2. Melinda Doolittle defends ‘American Idol’
Nine former "American Idol" contestants want to take the show’s producers to court. TMZ.com reports that the ex-competitors, all of whom are Black, feel they were publicly disqualified for their criminal records because of race.
However four more finalists have stepped forward to dispel those accusations. “It is shocking to see such allegations. In my experience on the show, the ‘Idol’ team strives to champion everyone, regardless of race," season 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle told TMZ. "However, each contestant is explicitly told that the withholding of information that may compromise the show or artist, can and will result in immediate disqualification.”
Vonzell Solomon, who was a finalist on season 4 added, “I didn’t experience any [racial discrimination] … all of our contracts were clear about how the background checks worked and that we could be disqualified if we lied about our past.”
