American Idol 10 Top 13 Will be Taped on Tuesday

By On 03/06/2011 · 177 Comments · In American Idol, American Idol 10

Share on TumblrShare via email

Chatter on twitter indicates that the emails to viewers selected for this week’s Idol audience have gone out, and that the Top 13 Idol episode will be taped ahead of time on Tuesday March 8 to air on Wednesday March 9.

I guess Nigel still feels there are a few technical kinks to work out. I’ve been poking around my archives, and I am pretty sure taping the first couple of weeks for “live” broadcast is not unprecedented.

The years Nigel has been in charge–every season but 8 and 9-the first week of “live” shows have always been taped.

At any rate, if you’re going to Tuesday’s taping and would like to help me post song spoilers, contact me at mjsbigblog at gmail dot com.

Thank you!

UPDATE: Now that I think about it, I wonder if it has more to do with the new judges’ panel than, say, manipulating the contestants? There may be some concern that the panel isn’t quite ready for prime time yet.

UPDATE2: Nigel has been reading your tweets! “There is a load of crap being discussed all the contestants sing ‘live.’ The show has always been recorded to the West Coast…We are pre-taping for 2 weeks as we have a new Director & new judges. It has nothing to do with manipulation you morons.”

8

 
← Older Comments
  • Kirsten

    I pointed out some time ago that that analysis is faulty because they include Top 2 to Top 4 shows in the analysis. The number 2 spot in Top 2, number 3 spot in Top 3, number 4 in Top 4 are pimp spots, and because the pimp spot has such a strong effect, it unnaturally boosted the scoring of the 2nd/3rd/4th spot. Going first is not as bad as the article made out to be, going second to fourth might be worse when there are large number of performers.

    Very true. It’s not a perfect analysis. They also skip over the semis during which I think external factors can really have an impact. By the time you get to final 4, you have built up your fan base so wherever you sing is probably okay. During the first few weeks, if you haven’t had a fair amount of audition/Hollywood screen time and you sing in the first half of the show during your first couple of semi performances, you better hit that performance out of the park.

    That pimp spot does seem to be coveted, though. In 9 seasons of Idol, there is only one person who won the final two coin toss who didn’t take the pimp spot (Blake gave the choice to Jordan who happily chose the pimp spot). Six out of 9 times, the contestant with the pimp spot won (exceptions are Clay, Archie and Crystal). It could be entirely coincidental, but the contestants clearly want to sing last by that point in the competition.

  • Montavilla

    Nigel may call people morons at times, but he’s also a person who can learn from his own mistakes…

    True. At least he’s reading his tweets.

    About the Pimp Spot. I remember reading in one of Marx Brothers’ autobiographies that they often started out in the first spot when they joined up with a new vaudeville circuit. This was because, as newbies, they were automatically given the worst placing. However, their whole act was to be as BSC as possible and they brought the audience up so much it became impossible to follow them. So, within a few weeks, they would work themselves up the playbill to become the headliners and get the “pimp spot.”

    So, it probably matters where you’re placed if you’re doing a so-so job. But if you can hit the song out of the ballpark, it doesn’t matter. People will remember you.

← Older Comments