Pandora's Box: A Random Idol Rankings Thread

[Bk1234]

5 minutes ago, Crisis said:

I remember some weren't too happy about Randy's comments to Syesha after A Change Is Gonna Come. Though I didn't like Syesha at the time, even I thought his comments were BS and felt that Syesha did a great job with the song.

Oh yes, thank you for reminding me! It was one of Syesha’s best performances and she still gets beat up for it. Even as an Archie fan, I will admit that they were too easy on him and too hard on Syesha and Carly.

[Crisis]

Time to finish off the judges.

 

5. Jennifer Lopez

There seems to be mixed reviews when it comes to J-Lo as a judge. I liked her when she was a mentor during S6 (I especially liked what she said about the judges’ treatment towards Haley Scarnato after her Latin performance), and I didn’t really mind her as a judge for the most part. Sure, there were some annoying things about her, such as the camera constantly being on her and how tough she was on the female contestants (Haley Reinhart and Jessica Meuse are the main two who come to mind) while being more lenient towards the male ones; however, I liked how she focused on the stage presence aspect regarding the performances because that’s the one area she could’ve helped them the most. Overall, despite some of the negatives, I can say J-Lo was a judge I liked.

 

4. Kara DioGuardi

Between some of the things I’ve said about Kara DioGuardi in my other thread as well as this one, it may be a bit of a surprise to see her this high.  There were some things I didn’t care for, such as her drooling over certain male contestants (Matt Giraud and Casey James) and her obsessive focus on artistry; however, I liked her as a judge and think she’s on the underrated side. I think a lot of it has to do with her being added to the panel during S8 and seemingly disrupting the chemistry of the original three judges. Nonetheless, she did give some insightful commentary during her time on Idol, plus there was her owning Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell during the S8 finale; that moment alone justifies her being in the Top 5.  I think Kara would’ve been more appreciated had she came in under different circumstances.

 

3. Paula Abdul

Here we have the nice judge of the original panel. Paula Abdul was the one to provide a more positively assuring presence to balance Simon’s blunt honesty. With that said, though she often tried to see the positives in most of the performances and be kind when being critical, she did provide some constructive insight, such as telling Kat to stick to her intimate vocals and mentioning Chris Sligh’s timing issues. However, it is often thought she was out of it at times, for she would display some bizarre behavior and give some bizarre commentary once in a while. The most infamous example was when she channeled her inner Miss Cleo and commented on Jason Castro’s second Top 5 performance before it actually happened.  Despite these things, I still liked Paula as a judge and felt the show missed something dearly when she left after S8.

 

2. Keith Urban

When it comes to Idol judges, I believe Keith Urban is often somewhere in the middle of the pack. However, he is my second favorite judge. I thought he provided the perfect balance of being complimentary while providing constructive criticism when necessary. He may come across as boring because he may have been more laid back than the others; however, I definitely appreciated this during the mess that was the  S12 judging panel as well as being a nice balance to the other two during the last three FOX seasons. If there was one negative I have about him, it was the way he treated Jessica Meuse. I expected such from J-Lo (though I liked her), but it was disappointing to see it coming from him.  Regardless, Keith is someone I think positively of when it comes to AI judges at the end of the day.

 

1. Simon Cowell

For those who’ve followed my rankings, it’s known I don’t always have the most conventional opinions. To be honest, I thought about placing Simon Cowell second and Keith first; however, I’m going to go the predictable route here and have Simon first. Simon is certainly the most popular judge, even to this day. A number of people tuned in to Idol just to see what he would say regarding the performances. At least early on, he was blunt and told it like it is, regardless how PC it was or not and therefore, some contestants admitted it meant a lot if he said anything positive about their performances. In addition, despite his bluntness, he didn’t take himself too seriously and wasn’t afraid to have fun, sometimes at his own expense (his exchanges with Ryan were pretty funny for the most part). However, he mellowed out some in his later seasons and all but completely checked out his final season. Also, I wasn’t much of a fan of how he treated certain contestants (RJ Helton and Haley Scarnato are the main two who come to mind). With everything said, Simon was, and still is, an important part of AI history, and is pretty much a no-brainer when it comes to the #1 spot as far as AI judges are concerned.

 

005. Jennifer Lopez

004. Kara DioGuardi

003. Paula Abdul

002. Keith Urban

001. Simon Cowell

 

A recap of the judges:

 

014. Nicki Minaj

013. Ellen DeGeneres

012. Mariah Carey

011. Luke Bryan

010. Harry Connick, Jr.

009. Lionel Richie

008. Katy Perry

007. Steven Tyler

006. Randy Jackson

005. Jennifer Lopez

004. Kara DioGuardi

003. Paula Abdul

002. Keith Urban

001. Simon Cowell

 

I may start on my next topic later on today; I still have to decided what I want to do first, however.

Edited August 23, 2020 by Crisis

[Bk1234]

1 hour ago, Crisis said:

5. Jennifer Lopez

How could you not mention her stank faces?  I agree with all of your points, but I would have ranked her over Harry and Keith, since she was my favorite out of that final FOX group. What I liked the most about her was that she really seemed to enjoy being on the show, and that she seemed to genuinely care about the contestants.

 

1 hour ago, Crisis said:

4. Kara DioGuardi

Kara is probably my favorite American Idol judge, which is definitely an unpopular opinion. I felt really bad for Kara in Season 8 because no one seemed to like her (except me of course ) because she was the newbie of the group. I thought she was better than Randy and Paula that season, but whatever. She was better in Season 9 though, which is expected since she wasn’t new to the job. In terms of your dislike for her obsession with artistry, I absolutely loved her obsession with it!  Finally, a judge who would appreciate contestants for being ORIGINAL (aka rip Lil Rounds, hello Kris Allen )! I loved her comment to Lil Rounds after she sang I’m Every Woman. I think it went along the lines of “You’ve been every women but yourself.”  Also, I didn’t mind her obsession with Matt Giraud, since I didn’t mind him during Season 8.  Anyway, Kara was basically the perfect judge for my taste, so she was a win-win-win in my book!

 

1 hour ago, Crisis said:

3. Paula Abdul

I think you ranked her WAY too high, but it’s your opinion. I don’t know, but I feel that Paula is on the overrated side in terms of judges. This is probably because she was one of the OG judges. Her sweetness and motherly love was good, but in Season 8 it seemed that she tried to be more constructive, which just didn’t really fit her. Paula’s absence from Season 9 contributed to the reason why I think it was such a bad season. Like I mentioned before, Kara and Ellen just couldn’t compensate for her absence.

