Ex-Idol Contestant Says Show Is Rigged

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seaguy	Ex-Idol Contestant Says Show Is Rigged	Lead	[-]
Posts: 17058 (07/29/09 7:59 PM) AI Forum Moderator Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Bitter or telling it like it is? I say probably a lot of both. --------------------------------------- Ex-Idol Contestant Says Show Is Rigged Some ousted season 8 American Idol top 36 semi-finalists--including Felicia Barton, Kendall Beard, and Ju'Not Joyner--participated in an online chat with the Idol website AI Now today. And during his frank online conversation with fans, Ju'Not came right out and said that the TV talent show is in fact rigged, and that its contracts are unfair to contestants. "It's a fixed thing if I ever saw one," he boldly declared--much to the shock of many naive chatters, who responded with capslocked interjections and frowny-faced emoticons. It was hardly the first time that AmIdol had been accused of wrongdoing. A book loosely based on anonymous former Idol employees' experiences with the show, Stage 46, made similar allegations last year. But few detractors have ever been as brutally honest as Ju'Not was today. Ju'Not--who by his own account was labeled a "troublemaker" by Idol producers for questioning the contract (which he dubbed a "slavetract") that all auditioners are required by Fox/19 to sign, and was allegedly told by Idol bigwig Ken Warwick, "You're not going to ruin my show"--explained that he wanted to set the record straight today. He stated that he wanted to reveal "truth of Idol" because "Idol ain't all it is cracked up to be...It's certainly not the fairytale most think it is." Ju'Not claimed he was cut from the competition, and not invited back for the Wild Card round (a shock to many viewers wowed by his memorable "Hey There Delilah" performance) because of his concerns regarding the fairness of the Idol contract. "They pay for our lawyers to negotiate against their lawyer (which is BS)," he said. "They make us COLLECTIVELY choose the lawyer, then they act like it's in our best interest. Craziest stuff I've ever seen. I have a son to feed. I HAD to ask questions and know what I was signing. Plus I write my own songs and I needed to know details...Some folks were like, 'Just shut up and sign on the dotted line.' I know better than that...I wasn't complaining...I was asking basic legal questions. There's a huge difference between the two." He continued: "I definitely believed that affected my time on the show. They didn't like the fact that I wouldn't sign 'just anything' and that other contestants were coming asking me for anal. So I think they ousted me the first chance they could get...Even if I didn't get in on votes...how did I not get picked for the Wild Card show when I received comments from the 'judges' that were better than most of the contestants who were picked for the Wild Card show?" Ju'Not also theorized that he was not selected for the top 13 because he refused to let the show's producers exploit his sympathetic "back story" of being from "the hood." Said Ju'Not: "They wanted me to put that out to the world and expose my personal business for ratings. I wouldn't do it." While Ju'Not made it clear he believes Kris Allen is indeed talented and deserved to win this season, he also maintained that Kris's victory was fixed. "The producers know who they want and they slant it to reflect that. They fix it in a way that makes you surprised but it's still manipulated," he typed. "Think about it...ADAM, ADAM, ADAM, then...Kris....SURPRISE SMITHCHES!!!! "What I mean is that people think AI is a talent show," he elaborated. "No. It's a reality show with writers!! We're all actors. All these shows have writers that guide the public opinion. The Hills, Real World. All of them." He even bluntly questioned the validity of the public's votes, saying, "Do you think a billion-dollar enterprise is subject to the whim of the public?" Naturally, while some chat participants applauded Ju'Not's frankness, others questioned his motives, since few other Idol contestants have come forth with such accusations. Ju'Not explained: "No one else is complaining because a lot of the contestants don't understand how this business works. They've never had record deals or seen a record contract...I have. So I knew what questions to ask. It's kinda like ignorance is bliss. Some contestants may have thought it was just cool to be on TV, but this is my career. I take this thing VERY seriously...Very few people spoke up. They saw me as the ringleader. I'm not naming names. Because I have nothing against the other Idols." So, was Ju'Not speaking the truth? If so, then he is to be commended for his bravery. But it's possible he was just trying to drum up publicity for the "hot" new album he's self-releasing this winter, in which case he's a typical showbiz opportunist. Or maybe he's just a bitter reject, desperately angling for a 16th minute of fame and dreaming of what might have been. All of this is up for debate. But there is no debate that Ju'Not is, as he worded it today, "a straight-up person." He definitely went there. Linky Poo
Nods		#1	[-]
Posts: 5240 (07/29/09 8:02 PM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Ju'not really hit on a number of points I think we all agreed on this season.
