I didn't watch this past weekend's episodes yet because I've been busy and part of my watch group is out of town until Friday. I stayed away from spoilers, but decided to come on here on a whim. When I noticed that there were 75 comments on this thread I got curious. That's alarming, so I figured something big happened and decided to spoil myself.
What. The. F***. They got rid of two fan favorites in one show? While Adya is still there AFTER BEING ELIMINATED AND SAVED ALREADY, Obom still seems to be coasting and Anjana has finally found a way to be barely tolerable?
Skimming through this thread I can see why Menuka got eliminated. She's very pleasant to listen to and more versatile than given credit for, but you can't keep messing up and getting away with it. She peaked early, has already found mainstream success, and got somewhat of a cure for her eyesight too, so it's fine that she got eliminated. Even though she was easily in the top two of the female contestants and I will miss her.
There is no justification for Utkarsh being eliminated. He is beloved by everyone. All the judges, his peers and the audience alike. His voice is unique and he never has a bad or even average performance. He felt like a guarantee to make the finale. The idea of him not making it there is bad enough. The idea of him not making the top 7, while Adya got saved like a billion times and Obom is practically begging to go home is unfathomable. There is a 99.9% chance that politics or rigging took place here, and the comments from many posters saying he seemed off suggest that he knew it. It's been a common theme seemingly every season on both Idol and occasionally even SRGMP to have Finale-caliber performers get eliminated before the finale, so that the audience cannot vote for them when it matters most. It's one of the worst-kept secrets in television at this point. I really thought we'd be immune to that possibility this season but this show never fails to screw up in the final month.
I'm just sad that they finally gave us all such a great season, with so many talented participants and a vibe that many of us hadn't felt in roughly 10 years if not more. Hussain back as host. A judges panel that is amazing and elevates the show, as opposed to the previous years where judges ranged from mediocre to detracting from the show entirely. Several soothing and versatile singers. Incredible audition and theatre round that felt like a trip back to the good old days of this show's history. Nothing too forced. Very few things to complain about over the first couple months.
And now it's all feeling tainted. Because politics/elitism wins again. I should've known better but hey, at least we got as much good content as we did this year, for as long as we got it. I might catch the Hemant Kumar episode when my watch group gets time this weekend if I feel like it. I'll skip the Sunday episode though. And without Menuka and Utkarsh there, I'm not sure if I can convince myself to watch the remainder of the episodes. I'll try, since I do like most of the remaining contestants and love two of the three judges. But with neither Menuka nor Utkarsh there, while at least half the remaining contestants can't hold a candle to them, I don't know anymore. Maybe I'll skim through to hear my favorites and finish each episode in 15 minutes max, but that might take motivation too. It doesn't help that most of my other hobbies (including shows) are either on hiatus, the season for them is over or have fallen apart in recent weeks.
I am sorry for the long rant but you guys know how rejuvenated I have felt about this show all season, after last season got complacent and the year before that went off the rails. This season was so good that apparently it was too good. And we all know Sony can't let us ever be truly happy for too long.