 

1 hour ago, Crisis said:

2. Keith Urban

I thought you were going to put him first, but I was wrong. Keith Urban just didn’t stand out to me. He didn’t add anything interesting to the panel and I didn’t hate him enough to really remember him. I do remember that he always used to say “killer” though. 

 

1 hour ago, Crisis said:

1. Simon Cowell

Aah, King Simon as the number one judge. He definitely made the show interesting, I’ll say that! I thought he probably gave the best and most honest critiques to contestants. It felt like more of a reward to get praise from him, which is good for a judge. I remember Carly had a shirt saying “Simon Likes Me (Today).”  My only issue is when he started to get offensive. Mandisa is a sad example of this... 

Edited August 23, 2020 by Bk1234

[Crisis]

2 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

How could you not mention her stank faces?  I agree with all of your points, but I would have ranked her over Harry and Keith, since she was my favorite out of that final FOX group. What I liked the most about her was that she really seemed to enjoy being on the show, and that she seemed to genuinely care about the contestants.

 

Kara is probably my favorite American Idol judge, which is definitely an unpopular opinion. I felt really bad for Kara in Season 8 because no one seemed to like her (except me of course ) because she was the newbie of the group. I thought she was better than Randy and Paula that season, but whatever. She was better in Season 9 though, which is expected since she wasn’t new to the job. In terms of your dislike for her obsession with artistry, I absolutely loved her obsession with it!  Finally, a judge who would appreciate contestants for being ORIGINAL (aka rip Lil Rounds, hello Kris Allen )! I loved her comment to Lil Rounds after she sang I’m Every Woman. I think it went along the lines of “You’ve been every women but yourself.”  Also, I didn’t mind her obsession with Matt Giraud, since I didn’t mind him during Season 8.  Anyway, Kara was basically the perfect judge for my taste, so she was a win-win-win in my book!

 

I think you ranked her WAY too high, but it’s your opinion. I don’t know, but I feel that Paula is on the overrated side in terms of judges. This is probably because she was one of the OG judges. Her sweetness and motherly love was good, but in Season 8 it seemed that she tried to be more constructive, which just didn’t really fit her. Paula’s absence from Season 9 contributed to the reason why I think it was such a bad season. Like I mentioned before, Kara and Ellen just couldn’t compensate for her absence.

 

I thought you were going to put him first, but I was wrong. Keith Urban just didn’t stand out to me. He didn’t add anything interesting to the panel and I didn’t hate him enough to really remember him. I do remember that he always used to say “killer” though. 

 

Aah, King Simon as the number one judge. He definitely made the show interesting, I’ll say that! I thought he probably gave the best and most honest critiques to contestants. It felt like more of a reward to get praise from him, which is good for a judge. I remember Carly had a shirt saying “Simon Likes Me (Today).”  My only issue is when he started to get offensive. Mandisa is a sad example of this... 

 

That's the beauty of having all of those close ups on her! She did appear to genuinely love being on the show; after all, how could she pass up on the many self-promotion opportunities Idol provided.  All kidding aside, as mentioned before, I didn't mind her all that much despite a few things I wasn't fond of.

 

Kara being your most favorite judge is certainly an unpopular opinion, and it's one I absolutely live for seeing I have quite a few of those myself.  I agree she's better than given credit for. As for her artistry obsession, while it was nice she appreciated contestants for their originality, I thought she went overboard with it.  Oh yeah, I now remember that comment she gave Lil:

  

 

Fair enough about Paula. Yeah, her trying to be more constructive during S8 definitely felt out of place for her. I agree wholeheartedly her presence was missed in S9 since neither Kara nor Ellen could duplicate what Paula brought to the table (though Kara tried when she cried over Big Mike's This Woman's Work during the semifinals).

 

I seriously thought about putting Keith at #1 but decided not to.  Him not really standing out is a popular opinion about him; however, I didn't mind it for the most part because he was the judge who made it about him the least. Sometimes being low key is necessary.

 

I pretty much agree about everything written about Simon. I'm trying to remember when Carly wore that shirt because I believe I have vague memories of it. I didn't care when he got too offensive either; that Mandisa situation really upset me at the time. Outside of Mandisa, he would usually be the most offensive towards the bad or joke auditions, especially in the early seasons. I remember he called one a bush baby in I want to say S6.

 

I've decided on my next topic. According to WNTS, I Have Nothing has been done ten times on the show; therefore, I will rank and give my personal opinions on each version. I'm going to re-watch all of them first before starting my ranking; I'll try to finish that task today and get started on the list tonight. If not, it'll definitely be tomorrow evening.

 

[Bk1234]

32 minutes ago, Crisis said:

I've decided on my next topic. According to WNTS, I Have Nothing has been done ten times on the show; therefore, I will rank and give my personal opinions on each version. I'm going to re-watch all of them first before starting my ranking; I'll try to finish that task today and get started on the list tonight. If not, it'll definitely be tomorrow evening.

Ooh, that’s an interesting ranking topic, but I still love it!  Time to figure out all the finalists who sang the song. I have a feeling I know which version will be ranked first...  (Oh wait, I just remembered a version that should definitely be last! )

Edited August 23, 2020 by Bk1234

[Bk1234]

I just watched and ranked all the I Have Nothing performances so I am ready for those rankings, whenever they come.  

In terms of the judges, here are my personal rankings... 

 

1. Kara DioGuardi

2. Simon Cowell

3. Jennifer Lopez

4. Randy Jackson 

5. Katy Perry 

6. Paula Abdul

7. Mariah Carey

8. Keith Urban

9. Steven Tyler

10. Luke Bryan

11. Lionel Richie

12. Ellen DeGeneres 

13. Nicki Minaj 

14. Harry Connick Jr. 

 

Edited August 23, 2020 by Bk1234

[countrynineteen]

I'm late to the party, but I figured I would respond. I have read these and find myself wanting to say what's on my mind, so here we go!

 

014. Nicki Minaj- I thought she had some critiques that were spot on, and sometimes she made me laugh, but I agree that she was very unprofessional.

