After a 16-year-old contestant fell from the stage near the end of Wednesday night’s installment of “American Idol,” the show’s handling of the incident — and subsequent wisecracks by executive producer Nigel Lythgoe — outraged some viewers.
The stage fall by Symone Black was turned into a cliffhanger at the end of the episode, apparently to encourage viewers to tune in tonight to find out whether Black was OK. This may be a spoiler, but the update on that part of the story, according to a Fox spokesperson, is that Black received treatment for dehydration and was OK, according to EW.com.
Meanwhile, a tide of concern surfaced among fans posting online, and that’s where Lythgoe stepped into it. MSNBC.com reported that fans expressed concern for Black along with anger that “Idol” had turned the incident into a cliffhanger, to which Lythgoe responded with some unfortunate tweets.
According to MSNBC, Lythgoe tweeted: "I know you’re all going crazy. You’ll have to wait until (Thursday). That’s why I’m a mean producer."
The report adds: “As if that mean reputation needed any boosting, Lythgoe then joked about the stage-side spill and the cliffhanger complaints.”
Lythgoe wrote in his follow-up post: "It’s not a ‘cliffhanger.’ She didn’t hang, she fell," the story reports.
Of course, that just further provoked fans … and the battle continues to rage online.
Here’s the video of Black’s appearance and her fall from the stage:
Nigel can joke about it now because he knows she is all right. Please notice that he was right down there with her, calling for a medic.
And notice that all this controversy will get the ratings up for tonight. The show has had a slow start compared to previous years, this publicity will get more people watching. There is a reason why he has been successful.
It’s kind of horrible that the show has the kids standing on a stage that high.
Why not use a ramp?
Oh for crying out loud… why not just wrap them in bubble wrap?