Web site sides with no-talent ‘Idol’ contestants

By Stephanie Szuda

Everyone loves to see the underdog win. But when the underdog is a talentless contestant on “American Idol,” eyebrows tend to rise.

A Web site, VoteForTheWorst.com, is dedicated to racking in votes for what the site deems the worst contestant on “American Idol.” The site claims “Idol” only puts untalented people on the show to achieve higher ratings, so the site helps keep those contestants on the show.

“It’s not fair to the people that are actually good,” said Miranda Hagberg, a sophomore undecided major.

However, she does agree watching the tone deaf singers is entertaining, and the auditions are her favorite part of the show.

As soon as the show airs, the site encourages voters to call as many times as possible to vote for the worst contestant.

“On a good night, I can get in 300 to 500 votes for any particular contestant depending on busy signals,” said NIU alumnus Dave Della Terza, creator of VoteForTheWorst.com.

Last year, the site chose Scott Savol, who made it to the top 12.

This season the site has chosen to vote for people such as Brenna Gethers.

“She is entertaining and goes against the fake nicey-nice image of ‘Idol’,” Della Terza said. “The show pretends to be wholesome, but it’s really kind of sadistic the way they treat the contestants, especially the ones the judges don’t like.”

Junior music education major Kendall Nathan said she finds the site’s concept humorous. She said she enjoys watching the audition part for the bad singers, so keeping such acts on the show make it more entertaining.

The site, created in 2004, has had national recognition for extending the shelf life of talent-lacking contestants.