‘American Idol’ Fans Rage Over Broken Voting System, ‘Do Better’
After the semi-final rounds on American Idol, it’s the viewers who hold all the cards on the show. Their votes determine which of the contestants will be each season’s winner. However, one recent episode has especially gotten fans upset with the voting format, claiming it’s unfair.
One American Idol Hopeful Was Recently Eliminated, While Another Was Saved By Judges
American Idol recently reached its Top 7 during the episode airing May 5, 2025. Viewers were treated to songs like Michael Bublé’s “Home,” Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.”
This time, the show host a “judge’s song contest.” Each of the Top 8 contestants performed songs anonymously picked for them by the judges. Two of the judges, Richie and Bryan, also had the power to save a contestant from being eliminated.
Ultimately, the night saw Josh King get eliminated from the competition. Mattie Pruitt also didn’t originally receive enough votes to make it to the Top 7, but she was ultimately saved by the judges, advancing her to the next round. In addition to Pruitt, the Top 7 is comprised of Thunderstorm Artis, John Foster, Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, Slater Nalley, and Gabby Samone.
However, the recent episode was not without criticism. Many viewers took to social media to complain that the voting system wasn’t fair to fans on the West Coast.
As previously reported, this has been an ongoing issue with fans of the show. While West Coast fans can vote, they are usually unable to watch the episode before voting ends. However, the recent Monday episode once again had fans bemoaning the system. In particular, fans felt like the show is giving up on previous efforts to make things more fair.
West Coast Fans Feel The Time Difference Keeps Them From Voting Fairly
On social media, one fan wrote, “West Coast Can’t Vote!! I thought American Idol was doing better this year on the West Coast by airing at the same time as the East Coast (5:00 p.m. here) and then re-airing it at 8:00, so we can vote.”
“But tonight, no luck. Our only way of viewing is at 8:00, well after the voting has closed. C’mon, American Idol and ABC do better!! At least allow us to stream it early to vote!”
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Taking to the comments, many West Coast fans shared their own experiences while voting. Some discussed how the issue keeps them from voting fairly and based on performances. A few of these comments included:
- “Yeah I’m annoyed. I live here – I could have gone to the live show, voted, and been home before it even airs here.”
- “I agree. I set an alarm and vote for my top 3 every time. Then watch it later. It sucks.”
- “It makes no sense that last Monday, they aired it for us on the West Coast at 5p…but not last night. SO ANNOYING.”
- “Just vote now…geez!!!…this has been brought up over and over again and it isn’t changing…”
- “Not everyone votes as a popularity contest. Many voted based on the actual performances. What a concept, I know.”
- “The problem is not being able to hear all the performances before voting closes, you can’t make a proper decision, unless you are just voting a favorite in.”
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