Here's an excerpt from their article. The article is worth reading, though. It even has graphs and charts.

"The benefits of a pimp piece are so strong, they give a contestant a head start that essentially lasts forever. Almost two-fifths of pimped contestants survive to the multiple-song weeks.

Hmm? Well, now that you mention it, yes – I imagine that percentage was far higher before this year, when 19E dished out a record 15 promotional segments to ensure they got the Finals they wanted. And it would have been higher still had not Allen and Iraheta both gone on their surprising dark-horse runs and knocked out so many of the producers' favorites. At least fifty percent, you say? Please calm down, you're starting to hyperventilate again. You almost sound like Kara.

Wait, what horrible thing did you just realize? Ah. Year in and year out, one of the most widely-requested changes to American Idol is for the producers to show the backstory of every semifinalist. The Idolsphere practically gets on their hands and knees and begs for this, and it seems like such a normal, fair, and easy thing to do. Yet for some strange reason the producers never act upon it.

And now you understand why. It's because pimp pieces are the most devastating long-range weapons in the producers' arsenal of manipulation. They give 19E up to a 50-50 shot of getting a preferred candidate deep into the competition. They'll never relinquish control of that raw power. It's why Bikini Girl, a mediocre piece of fluff who had no prayer of making the Top 36, got over 20 minutes of prime airtime this winter, enough for at least ten promotional segments. And, as long as millions of gullible Idol viewers willingly take the bait hook, line, and sinker every year, nothing will ever change! "