So Why Was James Eliminated?

We'll never know for sure of course. But I have a theory. Given the amount and decibel of outrage after his departure, I find it very hard to believe that James legitimately received the fewest number of votes on May 11th. And by using the word "legitimately," I'm not implying that the voting was purposely rigged. Its a federal crime to rig a competition on television, and the American Idol execs aren't stupid. I think two main factors contributed to James' ouster:

1) The performance order
I can't remember a night in the history of Idol where the performance order was flipped between the first and second songs. James was the first singer in round one, but the last singer in round two. So they went in reverse order for the second group of songs. When I saw that James was first to sing that night, I was very upset, because he had to go first the week before, and the lead off spot is generally considered the least desirable. What the singers are hoping for is the last song of the evening, usually dubbed "the pimp spot." Often the "pimp spot" is afforded to the singer that has the best chance of creating an Idol moment with their song choice or performance. This is not always the case of course, but oftentimes. On this night, James delivered a high energy performance of "Love Potion Number Nine" that was definitely worthy of the "pimp spot." But why did the producers have him go first in round one, and then flip everyone for round two? Ryan repeatedly reminded everyone of the order change and urged the viewers not to get the voting numbers mixed up. But confusion could very well have occurred.

2) Haley and Lauren
Point blank, there was no way Scotty was going home. Everyone knew this. That's why James immediately realized his fate as soon as Haley was declared safe. The expression on his face told the story. I think Lauren made it to the final three because she had been in the bottom two with Jacob the week before, and her fans knew they had to vote their fingers off to keep her in.

With Haley, I think there were two factors at work, both of which contributed to James' elimination. First of all, she was harshly criticized for her first performance. In this season of excessive praise and lax judging, the critique that Haley received was arguably the most brutal we have seen. Such an event can make fans more determined than ever to vote. Secondly, a lot of people were hoping for a James/Haley finale. Yes, many also wanted a Scotty/James finale. But for the James/Haley contingent, what they witnessed that night were two strong, dynamic performances from James that were celebrated by the judges, and very mixed reviews from Haley's performances. Randy and Jennifer seriously disliked her first song, but all three judges gave her a standing ovation for her second song. So if you were voting for both of them, you probably said to yourself, "James is undoubtedly safe, I better vote more (or all) for Haley to make sure she gets through to the next round."

I've also read about some voting anomolies, such as people who called for James heard the automated system tell them, "Thanks for voting for contestant three," when James was contestant number one. Obviously that could have been a contributing factor, but unfortunately there's no way to prove that such a situation occurred.

I'm still sad that he didn't at least make it to the finale. But everything happens for a reason. The important thing is that there is a lot of support for and interest in James right now, and hopefully he will be offered a contract soon and will be able to capitalize on the current momentum.

A Fan