American Idol, Nikki, and the Voters

This was the week. This was the week where Nikki's fan's were supposed to roll over and play dead. Give up. Everyone knows that the other three contestants are more talented than she is. Everyone knows that power dialing, no matter what the Fox Execs say, is creating a difference.

Why are we surprised that she beat Tamyra? After the 2000 presidential election, why would we expect Fox, of all companies, to create a fair voting system when the U.S. government can't. So who is to blame?

Well, one person is for sure NOT to blame. Nikki.

The fact that Nikki is still here, weeks after everyone expected her to be gone, is just as shocking to Nikki Mckibbin as everyone else watching the show. She looked positively ill when she beat Tamyra. She looked like she wanted to run from the stage. She backed away and wanted the floor to swallow her up. But she is not at fault for any of this. Should she stand up and say I know I am not here legitimately so I give up?

No way. For one thing, she is contractually obligated to keep going. Fox created a voting system that was easily rigged, but has refused to admit it may affect the Nikki vote. They have said it is statistically insignificant. And it is. Assuming that 100 people across the country are power dialing, at 10,000 calls a night. That is a million extra calls a night. Do the math. 1 million of 14.5 million calls is 6.8 percent. Since Fox has said these power voters are voting for all of the contestants and not just one, we have to assume that Nikki is not getting all 6.8% of the vote. Maybe she is getting half of the power votes. 3.4% Which in most polls is statistically insignificant. You usually see a +/- 3.5% as the statistical difference.

So she is probably getting more power votes than any one else, and that might be enough to put her over one person, but as we have seen it is not enough to put her on top. If the power voters actually had as much power as we think they do, then why is Nikki barely squeaking by? Seems she should be leading the pack.

Even the fact that power dialers have access to the phone system is a major Fox blunder. They made the rules of this contest and if they wanted a legitimate winner, they should have limited the phone calls to one per household. Instead they took the massive calling and used it to promote the show. Nikki had nothing to do with that. Fox tosses veiled threats out to the power dialers, "We know who you are and we will come after you." With what? A pat on the back and a big check for all that extra advertising money you are raking in because of this controversy? What these people are doing isn't illegal or they would have been arrested by now.

In fact, Fox probably leaked the story to the media to use the “Nikki sucks” factor to create even more hype for a uber-hyped show. Think of all of you who tune in to watch Nikki fall flat. The Nikki haters are out there in full force right now, and she has to be hating this whole screwed up system. She will forever be known as the person who did not legitimately get pushed through the American Idol ranks. Even if it turned out that Kelly or Justin were getting more power votes than Nikki, no one would ever believe it. This is not helping Nikki. All those people who want to be furious at her for beating contestant after contestant have misplaced anger.

I thought Tamyra was going to win or place in this contest. It does not bother me that she isn't because she will be golden no matter what happens. She will have a record out in the next year and she will sell millions and be as famous as she would have been even if she did win this contest. Perhaps more.