 

013. Ellen DeGeneres- I liked her fine at the time, but looking back and watching videos, she was totally out of her element. She never gave any good feedback besides "You have a great voice" or "I thought you were great." It was also bizarre when she told Andrew Garcia his "Gimme Shelter" was his best performance ever. She never seemed sincere to me.

 

012. Mariah Carey- She probably would have done better without Nicki on the panel, but her critiques were very long winded and boring. She was passive aggressive towards Nicki from day 1.

 

011. Luke Bryan- He's a great guy, but is more of a cheerleader than a judge. But I think he at least knows what he is talking about, which is more than I can say about other judges *Cough Ellen.*

 

010. Harry Connick, Jr.- I think he knows a lot about music, but was way too technical and critical with contestants. Not everything has to be sung one way. He had his funny moments, but other moments were just awkward.

 

009. Lionel Richie- I'm also pretty neutral on him. I like that he seems genuinely invested in the singers, but I wish he was a little more constructive.

 

008. Katy Perry- Sometimes she can be a little too obnoxious, but other times I find her hilarious. Sometimes she gives critiques that are spot on, but there are times I wish she was more critical.

 

007. Steven Tyler- He's my Mom's favorite LOL. Besides a few performances in Season 10, he was pretty useless as a judge. But in Season 11 he started to be more critical. Regardless, he was entertaining, and would had loved to see him as more of a long term judge.

 

006. Randy Jackson- I didn't dislike him like other fans seemed to, but I was fine with him stepping down as a judge. It was time. It was nice to have him as a consistent in Seasons 10-12 amidst all the judging changes.

 

005. Jennifer Lopez- I have a soft spot for her because she championed my favorite from day 1 (Scotty), and took Pia Toscano under her wing. I don't think she was as tough on Haley compared to Randy, and wasn't anymore tough on Jessica Meuse than Harry or Keith were. I never got the meme that she was harder on the females compared to the males, especially when we had Paula. I thought she did a good job with the "motherly role" that was missing in Season 9.

 

004. Kara DioGuardi- She was annoying and cringe worthy in Season 8. Like her vendetta against Bikini Girl and some of her critiques were horrid. "I have six words for you: One of the best performances of the night" (It was 8 words for those who don't know), and calling Studio 54 "Studio 57." She tried way too hard. In Season 9, she definitely stepped up her critiques and was spot on a lot of the time. But the problem is she wasn't a good television personality. She came off as cold. I was happy to see her leave after Season 9, even though she really stepped up.

 

003. Paula Abdul- I actually wasn't sorry to see her go after Season 8 because she always seemed to be the producers mouthpiece. She was super biased towards having the Danny/Adam finale. I also remember her preferring Bo over Carrie. Its okay to have your favorites, but I felt like she was biased. I remember when Simon told Bo he sang "Inside Your Heaven" better than Carrie she raised her fist in the air and said "YES!" and couldn't stop smiling. But even though at the time I wasn't sorry to see her leave after Season 8, Season 9 would had benefited with having her there. None of the judges had the "nurturing mother" role and that was sorely missed in the panel that year. We didn't have anybody who stood up to Simon when he was harsh (Sometimes Ryan did). I think the contestants were always afraid of making a mistake that season because the judges were overly harsh and I think that affected their performances negatively. Having Paula there would had helped IMO. She was the heart of the panel and even though Ellen was supposed to fill that role, she wasn't very motherly or encouraging like Paula.

 

002. Keith Urban- I think he did a good job as a judge. He knew how to be honest without being harsh. I agree that sometimes he seemed a little too laid back, but I thought he played the "fatherly" role very well. Good for him for sticking around after Season 12. Harry/JLo had to be paradise compared to Nicki/Mariah.

 

001. Simon Cowell- In his earlier seasons, he was entertaining, and he was the one you had to impress. If you earned his praise, then that was a big deal. However, in his later seasons on Idol, his novelty wore off. When he wanted to throw someone under the bus, he would pick on what they were wearing (coming from the guy who wears the same 3 t-shirts every week). I started hating how he would be harsh towards certain contestants. I remember he was hard on Carly Smithson practically every week. Then in Season 8, he would throw Allison Iraheta under the bus over the littlest things and said she had no personality. He tried to do everything he could to get his Danny/Adam finale. Then in Season 9 he always picked on Siobhan for her screaming and her outfits. I have to say that I was happy to see him gone after Season 9, although I did worry about how the show would go survive (It did and ratings actually went up for Season 10). Didn't miss him at all in Season 10 or the subsequent seasons after. Part of me though wonders what he would had said or thought of the contestants in Season 10 and beyond.

 

I will try to respond to the seasons ranking later.

[miss denise]

On 8/22/2020 at 2:23 PM, Crisis said:

I am doing the judges, so it shows I do value the suggestions of others!  Don't ever feel afraid to participate and suggest something; I'm not going to look down on anyone or anything, within reason of course. 

 

- As for the auditioning in "S1" comments , that reminds me of when I found out Riley Thompson wasn't even alive when Kelly won! That was a kick in the gut if there ever was one!  We'll most likely be seeing more of those in the future. 

 

007. I pretty much agree with everything here. As for Brian, I always wondered if he regrets stepping away from the show. It was good to see him during the S15 Grand Finale, though it was awkward to be honest.

005. I probably should've mentioned that theme (talk about something completely random), but I figured I talked about Gwen Stefani enough in the other thread I didn't need to bring her to this one,  at least for now. 

 

002. Yes, the KLC prophecy will always be part of Idol lore!  I liked the addition of instruments as well. I know how hard the ending was for you; if David Cook didn't audition on a whim, Archie could've very well won that season. Nonetheless, at least Archie still appears to be doing well for himself.  It does say something if this season is one of your favorites despite the disappointing income. I would say it was the same for me regarding S5, but I pretty much knew what the outcome would be.

001. The least surprising result of this list!  I agree with pretty much everything here again. As for your favorite, if talking about the contestants, I thought it was Elliott.  I think I remember you saying Kellie was a favorite as well, so maybe it isn't that obvious. 

 

For the judges...

 

012. I would've liked to see her without Nicki on the panel as well. With that said, while I was disappointed, she had her moments, such as throwing glitter on Candice after Lovesong. 

011. Fair enough about Luke and the others for that matter (when will they show up ). I forgot the upcoming season is S4; how silly of me!   

