If I had to compare last night’s Olympics coverage on NBC to the second part of the Top 24 reveal on American Idol, I’d say that one viewing experience had me on the edge of my seat and the other had me on the edge of falling asleep. It seems the ratings agree.
TV Guide posted the numbers, stating that while Idol took in a hefty 18.4 million viewers as the singing competition revealed the remainder of the top 24 contestants, 30.1 million people were watching NBC to see Shaun White, Shani Davis and Lindsey Vohn win gold medals for some truly impressive performances.
The Idol episode was watch-worthy for anyone curious enough to see which contestants were going to get the "We could only pick 24 and you're a good singer but..." psych-out and which were being told it was the end of the road. All the same, the suspense was nothing compared to some of the Olympic footage shown on NBC last night.
Whether it was seeing Shani Davis zoom around the rink, Lindsey Vohn battle the icy, steep hill on her skis or Shaun White soaring impossibly high on his snowboard, dominating the competition in his first run, there was plenty to enjoy for American viewers last night. Vohn’s stellar run on the slopes was made even more impressive as there was a handful of women who took some nasty spills on their way down the hill, demonstrating what a tough and dangerous run it was.
Meanwhile, White performed so well in his first run on his snowboard that the second run wasn’t even necessary. He already had the score to earn him the gold but rather than playing it safe for the unnecessary second round, he showed off his latest amazing trick, once again demonstrating why he’s one of the biggest pioneers of the sport. “I came all the way out to Vancouver,” White said in an interview that aired during tonight’s broadcast of the Olympics. “I figured, why hold anything back? I wanted something to be memorable. I wanted to do this trick that I’d be trying for so long.”
Well, he certainly succeeded at that. I’m sure plenty of people were talking about his performance today. NBC has the video of both performances here. If you haven’t seen it, it’s definitely worth a look.
