3 Changes To Fix American Idol, The X Factor and The Voice

American Idol

1. Voting Similar to The X Factor'sYes, I know. "That would make it too similar to the X-Factor, blah blah." But hear me out, a voting system similar to The X Factor would actually do this show wonders. A main concern with American Idol is that it keeps producing the same kind of winner - a cute white guy with a guitar. For the past five years, a contestant fitting this description has won and in turn has made American Idol completely predictable and completely stale. Who didn't see Phillip Phillips winning this past season? No one. A voting system which gives the judges more control would benefit this show a lot and would prevent predictability in the future. The measly "judges save" is in simplest terms, stupid. It serves no purpose and remains a gimmick. 2. Shorten Results ShowsSeriously, who likes these? Honestly, all three of these shows need to listen to this one, but American Idol suffers from it the most. The one hour results show feels like watching the Titanic without the sinking ship, the nude scene, and the theme song - a complete waste of time. I don't care about the Ford commercials. I don't care about the cheesy group performances. I don't even care for a recap. Just make these shows 30 minutes and we'll all walk out of here without running into any glaciers. 3. Judges, Please Be Mean A huge part of what made American Idol successful was Mr. Cowell himself. He became a star in his own right and probably knows it. He revels in the love-hate relationship between the viewers and himself because he knows it creates drama, interaction, and downright interest. When he left, American Idol went completely dry. Neither Randy, Jennifer, or Steven have a mean bone in them and the end result can be seen as fake, overproduced, and just not interesting. Sure Randy tries, but he has about as much charisma as Simon's right nostril. The judges need to create a dynamic between themselves as the interest been judges is just as important as the interest between contestants. Next Up: Our plans to fix The X Factor. Click next to reveal all...