Haley Reinhart slowly made her way through the finalist pack and now stands just three songs and a result show from the "American Idol" finale. She's been in the Bottom 3 four times throughout her run and last week, possibly due to a massive pushback from annoyed and angry "Idol" fans who saw her grilling over Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" by judge Randy Jackson as a bit unfair, she garnered enough votes to make the Top 3. But could she have also gotten a bit of a voting boost from anti-"American Idol" website Vote For The Worst?
It is certainly within the realm of probability that the votes that got 20-year-old Haley Reinhart into the trio of finalists that will vye for a place in the "American Idol" finale came from viewers (and non-viewers) that also frequent the Vote For The Worst site. After seeing their previous pick, Jacob Lusk, voted off the show (their picks for the season had been Paul McDonald, who made it to the Top 8, and Casey Abrams, who was picked up after McDonald got the voters' boot and made it to the Top 6). Although it is currently unknown the magnitude of influence the website has, there is little doubt that they have a sizeable following and that many of those followers vote for the chosen "Worst" of the week. The site claims several successes, such as getting Sanjaya Malakar to the Top 7 in Season 6 and Tim Urban to a like finish in Season 9.
And their Top 4 pick, Reinhart, may have gotten the VFTW bump -- and just enough votes to climb over then frontrunner James Durbin -- not because the website actually thought she was the "worst" of the week (reading their posts and it becomes obvious that Scotty McCreery probably would have become the "worst" after Lusk's departure). It would seem, according to their posts and their appeal to vote for the raspy-voiced singer, that they picked up on the obvious anti-Haley vibe at the judges table.
In their caricature box at the top of the front page of the website, where visitors to the site are asked to support their pick, VFTW provides the caption: "Obviously, the judges want her gone. We want our sassy stoner to stick it to them."
And if Vote For The Worst can impact enough voters for the Top 3 results, coupled with the strength of Reinhart's fan base and those viewers and voters that don't like the way the young singer has been treated by the judges throughout the season, she just might sail into the "American Idol" finale. And as VFTW pointed out, "... potentially the BEST case scenario for Haley as now the country kids will split votes next week leaving Haley to get the votes of everyone who hates country."
Could the girl who has has been at in the bottom on so many results show actually win Season 10? With the help of her fans and her anti-fans at VFTW, she just might.
Follow Haley Reinhart's progress on "American Idol" on Fox Television Wednesday evening. Viewers in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, area can catch the show on WFXB Fox TV.
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