American Idol season 14
The fourteenth season of American Idol, also known as American Idol XIV, premiered on the Fox television network on January 7, 2015. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Randy Jackson stepped down as the in-house mentor and was replaced by Scott Borchetta. Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola ended its relationship with the show.
American Idol
January 7 –
May 13, 2015
Before the finale, it was announced that the fifteenth season would be the last of the reality show. Since the series began in 2002, it peaked in viewership at 30 million viewers per episode in 2006, slipping to 20 million viewers per episode in 2011, and down further since with an average of about 9.15 million viewers per episode in 2015.[1]
On May 13, Nick Fradiani was announced as this season's winner, with Clark Beckham as the runner-up.
Changes from previous seasons[edit]
The fourteenth season of American Idol featured a number of changes to its format. Former judge Randy Jackson, who had served as a mentor on the previous season, left the show and was succeeded by Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta.[2] In May 2014, Ryan Seacrest signed a two-year extension to remain as host through 2016, which would be the show's final season.[3][4] Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola ended its relationship with the series, and the Ford Motor Company maintained a reduced role.[5][6]
To evaluate their ability to perform in front of a live audience, the final 48 contestants participated in a private concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood before being cut to 24.[5][6] Separate results shows during the top 12 rounds were discontinued in favor of a single two-hour broadcast on Wednesday nights, where the results from the previous week were revealed, similarly to So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars.[6]
A new feature was also introduced, where viewers could vote via Twitter to decide which of the bottom two singers from the previous week would advance.[7] Beginning with the top 8, the two contestants who received the lowest votes the previous week were revealed.[8] The bottom two contestants then performed in exactly the same format as the safe contestants. However, after the performances were completed, the viewers only had five minutes to vote by Twitter; the contestant with the higher vote count would be safe and the other contestant would be eliminated.[8]
The finale returned to the Dolby Theatre, where five of the first six-season finales took place.[9]
Hollywood week[edit]
Hollywood week aired in four parts over two weeks. Contestants participated in three rounds: lines of ten, groups and solos. The judges also asked some of the most notable contestants to sing for them at the beginning of the rounds, surprising many of them, but they all advanced. After Hollywood Week, contestants performed in the Showcase round in front of a live audience at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.
Controversies[edit]
Quentin Alexander incident[edit]
National media outlets reported on an exchange between judge Harry Connick Jr. and contestant Quentin Alexander, noting that Connick scolding a contestant was awkward.[31][32] On the live airing of the top 6 show, there were three contestants who had not been saved when Alexander was chosen. After he performed, host Ryan Seacrest noted that he appeared to be upset. When asked, Alexander responded, "This sucks, we've got two of the best vocalists, my best friend [Joey Cook] sitting over there. This whole thing is whack, but I'm going to shut up right now." Seacrest then replied that it was a competition, and with the save anything could happen. After Alexander had left the stage, Connick Jr. said, "Quentin, if it's that whack, then you can always go home, because Idol is paying a lot of money to give you this experience and for you to say that to this hand that is feeding you right now, I think is highly disrespectful." Alexander was then prompted by the producers to return to the stage, where he approached the judges and clarified that he meant the two being potentially eliminated was whack, not the show nor the experience. Later, after performing his second song, he explained, "I understand that these things are going to happen, and I just didn't want my friend to leave" and apologized.[33] Judge Jennifer Lopez empathized with Alexander's emotions running high, but said that as an artist, he would have to learn to work through that even when putting on a performance.[34] Joey Cook commented after being eliminated on Alexander's statements:
The producers played up the exchange in what Music Times termed "what seemed like shady circumstances" to replay the incident throughout the week in show promos and at the beginning of the top 5 show.[36][37] An Idol source also stated that for fairness purposes, the judges and contestants had a strict wall of silence between them and only interact onstage so Connick Jr. and Alexander have not had contact since last week.[36] Alexander was eliminated the following week with what Music Times questioned as possibly the first time American Idol "went into an episode with what seemed to be a very clear agenda."[38] Yahoo's managing editor Lyndsey Parker detailed many points that she argued was American Idol "throwing Quentin Alexander under the tour bus" referring to the idiom of "throwing [someone] under the bus" by sacrificing a friend as the show heavily promoted the summer tour, which only guaranteed that the top five finalists would be included.[39] Included in her critique was that the show had aired the promotional video featuring the confrontation, which she characterized as "misleadingly edited" to boost ratings.[40] She also wrote:
Parker also referenced a "backhanded and unflattering" exchange from Connick Jr. insinuating that Alexander needed Auto-Tune.[39] She also noted that the "fan save" via Twitter was handled uniquely in that contestant Rayvon Owen didn't have a replay or critique until after a commercial break, while Alexander did not get the same treatment, and host Ryan Seacrest claimed Alexander had muttered "I give up," to which Alexander had to clarify that he had actually said, "I give it up."[39] USA Today echoed the sentiment stating that the awkward moments probably led to his elimination.[41]