Join the American Idol Top 3 on Their Hometown Visits - American Idol 20...

Probably the best part of Season 16 of American Idol was the Top 3 Homecoming. I never thought I that I would say that but their homecoming was by far better than the performances last night in my opinion. I missed the old format of AI where you had 4 groups and Wildcard. 2 contestants were picked out of each group based on America's votes into the Top 12 and then there were Wildcards. The wildcards who were eliminated got to come back and sing to try to earn their spot into the Top 12. There were 3 judges and they picked their 3 wildcards and the audience voted for the last wildcard to make the Top 12. The Top 10 went on tour. The show now has become more like a popularity contest than a singing competition. If I had to pick who I would like to see win out of this group it would be Maddie Poppe and Caleb Lee Hutchinson runner-up to her in my humble opinion. Gabby Barrett should have left and Michael Woodard should have been in the finale instead of Gabby. I thought that if Michael would have been in the finale that he would have won Season 16 of AI. There are people who think that this season was biased because no black person made the finale. The judges also shocked me. I felt that all the judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan and I have the utmost respect for the judges, I felt they were too sugar-coating and was not always honest when critiquing the contestants performances. In other words, when a contestant or contestants had an off night or nights the judges should have said "that was by far your weakest performance" making a statement like when the contestants are in the Top 5 or Top 3 really don't help him or her in the long run if they don't win. All these Top 10 contestants are winners and is going to get contract signings no doubt but sometimes you have to want people to succeed because not everyone want to see people succeed in the music industry and that's what is sad about the business. There are so much great talent out there especially singers who flop because who he or she signed a record deal with, the company only wanted to see them flop and he or she more often or not quit singing the record company. AI have officially become a popularity contest and I have never thought that AI would "stoop to this level".  😞