 

Aww I hope you're doing it because you want to as well and not to prove anything.   But thanks! I would feel bad if nobody made requests, so I thought I'd try.

 

Oh gosh, I agree. Things like that are not nice to hear.  

 

- Oh, I forgot Brian chose to leave the show?  I can't imagine him not feeling like he missed out on so much. I loved the reunion though.  

- I thought it was one of your signature things to keep mentioning it.  

 

- For sure.   Aww thanks for these sweet comforting comments.  I am a little amused at the "income" typo though... just because I'm now imagining literal disappointing income from the season.   But yeah, it was harder to take because I still felt so confident (my) David had a chance to win it.   

- Ooh I love that you say this about my favorite.  Elliott was my favorite by the season's end and likely would still be based purely on his season run. Including the post-show, it's so close between him, Kellie, and Chris for me.

 

- That was a fun moment.  

- I would likely rank Luke higher than them, just since I'm more of a fan of his in general. But yeah, don't care for any of them really as judges (or at least all together - maybe just one of them on a panel with two others would be different?). I know, how could you forget?  

 

010. Harry Connick, Jr.: I feel like I'm randomly his biggest fan, at least on IDF, because I really liked him as a judge. I know people outside of the forum that do as well though, but seems everyone here hates him. I didn't really feel the same way you did, so I guess we'll disagree here. I do recall him never wanting to applaud after any performances though, which I didn't get.  

009. Lionel Richie: Love the "kind uncle" description.   I don't have too much to add, as I pretty much made my feelings on the current panel known. He's nice and I do like him, but... "He’s the main culprit of telling the contestants they’re all stars, which I don’t particularly care for."  Noooo. And also "In addition, he often tells personal stories in place of critiquing the contestants"  This cracked me up.

008. Katy Perry: "I'm not a fan of her attention-seeking antics" This is kind of how I feel.   Maybe she does offer more critiques than the other two, but I don't really notice. I feel the same on all of them in that aspect. I don't mind her in general and am a fan of some of her music, but yeah, not a fan of this judging panel.  

007. Steven Tyler: This will be another one we disagree on. He's fun and all, but he was the first one I remember feeling like was kind of useless as a judge. I just remember how he kept calling everything "beautiful."  It was like he never had anything else to say. I don't remember him improving on S11, so oops.  

006. Randy Jackson: Aww I feel like I like Randy more than most too. Of course the nostalgia is there with him as one of the originals, but I liked the critiques he'd offer too (even if I didn't always agree). I loved his "dawg" lingo and his catchphrases.   He was a well-rounded judge for me and I always enjoyed him.

 

005. Jennifer Lopez: I love Jennifer as a judge. She's so likeable, but also provided tough critique when necessary. I don't know if you watch World of Dance, but she's judged on there for four years now, and I love her. I also really like the chemistry she's had with all the panels I've seen her as part of. "Sure, there were some annoying things about her, such as the camera constantly being on her "   It's not her fault though.

004. Kara DioGuardi: lol I was going to say this is a surprise to see based on your other comments, but you said it too.  "such as her drooling over certain male contestants (Matt Giraud and Casey James)"   Yikes. But I do agree with the majority of what you said and liked her as a judge too.

003. Paula Abdul: Aww another original.  I kind of expected her in your top 2, but have no complaints. I do appreciate her kindness towards the contestants, and agree she had a nice balance with her compliments and critiques. She also provided a nice balance between Randy and Simon. She did have moments of annoying me and sometimes I felt she'd take too long to say what she wanted to say, but overall, I like her. 

002. Keith Urban: Very pleasantly surprised to see Keith rank so high! I am a fan of him outside of the show and absolutely loved him as a judge too. I again agree on the perfect balance of being  complimentary and constructive. I also felt he was fun, although not in a crazy over the top way. He was an all-around perfect judge for me. 

001. Simon Cowell: Aww love that Simon tops the list! He really is the defining Idol judge whether you love him or hate him.  Even if I would majorly disagree with him sometimes, he was always iconic and not afraid to say his thoughts (although sometimes it may have been, as he'd say himself, "a bit rude"  ) I loved his chemistry with the Randy, Paula, and Ryan. A classic group.   I never really remember feeling like he checked out, although I know a lot of people say that. But I do agree with your closing thoughts on Simon.

 

While we don't have the exact same judge ranking, I do really like your top 6 and it's probably close to what mine would be.  

[miss denise]

7 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

I loved her comment to Lil Rounds after she sang I’m Every Woman. I think it went along the lines of “You’ve been every women but yourself.”  

 

 I forgot all about that. omg!   

[miss denise]

4 hours ago, Crisis said:

I've decided on my next topic. According to WNTS, I Have Nothing has been done ten times on the show; therefore, I will rank and give my personal opinions on each version. I'm going to re-watch all of them first before starting my ranking; I'll try to finish that task today and get started on the list tonight. If not, it'll definitely be tomorrow evening.

 

 

Oooh fun idea!  That reminds me that I did something like this once with dance performances (to the same song), but I don't think ever with songs sung.   This will be interesting to see and I wonder what other songs are up there with so many notable versions.  I think I know my top 2 of IHN, but am sure yours will be different.  

[Bk1234]

2 hours ago, countrynineteen said:

some of her critiques were horrid. "I have six words for you: One of the best performances of the night" (It was 8 words for those who don't know), and calling Studio 54 "Studio 57." She tried way too hard.

 

[Crisis]

2 hours ago, countrynineteen said:

I'm late to the party, but I figured I would respond. I have read these and find myself wanting to say what's on my mind, so here we go!

 

014. Nicki Minaj- I thought she had some critiques that were spot on, and sometimes she made me laugh, but I agree that she was very unprofessional.

 

013. Ellen DeGeneres- I liked her fine at the time, but looking back and watching videos, she was totally out of her element. She never gave any good feedback besides "You have a great voice" or "I thought you were great." It was also bizarre when she told Andrew Garcia his "Gimme Shelter" was his best performance ever. She never seemed sincere to me.

 

012. Mariah Carey- She probably would have done better without Nicki on the panel, but her critiques were very long winded and boring. She was passive aggressive towards Nicki from day 1.

 

011. Luke Bryan- He's a great guy, but is more of a cheerleader than a judge. But I think he at least knows what he is talking about, which is more than I can say about other judges *Cough Ellen.*

 

010. Harry Connick, Jr.- I think he knows a lot about music, but was way too technical and critical with contestants. Not everything has to be sung one way. He had his funny moments, but other moments were just awkward.

