. He was the odds on favorite to make it to the last round, but he was voted off in a shocking turn of events 2 weeks ago. It's OK though, because everyone knows how good he is, and he apparently already has an offer from the band Fuel to be their new lead singer. Great news for him if he accepts. I'd buy that CD. Luckily, I have a backup favorite and he did make it to the final. That would be the 29 year-old Taylor Hicks, the soulful singer from Alabama. He sounds a lot like Joe Crocker mixed with a bit of Ray Charles. Taylor is probably one of the most interesting people that has ever been on the show in it's 5 years. With his salt-and-pepper hair color and his animated dance moves, he may not seem like he fits the typical mold for an American Idol. In fact, Simon Cowell, the tell-it-like-it-is-even-if-it-hurts judge said that Taylor would never make it to the Top 10 when he first auditioned. Simon didn't even want to put him through to the 2nd round. Yet, week after week, Taylor sang his heart out. His infectious personality and his increasing fan base, dubbed the Soul Patrol, has kept him in the competition until the end, and he has never been in the bottom 2 for votes. Never! He gets better every week, and he grows on you. Even Simon admits he was wrong and says that he now believes Taylor will win the whole thing. Taylor's competition? Another hottie...the sultry Katherine McPhee, whose rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song picked out for her by Simon, was one of the best performances all year and, in my opinion, is the only reason she made it to the Finale. She has struggled in recent weeks, and should have been voted off during Elvis week when she bombed on both of her songs. The Finale could, once again, come down to the fact that the final song is better suited for one person over the other. Usually, it's better suited for a voice like Katherine's which, obviously, would be bad for Taylor. It's a good thing they also get to do a 2nd song of their choice out of their previous performances (they did last year anyway). Looks like it's going to be another Finale after which I will be texting vote after vote for the next American Idol on my cellphone. Go Taylor!!!