Not sure how much this has already been discussed here but I think the show's producers have done a terrible job this year in designing the format. Having just three from twelve going through means that we have good people who have an off-night gone before they have a chance to put things right (Jasmine?, Matt?) and likeable but average performers going through instead (Michael). Moreover, people who actually did pretty well (Megan?, Kris?) quite possibly gone before the public gets a chance to know how good they are. Considering the endless weeks of auditions would it really have hurt to add three extra shows in order to cut each group of 12 down to 6 one week and then to 3 in a later week.

And this ridiculous droning on from the judges about poor song choices. How are the inexperienced contestants supposed to know what will work for them (and what won't)? The producers should be suggesting a shortlist of songs to each person and talking them out of terrible personal choices. Surely it's in everyone's interests to show the performers off in the best way possible.

And don't even start me on the arcane mystery that is the wildcard round...

I agree with you completely. Altough I understand the reasoning for the wildcard, to save some of the best ones, some people take a coule of performances to show what they got. And like you said, some likeable people go through like michael and Kris. To think that Jesse langseth have to fight for a wildcard. Her performance was great I thought, and better than Alison's. So its really frustrating t see that we will lose at least 2 or 3 possble winners, for one night of getting the highest votes from Kris, and Michael.

Its better to lose the really, really bad ones in the first round, and allow the nervous ones to gain nmomentum with 2 or 3 songs. Especially younger once, with no experience. Most of them did really bad on their first day. and they wont get a second chance.

Its very flawed I dont like it. The only good thing about it for me is that Jamar, has a chance to now make it into the widlcards. BUt I have a feeling, that was staged and all set up from the get go. The whole story with him not making it into the top 36, and everyone shocked by it. NOw they will put him thorugh the wildcard, and make it all dramatic.

I agree the format is not working very well. IMO this is for 2 reasons: from the first lot of 12, the three who went through were not the best performers or even the three that sang the most popular songs, but three of the top four who had the most previous exposure. I'm sure this will happen again in the other weeks. So it's a familiarity contest rather than a singing contest. Why are they doing this? So the producers control the final line up - they want a variety of people from all over the USA, ages, styles etc. Not 12 identikit singers, so they have put into viewers' minds certain people by flagging them strongly in the previous weeks.

The second reason is that the singers and the music arrangers have not understood the switch in the format. In all previous series you had to stay out of the bottom one or two to keep in, so you could sing all types of songs. Now you have to win, basically, your gender or at best come second. So you have to knock 'em dead with a big number. I understand completely why the judges' most common remark is 'you picked the wrong song', you have to pick 'Hero' or 'All By Myself' or one of those huge songs that telegraph 'I can sing bigtime'. Most of the contestants are doing this.

However, the wildcard round will mean that no one good gets only one chance if they don't get through, they WILL get another shot.

I hate the format, and I'm 99.99999% certain if they'd had this format last year Idol would have had a different winner (and that would make me a very sad AK).

It doesn't give the top 36 any time to find their feet - you perform well, or your gone - which can easily mean someone with only 1 good performance in them will make top 12, whilst someone who might be brilliant but takes a couple of shows to settle into it before emerging from the pack, will be long gone.

I agree.
In addition, it gives even more weight to the coverage each act received in previous epsiodes, and as it is very unequal, it is completely unfair.

I agree, really stupid!!

Dont know why they have done it like this this year.

And theres no suspense on the results either, you just know whos through and out of 12 only 3 through, they know there chances arent good- so theres no expectation to go through- so theres not much disappointment when they dont- makes for boring viewing!

It's actually the same format of Pop Idol and the first few years of American Idol. I think they changed it for AI4.

As it happens, I prefer it. But only slightly. The semi-finals are the weakness of the format for me. Under the previous format we had an ever lasting mid series lull while we had to wait for the bland and the crap ones to be rooted out of the top 24 in 3 shows a week. By the time we reached the grand final, we had seen the two David's performing about 15 times. It blended in too much with the actual live finals because it was the same contestants every week. Nor did I like the boy/girl divide.

That said, it isn't working just now. It's like they have to make the semi-finals a bit crap so as the actual finals look grander. The sound is horrific. The song choices are dreadful. I think it's fair enough that the judges point this out because for many of them it is the biggest problem. The judges panel is a bit slow, although they tried to shake it up this week. I'm not really sure what Kara is adding to the live shows, she's like a combination of Randy and Simon. The stage is probably more expensive than The X Factor, but it doesn't provide the same intensity. The audience is too sparse and aren't providing the best atmosphere. And the whole thing just doesn't feel like an event. Sure, X Factor might be a bit OTT, but I think that's preferrable to being flat. A few nice dresses and suits wouldn't go amiss on the judges and host!

It's one of The X Factor's strengths that it doesn't do this stage.

Well I hink thats one of the tstrenghts of AI. It gives you the contestant raw, until the top 12. THe stage and wardrobe abd everything changes at the top 12 point.