 

009. Lionel Richie- I'm also pretty neutral on him. I like that he seems genuinely invested in the singers, but I wish he was a little more constructive.

 

008. Katy Perry- Sometimes she can be a little too obnoxious, but other times I find her hilarious. Sometimes she gives critiques that are spot on, but there are times I wish she was more critical.

 

007. Steven Tyler- He's my Mom's favorite LOL. Besides a few performances in Season 10, he was pretty useless as a judge. But in Season 11 he started to be more critical. Regardless, he was entertaining, and would had loved to see him as more of a long term judge.

 

006. Randy Jackson- I didn't dislike him like other fans seemed to, but I was fine with him stepping down as a judge. It was time. It was nice to have him as a consistent in Seasons 10-12 amidst all the judging changes.

 

005. Jennifer Lopez- I have a soft spot for her because she championed my favorite from day 1 (Scotty), and took Pia Toscano under her wing. I don't think she was as tough on Haley compared to Randy, and wasn't anymore tough on Jessica Meuse than Harry or Keith were. I never got the meme that she was harder on the females compared to the males, especially when we had Paula. I thought she did a good job with the "motherly role" that was missing in Season 9.

 

004. Kara DioGuardi- She was annoying and cringe worthy in Season 8. Like her vendetta against Bikini Girl and some of her critiques were horrid. "I have six words for you: One of the best performances of the night" (It was 8 words for those who don't know), and calling Studio 54 "Studio 57." She tried way too hard. In Season 9, she definitely stepped up her critiques and was spot on a lot of the time. But the problem is she wasn't a good television personality. She came off as cold. I was happy to see her leave after Season 9, even though she really stepped up.

 

003. Paula Abdul- I actually wasn't sorry to see her go after Season 8 because she always seemed to be the producers mouthpiece. She was super biased towards having the Danny/Adam finale. I also remember her preferring Bo over Carrie. Its okay to have your favorites, but I felt like she was biased. I remember when Simon told Bo he sang "Inside Your Heaven" better than Carrie she raised her fist in the air and said "YES!" and couldn't stop smiling. But even though at the time I wasn't sorry to see her leave after Season 8, Season 9 would had benefited with having her there. None of the judges had the "nurturing mother" role and that was sorely missed in the panel that year. We didn't have anybody who stood up to Simon when he was harsh (Sometimes Ryan did). I think the contestants were always afraid of making a mistake that season because the judges were overly harsh and I think that affected their performances negatively. Having Paula there would had helped IMO. She was the heart of the panel and even though Ellen was supposed to fill that role, she wasn't very motherly or encouraging like Paula.

 

002. Keith Urban- I think he did a good job as a judge. He knew how to be honest without being harsh. I agree that sometimes he seemed a little too laid back, but I thought he played the "fatherly" role very well. Good for him for sticking around after Season 12. Harry/JLo had to be paradise compared to Nicki/Mariah.

 

001. Simon Cowell- In his earlier seasons, he was entertaining, and he was the one you had to impress. If you earned his praise, then that was a big deal. However, in his later seasons on Idol, his novelty wore off. When he wanted to throw someone under the bus, he would pick on what they were wearing (coming from the guy who wears the same 3 t-shirts every week). I started hating how he would be harsh towards certain contestants. I remember he was hard on Carly Smithson practically every week. Then in Season 8, he would throw Allison Iraheta under the bus over the littlest things and said she had no personality. He tried to do everything he could to get his Danny/Adam finale. Then in Season 9 he always picked on Siobhan for her screaming and her outfits. I have to say that I was happy to see him gone after Season 9, although I did worry about how the show would go survive (It did and ratings actually went up for Season 10). Didn't miss him at all in Season 10 or the subsequent seasons after. Part of me though wonders what he would had said or thought of the contestants in Season 10 and beyond.

 

I will try to respond to the seasons ranking later.

 

014. I was so annoyed with her I couldn't find anything to enjoy about her, even if she had some spot on critiques.

 

013. Pretty much agree regarding Ellen. I guess they wanted to have someone represent the fans, but it didn't work.

 

012. Pretty much agree here.

 

011. I do get the feeling he knows what he's talking about; however, he does appear to be more of a cheerleader.

 

010. No arguments here. As mentioned, he gave off this smug, pretentious vibe as well.

 

009. Pretty much agree here.

 

008. Agreed.

 

007. I wouldn't have minded if he were a long-term judge, but only if he was similar to his S11 self. He brought the entertainment, that's for sure.

 

006. Pretty much agree. It was nice to have him as a constant amidst all of the judging changes after S8. At least Keith was there as a holdover when he (Randy) left the show after being an in-house mentor during S13.

 

005. I also appreciate her taking Pia under her wing and providing her with some opportunities (also, Pia met her husband thanks to J-Lo; hopefully she doesn't follow in J-Lo's footsteps in that department). I just got the feeling she was tougher on the females. Regarding Haley, I cracked up during S15 when she told Haley she was rooting for her to win S10 despite her and Randy criticizing her on a near weekly basis. With that said, she's in my Top 5, so I did like her.

 

004. Technically, one of the best performances of the night has six words; it's just two are repeated twice. All kidding aside, she did appear to try too hard during S8 and definitely improved in S9 as she settled into the role more. I do see the point about her not coming off well on TV though.

 

003. If she was the producers' mouthpiece, then I don't think she did her job that well. I do agree her leaving left a void of the motherly and nurturing role on the judging panel, plus as mentioned there was no one there to stand up to Simon when he was harsh to the contestants.

 

002. I pretty much agree regarding Keith. He may not have been the most exciting judge, but I appreciated the steadiness and fatherly role he played while he was there.

 

001. I see the points made. I didn't care for him picking on certain contestants among other things; however, he is a huge part of Idol and I enjoyed him as a judge for the most part.

[blackfield]

005. Jennifer Lopez - didn't like that the camera had to be on her face all the time. even during the performances they had to film HER! 

004. Kara DioGuardi - she used to get on my nerves easily. her joining the panel was what ruined the perfect chemistry that was before. i know she was supposed to replace paula but at the last moment she stayed. 

