American Idol Season 21 Got Nothing on The Show's Most Competitive Season Ever

American Idol was the one show that started the whole reality singing competition craze nearly two decades ago. However, the series has struggled to stay relevant in recent years, with other shows like The Voice and The Masked Singer luring more viewers with their fresh take on the singing competition genre.

Fortunately, Season 21 of American Idol managed to break the series' losing streak, becoming the most competitive installment in the show's history and making fans genuinely care about the contestants.

While many viewers were rooting for Colin Stough, Megan Danielle, Zachariah Smith, and Wé Ani, it was literally clear from the start that Iam Tongi was going to win the competition. The adorable Hawaiian boy surprised the judges with his very first audition, and he did win the season, sending his fans and coaches into a frenzy — and that is totally okay because Iam definitely deserved to win.

However, Iam's winning the show really put the whole season in jeopardy, as all the excitement turned out to be superficial. Many viewers thought that some of the other artists were in fact better than him, and both Megan and Colin were expected to beat the singer in the finale.

Nevertheless, the voting process proved that likability and interesting backstories were much more important than the contestants' singing skills.

And that's a shame, as the next season of American Idol will likely follow the same pattern, with producers picking their favorite young star and carrying him or her into the finale while neglecting other promising contestants. Needless to say, having several possible winners approaching the finale would benefit the show more, as this would keep intrigue alive until the final vote and more viewers would be keen to watch the competition to the end.

Don't get us wrong, we love and support Iam — but the other singers deserved to be considered for the trophy, even if they didn't win. So when Katy Perry boldly announced that Iam Tongi would win the season right in front of the other contestants, it was really hard not to cringe at how scripted the show turned out to be.