Part 1 of Hollywood week ends in a cliffhanger on American Idol

I could be wrong (I’ve been known to be wrong before) but: Have we ever seen a cliffhanger like this on American Idol before? I don’t believe so.

The final Hollywood week contestant of the episode, Symone Black, took a horrific tumble off the Idol stage right where the hour ended. There’s lots brewing about it. Some are saying it’s the lowest of the low: A show leaving its audience hanging uncomfortably and unnecessarily. In the past, we’ve always found out the verdict of some drama or another when our little buddy Seacrest announces “after the break” per usual. Not so this time. Our “break” constitutes a little more than 23 hours, not the normal 2 minutes.

The unexpected events are showcased in the video below. It appears Symone suffered a dizzy spell … or possibly something else entirely. She begins blinking, is clearly disoriented, rubs her head, becomes disoriented, stumbles trying to keep her balance then falls off the stage with the floor five feet below her. It’s a rather horrific looking tumble. An onlooker below — one of the crew or someone — tried reaching out to catch her, but wasn’t successful in cushioning much of her fall.

And … is that a gasp of inhaled breath we hear her take just before she falls? It certainly sounds that way.

We’re just going to have to hang tight ’til Thursday night to see what Symone’s fate turns out to be. Of the 309 Hollywood hopefuls, 24 have gotten through to this point … and we’re left with one tense ending on a Wednesday night on Idol.

Note:

• Here’s something (possibly) interesting to consider: You can hear Nigel Lythgoe say “medic, please” not once, not twice, but thrice on the show … and in the video above. Make of that what you will.

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Feb 09, 2012 @ 01:21 EST5EDT