American Idol Fans Feel the Show is “Rigged” After Iam Tongi Crowned Winner
Fans and followers of American Idol seem to be having mixed reactions to 18-year-old Iam Tongi from Kahuku, Hawaii, emerging as the winner. Iam’s win has prompted the fans to slam the reality show, accusing it of being rigged.
The finale of the iconic show lasted three hours last Sunday, with Iam Tongi, Colin Stough, and Megan Danielle all delivering incredible performances that wowed the judges. Iam performed the Spawnbreezie song, “Don’t Let Go,” with his family showing their support in the audience.
After the US-wide voting ended, he became the 21st season winner of ABC’s American Idol.
Several fans took to social media to claim that there was a better singer than I am. Many expressed their disbelief that Iam beat the show’s other finalists, Colin Stough and Megan Danielle. Fans were left divided as many believed that Colin, who placed as the runner-up, was the more deserving participant.
One of the Twitter users claimed, “American Idol is rigged. Colin Stough was the best one out there. Big Hawaiian dude that has the best sob story is going to win. American Idol I thought it was about talent.” Many fans seem to be speculating that Iam won because of sympathy votes and that talent was not the deciding factor of the contest.
Iam lost his father just before his audition.
Another fan tagged Ryan Seacrest in their tweet: “Obviously the sympathy vote fix is in. The least talented guy has made it to the finals. You are not the person I thought you were.”
The sentiment was echoed by yet another fan who tweeted, “@RyanSeacrest so Ryan I thought #AmericanIdol was a singing contest? Any reason why the obviously better singer did not win? Curious…just asking Thank you”
Born in Hawaii, Iam Tongi is of Tongan and Samoan heritage. He already has a network of connections in the music industry and released his first single, “Dreams,” in November 2020. During the show, Iam was mentored by Keith Urban, an Australian-American singer known for his country music.
While Iam’s win was questioned by many, Iam still has plenty of viewers who are celebrating his success and supporting him. One of the singer’s well-wishers left the comment, “Congrats to Iam Tongi, the winner of American Idol 2023!”
Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii, even tweeted a picture with Iam and captioned it with, “Congratulations to Hawai’i’s own American Idol, Iam Tongi! ❤️”
Aside from Iam winning the competition, fans have also called out the show’s judges, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry, and are requesting a shake-up of the judges. Fans are keen on Alanis Morisette becoming a permanent judge because of her honest but sensible feedback. Ed Sheeran was also named as another potential future judge of the reality contest.
The American Idol judges are a major reason for the show becoming such a household name, especially with Simon Cowell and his not-so-nice feedback.
Lately, however, the audience seems to find the judges’ feedback to be uninteresting and repetitive, with many believing that a trio of judges can make the show interesting again.
