Vote for the Worst

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VoteForTheWorst.com

Accessed May 8, 2008
URL http://www.votefortheworst.com
Commercial? Yes
Type of site Entertainment website
Registration Optional
Owner VoteForTheWorst.com
Created by Dave Della Terza
Launched 2004

VoteForTheWorst.com (VFTW) is a website that is devoted to voting for the worst contestants on the Fox Network television series American Idol. Smaller campaigns have also been started on the site for CTV's Canadian Idol, FOX's On the Lot and The Next Great American Band, and NBC's America's Got Talent. The website was started in 2004 during American Idol's third season.

Contents

[edit] History

VFTW started at the Survivor Sucks message board[1] and moved to a GeoCities website. During American Idol's fourth season, the site moved to its own domain name. The very first VFTW pick during Season 3 was Jennifer Hudson during the semi-finals (but the site never picked her again as she improved in further weeks).[2] VFTW gained its first bit of notoriety when Scott Savol outlasted Constantine Maroulis in the top 6 of Idol's fourth season[3] and again appeared in the news when underage crooner Kevin Covais made it to the top 11 in season five.[4]

Season six of American Idol became a turning point for the website due to its support of candidates Antonella Barba and Sanjaya Malakar. Vote for the Worst was one of the first websites to break the story about Antonella Barba's racy online pictures.[5] The site then made headlines by proving that the raciest pictures that appeared online (involving a Barba lookalike performing a sexual act) were not of Barba.[6] After Barba and Sundance Head were voted out of the competition, Vote for the Worst selected Sanjaya Malakar as their pick. Sanjaya went on to last 6 more weeks in the competition, becoming a cultural phenomenon while gaining momentum along the way with support from celebrities such as Howard Stern.[7] After the ejection of Malakar, VFTW supported Phil Stacey, LaKisha Jones, and Blake Lewis.

Season seven of American Idol saw the site stir up some major controversies. Vote for the Worst posted a blog that the show was being stacked with contestants with prior music industry experience[8] before the season began, and the controversy was picked up by news sources, including MTV, who decided to ask American Idol producer Ken Warwick about the issue.[9] The site went a step further to also prove that Randy Jackson, a judge on American Idol, was the vice president of A&R at MCA Records while Carly Smithson, a season 7 contestant, recorded an album there.[10] The latest controversy started by the site was exposing top 12 contestant David Hernandez as a former gay stripper.[11] Outside all of the controversies, Vote for the Worst supported Danny Noriega until he was voted out in the semifinals. Amanda Overmyer, Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White,and Jason Castro have been supported so far in the Season 7 finals. As a reference to alleged marijuana use by Castro, the site temporarily changed its name to "Vote for the Stoned".

VFTW has had a mixed bag of results for Canadian Idol. The two biggest successes were Casey Leblanc's 6 week run during Canadian Idol 3[12] and Jaydee Bixby's unprecedented 9 week "worst" run from the final 10 to the final 2 during Canadian Idol 5.[13] Other contestants from Canadian Idol have supported the site, including Montana Martin Iles[14] and Tyler Mullendore.[15]

[edit] Press

VFTW has been mentioned by Access Hollywood, the Associated Press[16], the BBC[17], Best Week Ever[18], Billboard Magazine[19], Chicago Tribune[20], CNET[21], E! News[22], the Ellen Degeneres Show[23], Entertainment Weekly[24], EXTRA, Fortune Magazine[25], Fox News, the Los Angeles Times[26] Media Life Magazine[27], MSNBC[28], Newsweek[29], the New York Daily News[30], the New York Times[31], the Rutgers Observer[32], The Soup[33], Time Magazine[34], TMZ[35], TV Guide[36], the Wall Street Journal[37], [the Washington Post[38], and in hundreds of other news sources.[39] The website's founder, Dave Della Terza, called in to The Howard Stern Show on March 20, 2007 to discuss his and Howard's joint effort to encourage the public to vote for Malakar. During the interview, Della Terza debated Eric the Midget, a self described "American Idol expert" and critic of the vote Sanjaya campaign. He also made an appearance in studio with Stern on April 17, 2007, the same day he appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman.[40]

[edit] Reaction from American Idol

American Idol producers rarely acknowledge the site, but Nigel Lythgoe, an executive producer, did issue a statement, calling Vote for the Worst "a fly buzzing around a cow" to play down any press the site had received about being influential.[41]Legal action has been threatened against the website from fans of American Idol, but to date neither FOX nor the series have issued statements regarding any lawsuits.[42] Della Terza claims that lawyers involved with the program have contacted him twice about filing a lawsuit, but nothing has yet been filed against the site.[43]

Many contestants from American Idol, though, have embraced the site. Josiah Leming, a contestant from season 7, is a member of the website and gave an interview to their weekly radio show.[44] Chris Sligh, a season 6 contestant, gave a shoutout to site creator Della Terza during the top 11 performance show by saying "Hi, Dave."[45] Sligh and fellow contestant Phil Stacey have also posted on the site's message board,[46][47] along with many other former contestants such as Brenna Gethers,[48] Chris Labelle,[49] Phuong Pham,[50] and Montana Martin Iles.[51] Vote for the Worst also has a weekly radio show that has featured guests such as Trenyce,[52] Leslie Hunt,[53] and Steffi DiDomenicantonio.[54]

[edit] VFTW-supported contestants

[edit] American Idol

Season 3[55]

Season 4[56]

Season 5[57]