003. Paula Abdul - she should be 2nd. 

002. Keith Urban - not as good as you said. 

001. Simon Cowell - basically the best judge. the one who wasn't afraid to say what people thought and he was funny for most parts. loved his analogies!! yet his comment on michael johns was out of the line and uncalled for. he made idol worth watching and everything after doesn't pale in comparison.

[Crisis]

2 hours ago, miss denise said:

 

Aww I hope you're doing it because you want to as well and not to prove anything.   But thanks! I would feel bad if nobody made requests, so I thought I'd try.

 

Oh gosh, I agree. Things like that are not nice to hear.  

 

- Oh, I forgot Brian chose to leave the show?  I can't imagine him not feeling like he missed out on so much. I loved the reunion though.  

- I thought it was one of your signature things to keep mentioning it.  

 

- For sure.   Aww thanks for these sweet comforting comments.  I am a little amused at the "income" typo though... just because I'm now imagining literal disappointing income from the season.   But yeah, it was harder to take because I still felt so confident (my) David had a chance to win it.   

- Ooh I love that you say this about my favorite.  Elliott was my favorite by the season's end and likely would still be based purely on his season run. Including the post-show, it's so close between him, Kellie, and Chris for me.

 

- I know, how could you forget?  

 

010. Harry Connick, Jr.: I feel like I'm randomly his biggest fan, at least on IDF, because I really liked him as a judge. I know people outside of the forum that do as well though, but seems everyone here hates him. I didn't really feel the same way you did, so I guess we'll disagree here. I do recall him never wanting to applaud after any performances though, which I didn't get.  

009. Lionel Richie: Love the "kind uncle" description.   I don't have too much to add, as I pretty much made my feelings on the current panel known. He's nice and I do like him, but... "He’s the main culprit of telling the contestants they’re all stars, which I don’t particularly care for."  Noooo. And also "In addition, he often tells personal stories in place of critiquing the contestants"  This cracked me up.

008. Katy Perry: "I'm not a fan of her attention-seeking antics" This is kind of how I feel.   Maybe she does offer more critiques than the other two, but I don't really notice. I feel the same on all of them in that aspect. I don't mind her in general and am a fan of some of her music, but yeah, not a fan of this judging panel.  

007. Steven Tyler: This will be another one we disagree on. He's fun and all, but he was the first one I remember feeling like was kind of useless as a judge. I just remember how he kept calling everything "beautiful."  It was like he never had anything else to say. I don't remember him improving on S11, so oops.  

006. Randy Jackson: Aww I feel like I like Randy more than most too. Of course the nostalgia is there with him as one of the originals, but I liked the critiques he'd offer too (even if I didn't always agree). I loved his "dawg" lingo and his catchphrases.   He was a well-rounded judge for me and I always enjoyed him.

 

005. Jennifer Lopez: I love Jennifer as a judge. She's so likeable, but also provided tough critique when necessary. I don't know if you watch World of Dance, but she's judged on there for four years now, and I love her. I also really like the chemistry she's had with all the panels I've seen her as part of. "Sure, there were some annoying things about her, such as the camera constantly being on her "   It's not her fault though.

004. Kara DioGuardi: lol I was going to say this is a surprise to see based on your other comments, but you said it too.  "such as her drooling over certain male contestants (Matt Giraud and Casey James)"   Yikes. But I do agree with the majority of what you said and liked her as a judge too.

003. Paula Abdul: Aww another original.  I kind of expected her in your top 2, but have no complaints. I do appreciate her kindness towards the contestants, and agree she had a nice balance with her compliments and critiques. She also provided a nice balance between Randy and Simon. She did have moments of annoying me and sometimes I felt she'd take too long to say what she wanted to say, but overall, I like her. 

002. Keith Urban: Very pleasantly surprised to see Keith rank so high! I am a fan of him outside of the show and absolutely loved him as a judge too. I again agree on the perfect balance of being  complimentary and constructive. I also felt he was fun, although not in a crazy over the top way. He was an all-around perfect judge for me. 

001. Simon Cowell: Aww love that Simon tops the list! He really is the defining Idol judge whether you love him or hate him.  Even if I would majorly disagree with him sometimes, he was always iconic and not afraid to say his thoughts (although sometimes it may have been, as he'd say himself, "a bit rude"  ) I loved his chemistry with the Randy, Paula, and Ryan. A classic group.   I never really remember feeling like he checked out, although I know a lot of people say that. But I do agree with your closing thoughts on Simon.

 

While we don't have the exact same judge ranking, I do really like your top 6 and it's probably close to what mine would be.  

 

Ranking the judges is one of the topics I had in mind for this thread, so it worked out well. Besides, I was the one who put myself out there when I suggested requests, so there's no need to feel bad. Thank you anyway. 

 

Yeah, we don't want to be reminded of how old we're getting. 

 

- Yeah, I think he said something along the lines of not feeling comfortable doing some of the things the producers asked him. It seemed to work out as Ryan appeared to be more comfortable in the role than Brian.

- I have to wait for the right opportunity; I can't just randomly drop it out of nowhere. 

 

- I didn't realize I typed income instead of outcome. I'm going to leave it there just because. Besides, no one likes having a disappointing income.  Yeah, seeing favorites fall short after thinking they have good chances to win isn't fun. 

- OK, that makes a lot of sense. 

 

- I'm ashamed of myself; I need to turn in my Idol fandom card! 

 

010. I understand about having a lone opinion about something; after all, I have my fair share of unpopular opinions, as you know firsthand.  As for him not applauding after performances, I believe he said something along the lines of not wanting to show favoritism because he felt his role as a judge was to be impartial. I get it, but even Simon applauded after performances; I guess that's not who Harry was.

009. Fair enough.

008. Same as Lionel. I guess I don't have that much to add regarding the previous two judges. 

007. We can agree to disagree here. Him calling everything beautiful was annoying during S10, but I felt he definitely improved during S11 by giving more critiques although he still had his moments.

006. Fair enough about Randy. I wasn't as big a fan of his catchphrases in his later seasons, especially "in it to win it" in S10 and "he/she's gotta have it" in S11. Having said that, I still liked him here and there.

 

005. I haven't watched World Of Dance, but it wouldn't surprise me if she were a solid judge there, seeing that she got her start as a dancer. As for her time on Idol, as mentioned I liked her despite some annoyances here and there.

