Sanjaya Malakar and the Fate of American Idol

Every season of American Idol has at least one finalist that is clearly less talented than the rest. Kevin Covais (a.k.a. "Chicken Little) from last season immediately comes to mind. The plucky teen lasted much longer than he should have, turning in a couple of awful performances before finally getting the hook.

This season, Sanjaya Malakar appears to be the contestant that fits this mold. After a semi-impressive audition, and sneaking through the various elimination rounds to the final 10 males, his vocal performances have been increasingly abysmal. The judges, and ostensibly much of the American Idol fan base, have gone from disappointment to dismay and finally to outright shock. However, Sanjaya is different than others who have endured embarrassment before getting the boot from the top-rated show. Not only has he stuck around, he has not been in the bottom two vote-getters since the very early rounds. What in the name of Kelly Clarkson is going on here?

The truth of the matter is, Sanjaya is not just a subpar vocalist who is showing surprising resilience. He represents a crossroads for American Idol itself as a television show. His mere presence in this competition represents a battle of cultural forces, and his fate will reflect the power of the victor, determine the direction of the show in the future, and even reflect the way that Americans view television shows today.