Underwhelmed by Idol [Poll]

Let's be honest, American Idol just hasn't been the same. Ever since the show was shaken up last year with the departure of Simon Cowell, it hasn't been the juggernaut that it used to be.

Last year there were mixed opinions of new judges Jennifer Lopez (she's too nice) and Steven Tyler (he's a little creepy), and a little criticism of some of the format changes. The show still "won it's night" in the ratings (basically it was the #1 show for the night it was on), but it didn't pull the numbers that it used to.

That trend is continuing this year. In addition to J. Lo's friendliness, Tyler's continued creepiness, I just feel like the talent this year is...well, boring. Sure there have been some decent singers and one or two stand outs. But I also feel like they've been putting through more mediocre singers than ever. I have to think that it's because they have a certain number of spots to fill and they're just not getting the talent that they've gotten in the past. So the contestants who might not have made it to Hollywood before are getting golden tickets this year.

You may have also noticed, as I have, that there seems to be more focus on some contestants' back stories this year. If I'm taking a cynical view, I honestly think it's because there really haven't been many people who's voices we'll remember, so they at least want people who's stories we'll remember.

We'll see how things continue to play out but, to borrow a phrase we heard from Simon many times in the past, I can only say this so far about American Idol:

"I found it booooring!"

What do you think about Idol so far this year? Vote below, then feel free to leave a comment!