MakePaulaCry		#2	[-]
Posts: 3443 (07/29/09 8:06 PM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	The show is rigged? :O Color me fucking shocked!
MikiBoi		#3	[-]
Posts: 6811 (07/29/09 8:15 PM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Well, duh, of course they are assholes and a lot of it is a joke. Ricky Braddy not making it in was a joke in itself. They have their cast lined up from the start and that's why they did this new voting system for extra control. But he does sound like a whiner too, waaa waa, if he knew the business well like he said, he should have manned up and got on his knees and sucked Warwick's cock like everyone else did. No questioning the Idol Gods.
KellysMomCalledMeFine		#4	[-]
Posts: 2175 (07/29/09 8:15 PM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	He sucked - that's why he wasn't invited back. Dude has major bitter cakes.
seaguy		#5	[-]
Posts: 17060 (07/29/09 8:15 PM) AI Forum Moderator Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	This is indeed shocking news! :O
KudrowFan		#6	[-]
Posts: 2285 (07/29/09 8:30 PM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Meh I used to sorta be bothered that the show was rigged but now I understand and am fine with it. shrug Although I didn't watch much of this season... but it wasn't cuz of rigging or anything.
Miss Alley Shack		#7	[-]
Posts: 4423 (07/29/09 8:36 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Poor Ju'Not. He doesn't understand. Fans can scream rig all they want, but the moment an Idol contestant does the same, the same fans will turn on him and accuse him without any hint of irony of being a bitter betty who didn't get his way. He can sit next to Trenyce. Meanwhile, the Idol juggernaut slowly creaks on...
abrahammy		#8	[-]
Posts: 3114 (07/29/09 8:57 PM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Ju'not got shafted by a horrendously corrupt organization. Ju'not is bitter. These two things are certainly not mutually exclusive. Both can be true. And he has not said a damned thing we have not known for years. There's only one thing he said that I disagree with - I think Kris was not the person they wanted to have win. Adam was. Ad nauseum. One of my huge consolations for Adam's loss was that Kris successfully stuck it to the AI brass. About damned time.
seltzer3		#9	[-]
Posts: 1226 (07/29/09 10:00 PM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	I was always curious why Ju'not didn't get a wildcard. Makes sense now. Although I bet they still wouldn't give him a wildcard slot, even if he didn't complain, because he wasn't on their agenda. This season was the season where we had the most contestants shafted in the wildcard round (Mishavonna, Felicia, Ju'not, Kristen etc.). And even though Ricky and Jesse outsang Megan, and Jasmine...yeah we know how that went.
Dictatorship		#10	[-]
Posts: 10754 (07/29/09 10:16 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Ju'Not also theorized that he was not selected for the top 13 because he refused to let the show's producers exploit his sympathetic "back story" of being from "the hood." Said Ju'Not: "They wanted me to put that out to the world and expose my personal business for ratings. I wouldn't do it." O M G no way!
