Why American Idol's Comeback Night Was The Best And Worst Part Of Season 19
Warning! The following contains spoilers for American Idol Season 19's Comeback Night. Read at your own risk!
American Idol featured its first-ever Comeback Night, which gave a group of Season 18 competitors an unprecedented opportunity. One of the competitors in the episode will be voted into Season 19's Top 10 contestants, and ultimately, will have a chance to win the competition. It's an opportunity the competitors didn't take lightly, as they all showed they absolutely wanted a second shot to be the winner of American Idol.
As a viewer, the night was simultaneously the best and worst night for me of Season 19. Because of the below reasons, I've ultimately decided that while I'd love to see Comeback Night return, there need to be some greater restrictions on any in the future. While I loved the episode in general, I kind of hate about how it may impact Season 19 going forward.
The Best: We Got A Real Chance To See Real Improvement By Past Contestants
Comeback Night wasn't the first time American Idol has brought back a returning competitor, but it is the first time the show brought back some of the most notable competitors from last season to compete. I can honestly say I remembered most of the Season 18 competitors who performed this evening, which isn't always the case for the usual returnee to American Idol. Seeing someone like Louis Knight, who made the Top 7 in Season 18, felt a lot more meaningful than, say Season 17's Drake McCain, who I didn't recognize until the show reminded me he was on it.
As we've been reminded very recently, there's a lot of talented singers in the Top 15 each season who are sent home without winning and are promptly forgotten by America. This episode was a great reminder that these contestants are still awesome, and in some cases, much better than when we last saw them. I'm all for Comeback Night being a feature of the show, just maybe with a few tweaks in the future.
The Worst: Some Returning Contestants Would Make Season 19 Unfair
Out of all the contestants that performed on American Idol's Comeback Night, one stuck out like a sore thumb and, in my opinion, should not have been invited. Arthur Gunn, the runner-up in Season 18, took the stage and predictably killed it with his version of The Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris." It was a great performance, but again, not surprising in the slightest.
I say that because Arthur Gunn nearly won American Idol once, so to give him another chance at entering the Top 10 is an insanely huge advantage for him a second go-around. I won't be the least bit surprised if he ends up the 10th contestant in Season 19. All of the sudden, a twist created out of fairness to competitors robbed of a live-stage experience has become unfair to the current season competitors. I'm okay with the idea of Comeback Night but bringing back a runner-up or even third place to compete is just too unfair to the current season, especially when they bypass a bulk of the season to get there.
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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.