With last night's reveal on American Idol that the worst singer left in the competition was voted by fans into the top three, the aging singing competition suddenly was newsworthy again. Social media exploded with a mix of outrage, shock and bemusement. Lazaro Arbos was nowhere in the judges' top three and music producer Jimmy Iovine said in a clip what the rest of us thought -- Lazaro was the worst of the bunch and should be sent packing. And yet, the 22-year-old native Cuban rose to the top of the remaining seven contestants and left jaws around the country on the floor.
If you haven't been watching American Idol this season, you're not alone. Ratings have hit an all-time low. Some blame the glut of music competition shows, especially the darling of the moment, NBC's The Voice. Others blame the new judges, especially the unpredictable and polarizing Nicki Minaj and her foil, rambling diva Mariah Carey. While still others point fingers at the theme nights and songs selected which seem to mandate rehashing the same dated songs every year. Whatever the reason, the show stopped being the water cooler topic and was at risk for falling into obscurity.
Lazaro and his inexplicable staying power may change all of that.
Let's first quickly identify all the ways in which Lazaro has tried (unintentionally, one would hope) to take over the mantle from Sanjaya as the most laughable contestant in AI history. He has Ricky Ricardo-esque pronunciation of words when he's singing (We are the Shampeeuns??). He routinely forgets the words and has a patented deer-in-the-headlights look to accompany his gaffes. He dresses so colorfully that RuPaul might say, Too much! He stuffs his tight pants as if he's auditioning for The Ron Jeremy Story.
But what is easy to forget is that the people watching...and voting...probably see a cute immigrant with a serious speech impediment (he's been stuttering since he was six) who just wants to be loved. And so they shower him with votes (made extra easy this year with the new American Idol App!), since they can't all fly to Hollywood to bring him soup and a hug.
Last year's winner, Phillip Phillips, was nowhere near the best singer in Season 11 and was notable for weak vocals, awkward facial expressions and not seeming to care. But he was cute and had some medical drama that made him the beneficiary of the (female) public's love. Still, he wasn't bad enough a singer to have his success on the show inject some needed drama and interest. Lazaro is so laughably awful, that his ascension may actually breathe new life into the show. I'd assume ratings will be up next week as the curious tune in to see if he makes it through another week where he has to learn the lyrics to two different songs.
Lest we forget, American Idol is first and foremost a TV show, and anything that gets viewers turning in -- even if it's only to see how much of Lazaro's two songs he mangles and what he'll be stuffing into his tight pants -- is good for ratings. So like his namesake Lazarus, Lazaro may actually help the moribund American Idol rise again.
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