Last Sunday, I received ‘congratulatory’ messages through SMS and email from friends and casual acquaintances telling me that ABC-5 took one of my suggestions to ‘save Philippine Idol,’ and implemented a two-hour voting period similar to American Idol, starting with this week’s episode. I don’t think I deserve any congratulations, although I did leap for joy when Ryan Agoncillo made the announcement that the two-hour window would work. I’m just glad the producers decided to follow the format similar to American Idol, because this particular format is proven to work to most people’s satisfaction. And like the adage goes, you can’t please everybody, as last night’s results showed.
Last night, in a relative shocker, Zamboanga favorite Arms Cruz was eliminated, along with lounge singer Jeli Mateo. Fans are – pun intended – up in arms.
Joking aside, one should expect backlash from at least two camps. The first camp would be those of Reymond Sajor, Drae Ybanez, and Stef Lazaro, who were eliminated under the previous voting system. They declare – rightly so – it is unfair. The second camp would be those of Mateo and Cruz, who were eliminated under the amalgam system (i.e., half-and-half, the votes from this week added to votes from last week).
Admittedly, ABC-5 will be unable to pacify the camps of these five contestants. Can it be helped? When one changes the rules of the game in the middle of the game, naturally, we can expect players to raise an uproar. However, the name of the game is still Philippine Idol, and if fans of the show – like me – are interested in seeing this franchise last beyond its maiden season, we need to support the show and the quirks that come with its birth pains. I am positive this new system will result in better, more accurate voting patterns than shown in the previous weeks.
Notice, for instance, how Gian Magdangal and Mau Marcelo, two perennial bottom contenders, avoided the bottom two this week. Notice how Jeli Mateo, a constant subject of criticism for her subpar performances (she made up what some Idol fans have since come to know as the KenJelJanMig foursome, along with Ken Dingle, Jan Nieto, and Miguel Mendoza, who all aren’t seen in the same calibre as the other contestants), who was never in the bottom until this week, was eliminated. We cry for Arms, but come on, she was also never a strong votes receiver, and both she and Jeli delivered the two most boring performances last night, and while I sent several votes Arms’ way, I was not optimistic for her chances last night (because votes coming in from last night were added to the previous week’s votes).
The next few weeks will be key. In theory, you can only send so many votes in two hours, so contestants with large fan bases tend to be favored by this new system (which is what we want). However, let us also note that ABC-5 did also let slip through two caveats – the infamous phone card way of voting and the lack of avenues for free votes. Subpar candidates with smaller but richer fan bases can still send a significant amount of votes their way by purchasing these cards in bulk and sending their votes during the two-week window. However, as the field narrows down and votes become more concentrated, hopefully, even this unfair method will not be enough to save the inferior candidates.
In a perfect Philippine Idol world, a two-hour window combined with free phone calls would herald a winner who is truly the voice of the masses. Meanwhile, this is the bone we’ve been thrown, and I and countless other fans are grateful. Witness the slow but steady return of Philippine Idol.
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October 31, 2006 at 9:19 pm
Sigrid
I was shocked that Arms Cruz got booted out last night! I was relieved that Jeli Mateo is finally out! Honestly, KenJelJanMig should’ve been ousted weeks, even months ago! Talk about what moneyed family and friends can do!… With this new two-hour window of voting, I really made sure my choices were protected — never mind if I used all smart, globe, and sun lines! I was so ecstatic when Mau and Gian were declared SAFE! I genuinely and sincerely feel that the FREE-CALLS-scheme SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED. How can a Philippine Idol be as “flat and flimsy” as KenJelJanMig?!?! We surely deserve better!!!
November 1, 2006 at 7:15 pm
ganns
Hi Sigrid!
I’m glad that you’re dedicated to keeping your idols in the game. 🙂 I, for one, have to admit I’ve let my bets down – first Drae, then Reymond, then just last week, Arms. *sigh* Here’s hoping the trend of my favorites getting booted out doesn’t continue. 😉
Thanks for passing by my website. 🙂
November 3, 2006 at 9:33 pm
empress maruja
Apparently, in Latin American Idol, they also use the “nickname” style of voting (wherein you type in the name of the contestant and send it to a mobile number). But in their case, voting for a certain candidate starts right after that particular contestant performed. Voting period lasts for 16 hours.
I do hope this new system would work. If only we know how many of Miguel’s batchmates are actually voting for him…
February 28, 2007 at 11:09 am
Akina
maganda talga