American Idol is one of the most watched reality TV shows on air today. As I was watching American Idol the other, I noticed that not only does it have an immense viewer following, it also has an extremely large live audience. This show first aired in 2001 and has ever since been the topic of some debate. Singers from all around the United States compete in mini competitions for a spot on the show. There have been whole episodes dedicated to the search for contestants. Many of the people will wait in line for hours on end just to be filmed and then latter laughed at by millions of home viewers.

Once the contestants are chosen, they compete in rounds of singing competitions to find the best singer. Each singer is judged by a panel of famous judges in the music industry as well as other entertainment industries. Viewers and audience members can also vote via SMS text messaging and online. Often times the judges offer some very comedic and harsh reviews of the contestant’s performance. The judges comments often cause much debate among the fan population of American Idol.

American Idol started as a spin-off of a British series called Pop Idol. While American Idol still features all pop music the name encompasses the area in which contestants are chosen from. Typically the show features three judges, however; lately a fourth judge has been added for viewers’ pleasure. Many of the winners of American Idol have gone on to have great careers in the music industry and even some of the runner ups have had a shot at fame as well. American Idol is one of the best shows on satellite tv.