‘American Idol’ Fans Irked by ‘Silly and Unfair’ Twist After 2020 Contestants Return

American Idol‘s “Comeback” twist left fans angry on Monday night, and indignant on behalf of their favorite performers. The show unveiled a big surprise this week, inviting contestants from the 2020 season back for a last-minute chance to compete in the show. Many commenters on social media were unhappy with the way this threw off the competition for Season 18 and Season 19.

American Idol brought back 10 “familiar faces” from Season 18, who were unable to complete their performance when the production was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Judge Katy Perry said it was “kind of unfair” for those singers, although fans online retorted that it was even more unfair for this year’s contestants to get a last-minute influx of talent. Some raged at the producers and the judges, and even refused to vote in the episode, saying it would not be right.

“Those finalists never got the true experience of the big stage, the lights, the cameras, the hair, the makeup, the wardrobe, that fun stuff, Kris Pooley and the band backing them up,” host Ryan Seacrest said. Even fans of those forgotten contestants said that it would have been better to bring them back earlier in the season, making it more of a fair shot against this year’s talent.

While “The Comeback” may not have gone well for the producers, it cannot be undone. Scroll down for a look at fans’ responses to the last-minute plot twist.

Worse

Some fans proclaimed that the Season 19 contenders are good enough to carry the show on their own, and the Season 18 comeback contestants were out of their league. For that reason, if nothing else, they thought the twist was unnecessary.

Abstain

Many viewers announced that they would not be voting in this round on principle, believing it was no longer a fair competition based on a popular consensus.

Earlier

Many fans indicated that they would have been fine with the comeback round if it had come earlier in the season — perhaps in the Hollywood round.

Murphy

As last year’s contestants returned to the stage unexpectedly, many fans were indignant on behalf of the performers who were cut earlier this year — especially Murphy. They hoped he would get a similar last-minute salvation.

Entertaining

Many viewers admitted that the comeback episode was entertaining to watch, even if the fairness aspect was dubious. However, some argued that this year’s contestants should be up to the challenge of facing last year’s competitors.

Math

Some fans argued that the twist was a good idea in theory, but it should have been implemented differently, with a new spot added to bring the old contestants back. This way it would not have detracted from this year’s performers at all.

Forgettable

Finally, many fans complained that they no longer remembered the 2020 performers or felt invested in their stories, dulling the impact of this comeback twist.