Juding The Judges: My Rank Of 'Idol' Panelists


Simon Cowell (image courtesy of Macleans)

After Simon Cowell departed “American Idol,” the curmudgeonly Brit’s absence caused the show’s judging panel to take some notable turns. Most of them haven’t been positive, either: The show went from engaging analysis of singing (albeit with ridiculous marketing placement everywhere) to farce, blandness, skimpy outfits and in-fighting.


Jennifer Hudson (image courtesy of Hello magazine)

“It's taken a bit to get used to the new judges,” Oscar winner and “Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson recently told DigitalSpy. To say the least. Mariah Carey was rumored to be furious when Nicki Minaj was signed; TMZ posted video from an unknown source that seemed to show Minaj threatening to kill Carey. Oy vey.

These days, we exhausted viewers are way more likely to judge the judges themselves rather than witness the unlikely rise of an unknown star. So why not start right now?
Click over to my post on AfterElton.com for my rank of all judges, past and present. The results may surprise you!

UPDATE: one story commenter wrote: “A harsh and biased review on Mariah.”

UPDATE 2: My longtime idol, Larry Flick, Tweeted this morning: “I agree with your list.”

UPDATE 3: Another commenter: “You're right on in praising the UNDER-rated Kara DeGuardio (who got a raw deal) and, surprisingly, Paula Abdul.”
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