The emotional sob story of American Idol contestants is often more of a determining factor of their success than their voice. Sad sells I guess.
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Carrie Underwood is already settling in on American Idol based on the teaser. And she's facing one of the hallmarks of the competition — the sad backstory. The teaser shows her breaking down at one of the new contestants. Her teary debut is just a sign of things to come for the season.
This particular outburst was due to the contestant revealing he was raised by his grandparents. Carrie Underwood was brought to tears as he told the judges he had been in their lives since he was two. "She put everything she had in me all those years," he said as he hugged his also weeping grandma.
Thankfully, his voice was a least as good as his backstory. The three judges voted him through to the next round before they all flooded the studio with tears.
Carrie Underwood Embarks On A Weepy American Idol Appearance
It seems like you can't have any kind of talent show-type program without everyone crying all the time. It's exhausting. Carrie Underwood starting her American Idol appearance with tears is no surprise. They seem to be a staple of the show.
Of course, for a show like American Idol, the singing is only half the battle. To really get the producers hot, there needs to be performance, and of course, a backstory to sell. If a contestant shows up with nothing but a solid nuclear middle-class family and mediocre stage presence, it doesn't matter if they sing like Freddy Mercury, they're not staying.
So, to be a valid contestant, people go for the easy option. Come up with a sad story, and use it in place of a personality. Making people sad is always easier than being genuinely charismatic. It works too, just look at how they're already trying to market the emotion for the show.
As long as the contestants keep the audience emotional until the final votes, the producers are happy. Then, they can push out an album in time for Christmas, and move on to the next year of pop star hopefuls.