004. I pretty much agree with everything here. I knew her ranking would be somewhat of a surprise. 

003. Once again, I pretty much agree. In addition to everything said, she certainly brought the entertainment. 

002. Yeah, it appears as if we're the only ones who would have him pretty high in the rankings. If not for Simon, he would easily be #1 though I seriously thought about putting him there despite this. 

001. Pretty much agree with everything here regarding Simon.

 

Nice to see this, and we most likely would have similar rankings even if we don't agree on everything. 

[Crisis]

8 minutes ago, blackfield said:

005. Jennifer Lopez - didn't like that the camera had to be on her face all the time. even during the performances they had to film HER! 

004. Kara DioGuardi - she used to get on my nerves easily. her joining the panel was what ruined the perfect chemistry that was before. i know she was supposed to replace paula but at the last moment she stayed. 

003. Paula Abdul - she should be 2nd. 

002. Keith Urban - not as good as you said. 

001. Simon Cowell - basically the best judge. the one who wasn't afraid to say what people thought and he was funny for most parts. loved his analogies!! yet his comment on michael johns was out of the line and uncalled for. he made idol worth watching and everything after doesn't pale in comparison.

 

005. Yeah, that annoyed me as well; however, I don't know if she had any say in that though.

004. Fair enough. I used to think the same way at first, but she grew on me to where I consider her to be one of my favorite judges.

003. Fair enough.

002. I obviously disagree 

001. I don't know about the last sentence, but I pretty much agree with everything else.

 

As for the new ranking, I'll start it in my next post. In the meanwhile, I'll still try to read and reply to the subjects ranked thus far.

[Crisis]

As mentioned, my next topic to rank is all of the I Have Nothing performances done on AI, in which according to WNTS there are ten of them. Let's get right into it!

 

10. Shannon Magrane

During my re-watch binge, I realized there were some performances I liked more than I initially thought and some I didn't like all that much. However, one that hasn't changed is my least favorite version, which unfortunately belongs to Shannon Magrane. I felt Shannon picked this song because she was trying to compete with Jessica and Hollie; however, it proved to be a mistake as the song was too big for her to handle. There was no connection to the song, she completely whiffed on the key change, a number of notes were off (despite what she thought), and as the judges pointed out, she overthought the performance. I know it was Whitney Houston Night, but I felt she would've been better off picking a different song instead of this well-known one.

 

9. Leah LaBelle

In the next to last spot, we have Leah LaBelle. While I felt it was vocally better than Shannon's, it still wasn't very good to me at the end of the day. As with Shannon, there was a serious lack of emotional connection to the song, she had her fair share of bad notes, and the song was too big for her. Going back to the lack of emotional connection, it felt as if she was just going through the motions and didn't display the urgency the song required. Also, while Leah had a nice tone to her voice, I don't think it worked for this song in general as it sounded off, for a lack of a better term. I think when it all comes down to it, she was too young and immature to take on a song of this nature, and it's pretty easy to see why she didn't initially advance to the finals after it.

 

8. Jessica Sanchez

So this was Simon Fuller's pick for Jessica during the S11 Finale; some originality there.  I will start with the positive: it was sung well from a technical standpoint as she didn't appear to struggle, nor did she hit too many bad notes; it was certainly better than Shannon's rendition earlier in the season. However, it's still ranked pretty low because I can't help but think about Quentin Tarantino's comments to Diana back in S3 after her My Heart Will Go On performance when he said she technically hit all the notes, but he didn't care. That's exactly how I felt about this performance, and it was pretty much a microcosm of how I felt about Jessica in general during the season. It was as if she just sang the song and didn't try to convey any emotion. It's no coincidence my three least favorite versions of the song were done by women who were teenagers at the time.

 

7. Sonika Vaid

I'll start off by saying Sonika has a really beautiful voice and I liked how she sounded here. One noticeable thing about her version is that she sang the entire first verse unlike other versions in which only the first half of the verse was sung. The downside is once again there was a lack of emotion or conviction; if anything, she looked and sounded tentative throughout the performance. I was waiting for the song to build up so she could take it to the next level; however, it never went there, and the performance felt stagnant from beginning to end, which was an issue for Sonika during the season outside of Bring Me To Life. With that said, it was still the best of the B3 performances, and it was understandable why she was saved, though I was an Avalon fan (I liked Sonika as well, just not as much as Avalon) and wanted her to advance (speaking of whom, it was funny to see her and Lee dance to the performance despite it being a ballad ).

 

010. Shannon Magrane

009. Leah LaBelle

008. Jessica Sanchez

007. Sonika Vaid

 

Alright, the first four are up. I'll try to post some more tomorrow evening if I'm not too busy as my classes start.

[Bk1234]

8 hours ago, Crisis said:

10. Shannon Magrane

I figured that this would be the one that we would agree on. This performance is clearly the worst rendition of it on the show. Simply put, the song was just too big for Shannon, so she suffered as a result.  Not to mention, I absolutely hated the outfit she wore... They should have put her in a dress like the one she wore for Go Light Your World. 

 

8 hours ago, Crisis said:

9. Leah LaBelle

Ooh, I think this is a pretty underrated one. While it was only the second version done on the show, looking at it compared to all the other versions done will show that it is quite a unique and fresh version. I liked it a little more than you did so I would have put this a little higher.

 

8 hours ago, Crisis said:

8. Jessica Sanchez

Aah, if only she were ranked at #8 on the finalist rankings.  Ok, now this is a crime right here!  This is my second favorite version of the song! I think that compared to all the others ranked in this set she had the best emotional delivery. I would apply Quentin Tarantino’s critique to other contestants, but I’ll save my comments for when they’re ranked. Anyway, Jessica’s version was so good! The vocals were perfect, and the vocal techniques even helped with the emotional delivery. Not sure what you were feeling, but fair enough.
 

8 hours ago, Crisis said:

7. Sonika Vaid

The fact that Sonika’s version is ranked higher than Jessica’s is further insult to her (Jessica’s) version. I thought that Sonika gave one of the worst versions of the song ever. It was just all very shaky throughout the whole thing. The key also seemed too low at times...  

 

I’ll be revealing my ranking throughout the entire thing... 

 

1. 

2. Jessica Sanchez 

3. 

4. 
5. 

6. Leah LaBelle 

7. 
8. 

