LAST EDITED ON 03-17-14 AT 10:39 AM (EST)

Hi All -

I had high hopes going into this season that things would be different this time - different producers, fresh judges, etc...but I guess I'm wrong.

Ben shouldn't have been thrown under the bus like he was. I find the 'We're confused by your song selection' totally bogus. This show is built upon a history of making these kids sing country, disco, show tunes, and the Neil Sedaka songbook! All of a sudden, this season, the kids need to show who they are as an artist all the time? To be totally honest, Elton John does have a country element in his songs.

I used to brush off claims of vote manipulation by the judges, but you just can't brush that off anymore. It was blatantly obvious this week.

Ben gets the crap, and MK has another 'deer in the headlights' performance, and she's told she has star quality. Dexter give another totally karaoke performance, and he's brilliant too. What gives with Ben??

Sad.

"$#it fire and save matches, f^ck a duck and see what hatches" - S. Tyler

• RE: Same crap, different season, different judges,personofinterest, 02:15 PM, 03-18-14
• If a 'shocking twist' falls flat on stage and no one watches it...,Estee, 07:17 AM, 05-02-14

I agree. Ben did choose a song a bit different than I would have guessed for him. However, he was light years ahead of Sam. I want to like MK, but I think she always sounds bad.

I did enjoy the auditions more than I normally do and had hopes as well. I remember a few seasons back when I really wanted to know what each contestant would sing and would look up some spoilers.

Thank goodness that March madness is upon us!

...then this is American Idol.