Dear Vote for the Worst,

I love you.

I must start with that simple proclamation before I go forward, because it is the truest thing I can say about you and the fine folks who run your site. I enjoy your post-show analyses, the hilarious little caricatures of your pick each year, and the photoshopped wonders that accompany your features.

However, as I find myself every year, I cannot root for you or your pick to win. Or even advance deep into the competition just for the sake of entertainment. Hell, I hated Megan from the first warble that I can recall, during Hollywood week, right until the last dung-heap of a performance was plopped out last night. America never chose her to the in the Top 13; the judges, and particularly her champion, Simon Cowell, took care of that for her. Even after her abysmal performances in the Semifinals and Wild Card rounds!

Still, I've been following almost daily to see what antics you'd come up with to describe her, as well as the other contestants and the judges, how you'd summarize the great waste of time that is an America Idol results show, and basically just laugh my ass off all the way. Year in and year out, I take the greatest pleasure in your snide and horrible (though usually just cruelly honest) sentiment about America's top rated show.

But do I ever actually vote for the worst? No, I don't. The show is generally uninspiring enough that I don't bother voting at all, but if I do take the time and effort to reach out and dial, it is always for whatever legitimately impressed me. Somewhere deep within, I really do want the best people to win, and I can't handle purposefully leading someone on into believing they are more beloved than they are. Or worse, watch someone like Megan know that they are the worst, know that they are advancing solely because they are the worst (that caw caw-ing last night sounded like a shout-out to me!) and then having them rub it in the faces of people who care about singing talent. It just rubs me wrong.

I look forward to your next choice (I'm voting for Scott!), but I will testify now that my vote belongs with the good performances, or nowhere at all. This confession is painfully, because of my love for the things you do, but it too is just the painful truth.


Owning up,

Patrick James