American Idol season 23 has had several eliminations so far, and I feel that they've all been abrupt, and therefore disrespectful, to the eliminated contestants. American Idol season 23 welcomed back host Ryan Seacrest, along with judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. However, for the first time since ABC revived the show in 2018, there was a shakeup at the judging table because Carrie Underwood took Katy Perry's place after the latter star left the show to focus on her own music career again.

During American Idol season 23, there have been many tough eliminations since the Top 24 contestants were announced. The contestants are supertalented this year, so it's very hard to watch them go home. However, production has been saying goodbye to the contestants rather unceremoniously, without giving them one final moment in the spotlight. I understand that American Idol episodes have time constraints, but I find the careless dismissals of the contestants to be disrespectful after all they've given to the show.

American Idol Isn't Acknowledging That The Eliminated Contestants Have Fans

They're Being Tossed Aside Too Quickly

Since the American Idol season 23 Top 24 performances, ten contestants have been eliminated from the show: Grayson Torrence, Kyana Fanene, MKY, Penny Samar, Baylee Littrell, Victor Solomon, Zaylie Windsor, Isaiah Misailegulu, Drew Ryn, and Olivier Bergeron. During the auditions and Hollywood Week, the show heavily featured each one of these contestants and their backstories, most likely because the producers knew that the judges had chosen them for the Top 24. They wanted to focus on them in order to help them build fan bases for when the voting rounds began.

However, after the Top 24 performances, when Ryan announced the results in the next episode, the eliminated contestants--Kyana, Grayson, MKY, and Penny--were cast aside like they no longer mattered. There was no fanfare as their time on American Idol came to an abrupt end. During the first elimination of Kyana and Grayson, all Ryan said was, "This means we say goodbye to Grayson and Kyana tonight," as the scene quickly changed to safe contestant Olivier's introductory package. However, I don't believe that this was Ryan's fault.

Later in the episode, MKY and Penny's time on the show had a similar ending as Kolbi Jordan advanced, and they were quickly dismissed. However, this time, Ryan said, "We love you," as he patted them both on the back and thanked them, which I believe he probably did for Grayson and Kyana too, but it wasn't aired. I feel that Ryan is desperately trying to show the contestants some respect and love, but the show isn't allowing the time for him to do it properly.

These eliminations made American Idol's earlier focus and interest in these contestants seem fake. I feel that it proved that the producers only valued the contestants while they were on the show, but then they tossed them aside for the contestants who were still useful to them. I was very disappointed to see this, especially because Penny, Grayson, MKY, and Kyana were some of my favorite contestants. The episode ended with an extraordinary performance of "How Great Thou Art" by Carrie, which I loved, but I felt bad that the focus turned to her instead of the eliminated contestants, who should've been able to take one final bow.

When the Top 14 contestants were announced, the elimination was even worse because America voted through 10 contestants, while the judges had to choose four from the remaining 10. This meant that six people went home. As the judges chose to save Amanda Barise, Ché Chesterman, Desmond Roberts, and Josh King from elimination, Ryan thanked Baylee, Victor, Zaylie, Drew, Isaiah, and Olivier and wished them luck, but I think that the show could've created a montage of their best moments and/or allowed them to sing one more time, in order to give them one last moment in the sun. Their eliminations were hard to process because they happened so fast.

American Idol Should Recap The Eliminated Finalists' Performances With Montages & Allow Them To Sing

The Contestants Should Be Honored By The Show Like In The FOX Era

In the FOX era of American Idol, one contestant was eliminated once the show reached the later rounds. This made it easy for the end of the episode to focus on each one of them as they were sent home. The show made montages of the contestants' journeys, recapping their time from their auditions to their eliminations, with voiceovers of them reflecting about their time on the show. They sang one final time (as seen in American Idol season 3 contestant Jennifer Hudson's shocking elimination in the clip above provided by 4MySingers on YouTube).

However, in the ABC era, multiple people are voted out each week, so the attention is usually focused on who made it through rather than who's leaving. Although the contestants get the chance to take a final bow and Ryan always has kind words for them, I don't think it's enough, especially in the later rounds.

I believe that the American Idol contestants who make it to at least the Top 12 or Top 10 should be showcased during their eliminations. Their fans have invested so much in them, and, like me, they'd love to see a recap of their favorites' journeys. In addition, allowing them to sing for a final time is important because they should be proud of how far they've come. I enjoyed watching those final performances in the FOX era of the show because they allowed me to hear my favorites sing on the American Idol stage one last time. Although it was very emotional for them, it gave closure to everyone.

I understand that the FOX era of American Idol had separate results shows that gave it the luxury of time. However, I also feel that the ABC era has wasted a lot of time during the episodes with antics from the judges and performances from guest mentors and others who are already famous and successful. The show could skip these moments in order to make room in the show for the up-and-coming American Idol stars, who now face the difficult task of making a name for themselves in the music industry after being eliminated from the show.

Another issue is that the live votes are determined during the episode in the ABC era rather than the next day like when American Idol was on FOX, which could make it a bit harder for the show to include montages of the eliminated contestants, but surely the producers could have something waiting in the wings. If American Idol really wanted to honor its contestants with farewell packages, it would find a way to make it work.

I know that there are time constraints that make it more difficult for American Idol to spotlight its eliminated contestants, but they deserve more than just a round of applause when they're voted off of the show. I think that they should be given a recap of their time on the show, as well as the opportunity to sing one last time, especially in the later rounds heading towards the finale. It's a phenomenal accomplishment to have made it that far out of all of the people who audition for the show each year, and they should have that recognition and respect. Eliminated American Idol contestants deserve more than what the show currently gives them, and I believe that this needs to change.

American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.

Sources: RemasterKingdom4K/YouTube, 4MySingers/YouTube