9. Sonika Vaid

10. Shannon Magrane 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Bk1234

[Bk1234]

7 hours ago, blackfield said:

she used to get on my nerves easily. her joining the panel was what ruined the perfect chemistry that was before.

 

[Crisis]

3 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

I figured that this would be the one that we would agree on. This performance is clearly the worst rendition of it on the show. Simply put, the song was just too big for Shannon, so she suffered as a result.  Not to mention, I absolutely hated the outfit she wore... They should have put her in a dress like the one she wore for Go Light Your World. 

 

Ooh, I think this is a pretty underrated one. While it was only the second version done on the show, looking at it compared to all the other versions done will show that it is quite a unique and fresh version. I liked it a little more than you did so I would have put this a little higher.

 

Aah, if only she were ranked at #8 on the finalist rankings.  Ok, now this is a crime right here!  This is my second favorite version of the song! I think that compared to all the others ranked in this set she had the best emotional delivery. I would apply Quentin Tarantino’s critique to other contestants, but I’ll save my comments for when they’re ranked. Anyway, Jessica’s version was so good! The vocals were perfect, and the vocal techniques even helped with the emotional delivery. Not sure what you were feeling, but fair enough.
 

The fact that Sonika’s version is ranked higher than Jessica’s is further insult to her (Jessica’s) version. I thought that Sonika gave one of the worst versions of the song ever. It was just all very shaky throughout the whole thing. The key also seemed too low at times...  

 

I’ll be revealing my ranking throughout the entire thing... 

 

1. 

2. Jessica Sanchez 

3. 

4. 
5. 

6. Leah LaBelle 

7. 
8. 

9. Sonika Vaid

10. Shannon Magrane 

 

It appears her version may be the only version we would agree on; we'll see how the rest of them are. I pretty much agree about the outfit, especially since everyone else, with the exception of Leah, glammed up and wore dresses when singing this song.

 

Fair enough about Leah's version. It was certainly one of the more unique versions; however, it didn't mean it was necessarily good.

 

It looks like another unpopular opinion strikes again!  I just didn't feel anything from her version. It was like, OK that's good, what else is there. As for her ever being #8 in my finalist rankings:

 

Well, it's in my bottom four, so I obviously am not a fan of her version. However, while Jessica's version was technically better, at least I felt something from Sonika's version, even if it was nerves or shakiness. 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Crisis

[blackfield]

3 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

 

 

why!? you can simply write you disagree and i will understand but going so low is uncalled. boo to you back! 

[blackfield]

010. Shannon Magrane

009. Leah LaBelle

008. Jessica Sanchez

007. Sonika Vaid

 

since you insist ranking.. as for that song there were few good performances like vonzell solomon, kat mcphee (my guess is your #1 fav version.. ), jennifer hudson and gabby barrett.. 

can't remember or cared much for other versions.. seems like every season there is one who try that old song.. now you just made me want to watch that movie again.. 

[Bk1234]

1 hour ago, blackfield said:

 

why!? you can simply write you disagree and i will understand but going so low is uncalled. boo to you back! 

Sorry, I meant it as a joke! (Well that sure worked out. ) I definitely deserve the boo. (Though I still don’t agree with your points about Kara. ) 

[Crisis]

5 hours ago, blackfield said:

010. Shannon Magrane

009. Leah LaBelle

008. Jessica Sanchez

007. Sonika Vaid

 

since you insist ranking.. as for that song there were few good performances like vonzell solomon, kat mcphee (my guess is your #1 fav version.. ), jennifer hudson and gabby barrett.. 

can't remember or cared much for other versions.. seems like every season there is one who try that old song.. now you just made me want to watch that movie again.. 

 

I will neither confirm nor deny my favorite version until I rank it. Who knows, there may be a surprise or two for the remaining ones...

[Bk1234]

10 minutes ago, Crisis said:

Who knows, there may be a surprise or two for the remaining ones...

Knowing you, surprises are a given! 

[Crisis]

Who's ready for more?! If not, too bad...

 

6. Katharine McPhee

This placement may come as a surprise to some; however, I'm trying to be objective as much as possible. At the time, I was worried when I learned Kat was going to do this song because she wasn't that type of singer. With that said, I don't think she did too poorly all things considered. For starters, I thought David Foster did a nice job arranging the song that would suit Kat the best. She sounded really nice on the verse as well as the first chorus; she even did well on the key change. Unfortunately, it fell apart for her somewhat after that. Also, I felt she tried too hard with her mannerisms and didn't really sell the song all that well, though I thought she was better at it than those below her. With all of this said, it wasn't all that bad; it's just there were better versions done on the show. Finally, in one of the videos with Foster, Kat herself said she thought she a poor job; it was nice to see that, though as I said I didn't think she was that bad. 

 

5. Gabby Barrett

If my previous ranking was a surprise, this one is probably heart attack inducing for those who've followed both of my threads.  As I said during Kat's write-up, however, I'm trying to be as objective as possible. Gabby's version wasn't the best by any means; there were some things I didn't care for. For one, the way the song was arranged was weird and choppy; it lacked a consistent flow through it. Also, I felt she used too much vibrato during the chorus, especially when she ended her phrases. With that said, the reason it's in the Top 5 is because she absolutely sold the song; she made me believe she wouldn't have anything if a certain someone wasn't in her life, which more than made up for the performance's shortcomings. All in all, this was definitely one of Gabby's better performances of the season. Hopefully, this will be the one and only time I place Gabby above Kat in anything. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go douse my hands in holy water.

 

4. LaKisha Jones

From here on, I think the Top 4 versions were doing by singers who had the chops to do the song justice vocally (I guess one could throw Jessica in there as well). Of the four, LaKisha's was my least favorite. That doesn't mean it was bad, however; in fact, I thought she did a great job with it. She made it look easy vocally, and I thought she sold the emotion of the song well enough. While I think it was better than the version's I ranked below this, it still lacked something. I think it had to do with it being a predictable song choice for LaKisha. There was no doubt she could handle the song; if anyone could do this song justice vocally, it was definitely LaKisha. With that said, however, I think she needed to add something more to it in order to overcome the predictability factor, though I can't really put my finger on what it is. Having said that, this was a strong version of the song and one of LaKisha's best performances during her time on AI.

 

006. Katharine McPhee

005. Gabby Barrett

004. LaKisha Jones

 

I'll try to have the last three up tomorrow evening. In the meanwhile, have at it.