Season 6[58]

Season 7[59]

[edit] Canadian Idol

Season 3[60]

Season 4[59]

Season 5[59]

  • Tyler Mullendore
  • Maud Coussa-Jandl
  • Naomi-Joy Blackhall
  • Annika Odegard
  • Jaydee Bixby: Season 5 Runner-Up (longest running pick)[13]

[edit] On the Lot

Season 1

[edit] America's Got Talent

Season 2

[edit] The Next Great American Band

Season 1

[edit] Clash of the Choirs

Season 1

  • Team Lachey - Winners[63]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Survivor Sucks Messageboard: "'Vote The Worst' Pledge; Jasmalien!"
  2. ^ American Idol 3 | Vote for the Worst
  3. ^ Constantine voted off American Idol 4; is Vote for the Worst campaign to blame?
  4. ^ USA Today - 'Idol' mystery: Sky isn't falling on Kevin
  5. ^ Reality Blurred: Antonella’s topless photos go unmentioned but Simon says Ryan is “trying to date” Alaina
  6. ^ February 28, 2007 Update: Antonella Barba Gets to Stay!
  7. ^ Vote for the Worst: Howard Stern Shoutout
  8. ^ Vote for the Worst | The Truth About the Contestants of American Idol 7
  9. ^ MTV News: 'American Idol' Executive Producer Weighs In On Some Contestants' Professional Backgrounds
  10. ^ Radar Online: Randy Jackson Using American Idol to Push His Failed Artists?
  11. ^ Strip club: 'Idol' once danced here
  12. ^ Vote for the Worst: Canadian Idol 3
  13. ^ a b Vote for the Worst: Jaydee Bixby - VFTW's Longest Running Pick Ever. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  14. ^ Vote for the Worst: CI5 Episode 16: Top 9 Perform Songs from the '60s: "Who Cares...Montana's A Worster!"
  15. ^ Vote for the Worst: He's Seen'er, Buddy - Tyler Mullendore Loves VFTW
  16. ^ Associated Press - Weak `Idol' Wannabe Gets Online Support
  17. ^ Campaign backs US Idol's 'worst'
  18. ^ Vote for the Worst: Vote for the Worst On Best Week Ever!
  19. ^ Billboard Bits: Juanes, BMI Urban Showcase, Sanjaya Malakar
  20. ^ The founder of Vote for the Worst talks about Sanjaya and 'American Idol'
  21. ^ VoteForTheWorst.com has American Idol's number
  22. ^ Vote for the Worst: VFTW shoutout on E! News!
  23. ^ Vote for the Worst: VFTW mentioned on Ellen today
  24. ^ Worst Case Secnario
  25. ^ 24 Top innovators
  26. ^ What's saving Sanjaya?
  27. ^ [http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=11301 'Idol' goof: Pumping Sanjaya Malakar]
  28. ^ 'Scarborough Country' for March 27
  29. ^ Newsmakers: Heath Ledger, Sanjaya
  30. ^ Exec: Sanjaya won't win 'Idol'
  31. ^ Howard Stern Tries to Kill ‘American Idol’ With Kindness for a Weak Link
  32. ^ Sanjaya-mania
  33. ^ Vote for the Worst: The Soup Presents The Reapning
  34. ^ Who Wins on the Search Engines?
  35. ^ The Z List - This Week's Biggest Losers 03/31/07
  36. ^ Vote for the Worst: VFTW in TV Guide
  37. ^ Sanjaya Malakar: Revolutionary Hero or Reactionary Puppet?
  38. ^ Sanjaya: The Axis of 'Idol'
  39. ^ Vote for the Worst: VFTW in the News
  40. ^ Vote for the Worst: Dave on David Letterman
  41. ^ The founder of Vote for the Worst talks about Sanjaya and 'American Idol'
  42. ^ Enjoying their worst
  43. ^ Sour Note: Is a Web Site Altering 'Idol'?
  44. ^ Josiah Leming Talk to VFTW Radio
  45. ^ Vote for the Worst: Top 11: BEST.SHOW.EVER. Sanjaya Rules and Sligh Gives Us a Shoutout
  46. ^ Vote for the Worst: Chris Sligh
  47. ^ Vote for the Worst: Phil Stacey
  48. ^ Vote for the Worst: Brenna on VFTW
  49. ^ Vote for the Worst: Chris Labelle in the house... hahahaha
  50. ^ Vote for the Worst: New to VFTW...AI 6 Alumnus... Phuong Pham
  51. ^ Vote for the Worst: Montana Martin Iles - The TRUE Winner of CI5
  52. ^ VFTW Radio Presents Trenyce (American Idol 2)
  53. ^ VFTW Radio Presents Leslie Hunt (American Idol 6)
  54. ^ Vote for the Worst Radio Premieres THIS WEDNESDAY with Guest Steffi D!
  55. ^ VFTW American Idol 3. Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  56. ^ VFTW American Idol 4. Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  57. ^ VFTW American Idol 5. Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  58. ^ VFTW American Idol 6. Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  59. ^ a b c Master List of Past VFTW Picks. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
  60. ^ VFTW Canadian Idol 3. Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  61. ^ Lot #2b Circling the Drain.
  62. ^ Vote for the Worst: You've Won Us Over - Everyone Vote for Boy Shakira on America's Got Talent
  63. ^ View topic - Clash of the Choirs - LACHEYOWNAGE! VFTW VICTORY! | Vote for the Worst Message Board

[edit] External links