It’s the sixth season of American Idol and the competition is changing rapidly.

Instead of supporting and voting for the best singers, many viewers are deciding to do just the opposite: vote for the worst.

As a fan of the show, I enjoy listening and watching good singers perform and advance each week toward becoming the next American Idol.

When exceptional singers like Stephanie Edwards leave the show before others who aren’t as musically gifted, I become upset.

Are Americans idolizing individuals with little musical talent?

I decided to do some detective work to see why singers like Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato were receiving more votes than, in my opinion, better singers like Stephanie Edwards and Sabrina Sloan.

My search led me to a Web site called: Votefortheworst.com.

According to the Web site, Votefortheworst.com started in 2004 to “support voting for contestants who the producers would hate to see win on American Idol.”

The motive for their plot is to seek revenge on the producers of the show who during the initial auditions only let specific people advance to see Paula, Simon and Randy.

The Web site asserts that producers have rejected good singers to embrace some of the worst in order to make a more entertaining show for viewers.

Vote For The Worst (VFTW) asks viewers to work together and vote for the contestants the general public and producers are voting against.

Currently, the site has chosen Sanjaya Malakar to be the worst contestant that all viewers should vote for as many times as possible each week.

VFTW claims that their aim “isn’t to win every week, but to get a bad contestant as far as possible” and if their top choice leaves the competition they will choose the next worst performer and encourage viewers to vote for them.

VFTW also offers a new service that will send text updates to your phone with Malakar’s number each week.

So if you aren’t able to watch American Idol because you have class or a meeting, you will have the number to vote for Malakar conveniently saved on your cell.

The service also claims to send the voting results each week to your phone on Wednesday nights.

Student Emily McWatters believes it’s wrong that people are voting for the worst.

McWatters says, “What’s the point in having a singing competition if people are going to vote for someone who can’t belt out one note in tune?”

McWatters also makes a good point that if people continue to vote for the worst singers, the show may take away the viewer’s freedom to vote for their favorite contestants.

Like McWatters, student Patti Batchelor is also frustrated with American Idol. Batchelor exclaims, “People are turning the show into a joke!”

Student Mark Edwards says that the site is the only reason he watches the show.

Edwards rarely viewed the show in the past because he felt it was too repetitive.

Edwards explains, “Vote For The Worst makes American Idol more interesting and provides intrigue to an otherwise mundane show. Without the Web site, there is no reason to watch the show.”

Edwards also feels that VFTW has shown its power in the past by making Taylor Hicks an American Idol winner, and that the Web site continues to prove that it is “a force to be reckoned with.”

I must admit that at first I found contestants such as Antonella Barba and Malakar amusing to watch perform. Now that the climax of the competition is approaching, it’s time to vote for the best singers in the competition instead of the worst.

There is no question that singers such as Lakisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle are more talented vocally than Malakar and Scarnato.

American Idol has been the outlet for many singers such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry to receive national recognition for their talent.

Viewers should accept the fact that reality television is not perfect, and there are most likely many actions occurring behind the scenes that we may not agree with.

The important idea to keep in mind is that these contestants that perform on television are human beings who have hopes and dreams they are striving to achieve.

Vote for your favorite contestants if you wish to support them on their journey to accomplishing a career in the music business.

I continue to support my favorite performers Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis through voting and making others aware of the plot to turn American Idol into a show that supports the worst singers in the nation.

Help preserve the goal of American Idol by supporting the best singers.

Let’s also keep the worst singers where they belong: in the first few auditions before individuals with exceptional singing talent advance to Hollywood.

Send comments to Michelle Dominick at [email protected].