Results show? Or telethon?

I used to be a big fan of ABC’s The Bachelor (or The Bachelorette, depending on the season). My friends and I would have Bachelor parties every week. (Stay with me, this story kind of has a point.) Then one season of The Bachelorette (the one with Jen) ended without the bachelorette actually choosing anyone. She made it down to the final two, kind of picked one guy, then told him they’d be better suited as friends. After devoting so much time to this show, my friends and I felt cheated. I swore I’d never watch the show again, and I haven’t.

Tonight, I have to admit, I once again feel a little betrayed by reality television. I’m all about charity and good deeds. And I think it’s admirable that the people at Idol decided to use the show’s popularity to bring awareness (oh yeah, and money) to a good cause. But I also feel as though viewers were tricked into watching a two-hour telethon.

Whatever you want to call Wednesday’s Idol, it was not a results show. There were no results. There were, however, some good (and some disappointing) performances from various celebs. And there was a lot of money raised to help fight poverty. (I believe Seacrest said something around $30 million.)

Still, I appreciate honesty. All I’m saying is that it would have been nice to have a little heads-up from our friends at Fox.

When I read Michael Slezak’s immunity prediction (on ew.com), I swore I’d never vote again if that turned out to be the case. I do, however, feel a little better knowing the votes will still go toward next week’s performance. So maybe I’ll be able to justify going back on my word (just this once).

But I still won’t watch The Bachelor.

Erin Patterson/The Times-Union