Miss Alley Shack		#11	[-]
Posts: 4427 (07/29/09 11:06 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Ju'not got shafted by a horrendously corrupt organization. I won't call Freemantle or whatever that is running AI now "horrendously corrupt" though. I also don't think they cheat on votes. Instead, they play on public perceptions on certain contestants. Simon is very good at this. He's very, very, very wrong at times, but the casual public still view him as the only "honest" one out there when he is the biggest culprit on the show when it comes to influencing biases and favors with regards to a contestant. Back in S2 and S3, we also have this cadre of anonymous hairdressers on the show spreading damning gossips about certain problematic contestants to the media. Things like positioning of a contestant during the live show also help along with hyped-up usually false audience reactions and what not. You don't need to cheat on the results when you can manipulate the voters to get the results you want. I agree though - Kris wasn't meant to be the winner. We can all thank the lovely Gokeytards, KKKs, God Hates Fags minions, and the rest for that lovely shafting of AI.
KellysMomCalledMeFine		#12	[-]
Posts: 2183 (07/29/09 11:09 PM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	It rarely happens, but I actually agree with Alley. Good show, dear!
Miss Alley Shack		#13	[-]
Posts: 4429 (07/29/09 11:16 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Please. You always agree with me, especially when you want to borrow my porn stash.
KellysMomCalledMeFine		#14	[-]
Posts: 2188 (07/29/09 11:18 PM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Miss Alley Shack wrote: Please. You always agree with me, especially when you want to borrow my porn stash. Only the Archie ones! ... I thought this was just between you and me.
Miss Alley Shack		#15	[-]
Posts: 4432 (07/29/09 11:32 PM) Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Since you stood by the entrance and handed out disposable vibrators shaped like Kris Allen to AI concert-goers in LA, I think it's safe to say that your porny obsession with AI males is public knowledge.
eternaljoy		#16	[-]
Posts: 3483 (07/30/09 7:53 AM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	I don't care if the show is rigged - as long as it's rigged for my favorites.
seltzer3		#17	[-]
Posts: 1227 (07/30/09 9:12 AM) Registered User Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Ju'Not also theorized that he was not selected for the top 13 because he refused to let the show's producers exploit his sympathetic "back story" of being from "the hood." Said Ju'Not: "They wanted me to put that out to the world and expose my personal business for ratings. I wouldn't do it." It does make him one step above Danny Gokey. I'm actually wondering if he is subtling bashing Danny?
YemaGrl1988		#18	[-]
Posts: 7276 (07/30/09 10:03 AM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Poor Jeanine.
suckshardcore		#19	[-]
Posts: 20737 (07/30/09 11:09 AM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	Wow you mean this show is manipulated and the contracts ask you to sign over your life? Shocking. Wow I'm just appalled, I never would have thought this of American Idol, such a legit, fair institution. For reals though this guy is a bitter whiner. No one who is smart enough to comprehend that AI is business enterprise and that reality shows are fake needs him to tell them AI is rigged. Also I agree with MAS. Rigged is the wrong word imo and horrendously corrupt is a bit of an overstatement. This show is extremely manipulated but I wouldn't say it is outright rigged, I think more people who have come out and there would be more evidence to support actual rigging if that were true. As for horrendously corrupt I don't see how, this is a television show, no one is holding the contestants at gun point to sign their sketchy contract. Everyone who signs up for this show does just that, they sign up for it. They go into it knowing the terms and they can decide whether or not they want to sign Idol's contract. If they don't agree with it they don't have to sign. That's the bottom line. Last Edited By: suckshardcore 07/30/09 11:14 AM. Edited 1 times.
Wildcat612		#20	[-]
Posts: 564 (07/30/09 2:04 PM) Registered user Reply Quote More Recent Posts Message Connection Block Invite	KellysMomCalledMeFine wrote: He sucked - that's why he wasn't invited back. Dude has major bitter cakes. Yup. His version of "Hey There Delilah" was absolutely terrible. He was flat and uneven, with his voice sounding weak in most parts. He couldn't even finish his phrases. Aside from the vocals, his swagger suggested that he thought he had created a masterpiece remix. Wrong. Is Idol rigged? Yes- duh. But even if it weren't, Ju'not, you still wouldn't have made it to the finals. You know, Ju'not?