But this format doesnt work. I know thats what they used before, but there is more chances of losing really good contestants in the first 3 rounds because of one bad performances. At least when it was 12 boys and 12 girls, you had to be one fo the worst to be eliminated. SO you get a chance to redeem yourself if you survive. This format is terrible. Everyone knew before the first 2 rounds that Danny would go through and also that Adam would, just because of the coverage they got in the auditions. In group 2, I think there are at least 3 people potential winnners that are not gonna make the wildcard. Either because they stumbled in the irst round or because of lack of coverage. It doesnt help that the person who got the most coverage, get to sing last also, which is very predictable. the 2 with the highest coverage, sing last and get the most votes. It doesnt get more predictable than that!

As for the Xfactor OTT stuf, thank god we dont get that on American Idol. they seem to glorify the judges more than the contestants.

Hmmm, in theory I prefer this format - yes, it's brutal, but it should have made everyone bring their "A-game" right from the first show, rather than play safe and eventually be whittled out after X weeks...

Unfortunately, what I think has happened in practice is that the pressure has affected the contestants much more than usual, and they're so nervous that we've had two very poor overall weeks of performances, with only 2 standouts each week, hence no surprises (and no drama) in the top 2, with the third choice each week being a complete mystery (and pretty much down to "likeability")...

Depending on how the third semi-final goes, I can actually see the wildcard show being the best one, with everyone having done one live show each, they'll know what they're in for... (unless they bring in others from outside the top 36 as has been suggested.)

Another downside for the show is that 9 of the top 12 will only have ever performed live twice (the same song both times) by the time the actual finals start - with the previous format the top 12 would have performed lots of times and be far more "seasoned" by the time the finals started...

I liked Jesse but she would have done herself a huge favour by smoking 40 fags before singing that song, it is so much more convincing with a huskey voice.

Alison was okay she just happened to pick a song that would have got at least 3 of the other contenders through that night.

It really does prove song choice matters..

I think the show is an absolute mess, looks like they're trying to hard or making changes for changes sake.

When you see Simon off camera or in the background, he looks completely disinterested.

It's the end of the road . . . . . . . & he knows it !

I've always thought Simon is better on Idol than X Factor, largely because he seems to get on far better with Ryan/Randy/Paula. He has always seemed slightly disinterested, even watching back clips from season 1 so I wouldn't read much into that.

That said, he has been a critical of the semi-finals this year and he seems remarkably unimpressed with the talent on show. Not even jumping in on the Danny Gokey love and he wasn't exactly raving about Adam Lambert last week either.

They could be producing a brilliant show, but with the talent this year it just won't go anywhere. There is time for that talent to emerge a bit more, though.

I also prefer Simon on Idol, he says what he thinks instead of what he must say.. or it seems that he does

I don't agree about his attitude about the contestants though. He raved about the two girls that are though to top 12, comparing them to Kelly Clarkson and calling them 'the ones to watch'.. I don't think that either Danny or Adam are the real producer/judge favourites anyway. They are hyping them up for ratings purposes. Danny sob story + Christian background, Adam.. flamboyant and umm gay community But I hope that Adam does well, he is the one that makes the show for me so far..

About the format, there was a good point made by C14E earlier on that last year format didn't make enough distinction between the final and semi-final rounds and the show seemed to drag on forever...
But this one is worse in my opinion because of the reasons that people have described, too brutal and doesn't give much experience of performing live before the finals start.
I don't know what the best solution is. Scrap this round altogether like for the X Factor? Give a complete and fair round up of all 36 acts pre live show performances (would be fair but just as brutal)?

I think the idea was to give the public more say in who makes up the Top 12 (rather than it be 100% judges'/producers' choice), with the wildcard round as a "corrective measure" in case the public chooses a whole bunch of Sanjayas! The judges actually do know what they're talking about, which is why wildcard picks have tended to do well in the past.

To be fair to this format, I think the best performances each week so far have gotten through, it's just that virtually everyone seems to have underperformed drastically compared to their original auditions and Hollywood week, and it benefits the superconfident above (potentially) better singers who might need a week or 2 to "grow" on us...

It's proving to be a disaster because good singers are getting the boot early on, and occasionally after unfairly suffering from lack of exposure in the audition stages. When you have a singer of the abilities and tonal qualities of Ricky Braddy not getting beyond week 1 because there's only 3 places up for grabs, and this follows him being put on early when less people are watching, then there's got to be something wrong somewhere. I can only hope he comes back as a wildcard, but I'm sure Simon will put the kybosh on that idea.

Meanwhile Kris Allen has essentially managed to get through in the second round because, as Simon said, he will be 'a hit with the chicks'. Vocally his performance was nothing more than adequate. Bye bye Matt (though he did choose a duff song). And then there's Allison put through, talked up because she's sweet 16 (we'll keep hearing this mentioned at every performance). She sang a song that was too big for her, sounding strained and avoiding the higher notes at the end which she would not have managed, but she 'blew it out of the box'? IMO Mishavonna Henson was a far better singer on the night than Allison.

I quite like the format. So much better than X Factor.