Why American Idol is a VERY bad idea...

[PrincessTiffany]

AI is down 10% in the ratings, yet it is still the #1 show in the nation. 30 million people watched the first episode this year. There are a lot of people still watching for this to be considered a dead fad.

No, it's not a dead fad now, but in five years it probably will be. It's just a shame Disney spent millions of dollars on this when they could have done something great that would be around a long time.

 

[Robo]

AAAH! The pun! It burns!!

It's not a pun...

just a very BAD joke.



(Latin, the hysterical dead language.)

 

[Nom]

Going back to the OP's point, I agree that there is a big chance for hurt feelings, especially on the part of teen girls. I remember when the old superstar studios was there. I wanted to be an actor when I grew up, and I tried so hard to get a part in the show. When I did not get one, I was so sad, I cried. It did ruin the morning for me (what can I say I was a hormonal teen girl). My parents got mad at me for acting that way, which made the whole scene worse.

Now, not being chosen is one thing, but actually being critiqued after you try your hardest is another.

I would think if I wanted to be a singer, got into the audition process, actually sang, and was critiqued or told I was not a good enough singer to be in the show, at that age I would really be devastated. I don't think your average teen girl who has aspirations to be a singer is really prepared to handle the rejection that comes along. The average teen girl will probably grow out of her desire to be a singer naturally in a few years- and won't ever get to the professional point of having to take rejection. I think this attraction going to be hard on a lot of teen girls, and their families!

 

[goofy4prez]

Going back to the OP's point, I agree that there is a big chance for hurt feelings, especially on the part of teen girls. I remember when the old superstar studios was there. I wanted to be an actor when I grew up, and I tried so hard to get a part in the show. When I did not get one, I was so sad, I cried. It did ruin the morning for me (what can I say I was a hormonal teen girl). My parents got mad at me for acting that way, which made the whole scene worse.

Now, not being chosen is one thing, but actually being critiqued after you try your hardest is another.

I would think if I wanted to be a singer, got into the audition process, actually sang, and was critiqued or told I was not a good enough singer to be in the show, at that age I would really be devastated. I don't think your average teen girl who has aspirations to be a singer is really prepared to handle the rejection that comes along. The average teen girl will probably grow out of her desire to be a singer naturally in a few years- and won't ever get to the professional point of having to take rejection. I think this attraction going to be hard on a lot of teen girls, and their families!

I see what you are saying but let's also flip this around a little. It's just as bad to tell a teen girl or boy for that matter that they can sing and really can't. Perhaps they become disillusioned to their actual talent level. At some point we all have to face rejection. Sooner or later they are going to be told they can't sing.

When I was a teenager I was very atheletic. I played baseball, football, ran track, and etc. In high school I started baseball as a freshman and the rest in my sophmore year. However, I tried out for the freshman basketball team and was told I was not good enough. I got over it. I think that sometimes we try to do all this new age parenting and read the Dr. Spock books word for word and reinvent how to raise a child. Please don't take this as a put down to your viewpoints, it's not intended to be that way. But if a kid is going to be crushed by an AI experience at WDW that kid is eventually going to have a meltdown somewhere.

 

[PatriciaH]

I agree it is very a very "unDisney" attraction. I also hate the song list. It looks like a list of bad karaoke songs at the local bar. Even the Disney ones are really lacking. How many Reflections and Part of Your World's will we hear?

DH saw one show and there were 3 singers. He said one girl was bad, one was really good (sang Reflections-haha) and one guy was pretty bad but really hamming it up. Guess who won? Yep, the guy. So voice will not even matter much. Tell that to your teens. Just act like an idiot and you will probably get the most votes

Every time we have been at DHS they have been begging people to try out. I am guessing no one wants to do it.

 

[Nom]

I see what you are saying but let's also flip this around a little. It's just as bad to tell a teen girl or boy for that matter that they can sing and really can't. Perhaps they become disillusioned to their actual talent level. At some point we all have to face rejection. Sooner or later they are going to be told they can't sing.

When I was a teenager I was very atheletic. I played baseball, football, ran track, and etc. In high school I started baseball as a freshman and the rest in my sophmore year. However, I tried out for the freshman basketball team and was told I was not good enough. I got over it. I think that sometimes we try to do all this new age parenting and read the Dr. Spock books word for word and reinvent how to raise a child. Please don't take this as a put down to your viewpoints, it's not intended to be that way. But if a kid is going to be crushed by an AI experience at WDW that kid is eventually going to have a meltdown somewhere.

