The data was there to support what was thought to be a done deal to send Kelly Lee Cook or Syesha Mercado packing, but a shocking twist of fate voted Michael Johns off of American Idol last night. Whether the “vote for the worst” is continuing this year or an attempt to keep the most beautiful people on the show is happening, clearly the contestants surrounded by the most negativity and lack of talent were not holed into the “bottom three.” Carly Smithson’s inclusion in the group also brings great suspicion and unpredictability to the show’s voting. Of our predicted bottom three, only Syesha was actually stuck in the worst of the best. Much of the blogosphere is just as shocked as we were when the facts didn’t add up:

“…it was so unfair. Sure, his ‘Dream On’ the other night wasn’t fantastic, but, please–Kristy Lee Cook is still there. Syesha Mercado is still there. And my Michael is gone. You tell me: is this a ‘throw him to the wolves’ performance? It’s really not! Even Paula was shocked.” -Hollywood Offender

“By now you have probably all heard that our boy, Michael Johns, was eliminated. If you hadn’t, well yes, he was sent home BEFORE Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado, and Jason Castro…While we knew with Michael, as we did with Chris [Daughtry], that they probably would not make it to the finale, we thought for sure that talent would prevail and they would make it to the top four. But no, Michael would succumb to the same fate that Chris did. Obviously, the people that are voting aren’t voting for the total package.” - Tube Talk

Tags: Analyzing Consumer Generated Media, Mass Media/Culture //