I'm not saying that they should tell bad singers they are good- I also think that is wrong. Also I disagree that a kid that will be crushed by an AI critique will meltdown elsewhere- I know I would not have melted down if it was not for that superstar studios experience.

I just think in general this is a bad idea for a WDW attraction because because of the hurt feeling quotient, which goes far beyond just niot being chosen for something. I'm on vacation- I don't want to have to deal w my 14 year old daughter's dreams being dashed.

Just my opinion!

 

[Robo]

I go to Disney for a chance to see extraordinarily talented CAST MEMBERS perform.

I have no interest in seeing marginally talented GUESTS perform.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

Now, not being chosen is one thing, but actually being critiqued after you try your hardest is another.

Have you ever even watched the show?

Seriously; the attraction is called "The American Idol Experience". And, if I'm not mistaken, the show it's based on revolves around the fact that every week singers are eliminated (often to scathing criticism from Simon Cowell). I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that if you audition, there's a very strong possibility that you're not going to win.

Now, before you pull out your flamethrowers, when I first heard about Disney's plans for the attraction, my first thought was Now, there's an attraction that should have Guest Service CMs sweating bullets. Personally, I think American Idol's a poor fit for a theme park attraction, for several reasons -- not the least of which is hurt feelings like the OP's. If nothing else, the thousands of complaints generated by the YoaMDs should have driven that point home to the Imagineers.

To the OP: I'm sorry you felt disappointed in the attraction and were disheartened by your elimination.

 

[demonskrye]

I think the potential for teens, who are likely to be some of the most excited guests to get a shot at performing, to be hurt by the rejection is one of the biggest challenges this attraction will face. I'm not saying it's insurmountable or that Disney should shut the whole thing down because of it, but it will be something to watch. You can say "If you try out, you should be prepared for rejection" or "If parents think their kids will be really hurt if they don't win, they shouldn't let them try out" and that's good advice. But I'm guessing the problem of thinking you're prepared for the worst possible outcome and then discovering that you really aren't is even worse for teens than it is for adults. And for a parent whose kid really wants to try out, it may turn into a choice between having a miserable day in the parks because the kid tried out and got rejected or having a miserable day in the parks because the parent didn't let the kid try out and the kid is sulking. This isn't really Disney's problem to solve, but it might start to have an effect on the attraction if it causes issues for enough people.

As for whether Making a new park attraction based on a TV show that may become culturally irrelevant in the next five to ten years, I personally feel that the Disney parks need to maintain a balance between timeless mainstays and catering to the current big thing. We know that too much money and resources devoted to chasing the latest big fad doesn't end well, especially when you're talking about big attractions that can take a long time to go from concept to ready for the public. But at the same time, Disney needs to inject some trendy touches into the parks to keep the broadest possible audience interested. So Disney ends up juggling retro classic attractions, new concepts based on proven properties, and big things of the moment, along with their various other concerns. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I'm guessing Disney is well aware that "American Idol" probably isn't going to be around forever. They may have some assurance that the TV show will continue for a while, since networks often sign multiple season renewal deals to keep the cast and crew of the show from getting involved in other projects. Disney may have just felt that the added attention and publicity the show would generate now would be enough to make up for the fact that it may need to be replaced in a decade or less.

 

[erinbee]

As someone over the age of eligibility for the real AI, I'd rather have a t-shirt than an AI "fastpass". But that's just me.

 

[goofy4prez]

I just think in general this is a bad idea for a WDW attraction because because of the hurt feeling quotient, which goes far beyond just niot being chosen for something. I'm on vacation- I don't want to have to deal w my 14 year old daughter's dreams being dashed.

Just my opinion!

I don't disagree with you about it being a bad idea for WDW. My wife tried out for the auditions and she had a great time.(my TR will go into detail tomorrow) However, I personally don't feel it's bad because of possible hurting someones feelings. I'm not saying someone won't be hurt because it's a possibility. I just think that it's an attraction that is going to have limited appeal and unfairly some are going to think that it's karaoke. I will also say that every person I saw young and old walking out without the ticket to compete were laughing and hamming it up with those waiting outside.

After seeing it, and having a family member compete in it sure it was fun. But again, I do think that WDW is going to have to come up with something else here. I don't think it's going to be around in the long run.