Singing stars have evolved from the 11 year old scout TV show, American Idol. The upcoming 13^th season has yet another new cast of judges; Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. But will these new judges win the attention of more viewers across the nation?

A selective amount of students in WS seem to not be as excited as the cast might hope them to be. They prefer the old times when Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson ran the show, rather than the newer judges.

“It’s not the same without Simon” said senior Rebecca Sharp.

It all seems that the main attraction of the show was not always the singers rising to the top, but one of the judges that created it all.

Once Cowell said his goodbyes in 2010, when season nine of Idol ended, things changed. Cowell brought a dash of spice to the show with his humor and brutal honesty. Jackson was like the good to Cowell’s bad. He was the bitter-sweet medicine that no one wanted to take but it helped it go down the pipe.

They are what made American Idol lovable for all those years.

It was more than a talent scouting show with those two. It was also humorous and a wave of legitimate reality, providing what the sappy soap operas and “reality” TV shows could not.

“They were at the top of their ranks in the beginning with making new stars and they have been a great influence to newer singing shows”, said junior Omar Lacayo.

As singing shows became popular, recasting the judges was hoped to keep their popularity from dropping, but it may have backfired.

In season 10, Lopez and Steven Tyler were introduced to idol for the first time, joining Jackson. Lopez is famous for her music and her acting, as she is making a comeback in season 13 as well.

Urban, a country singer, returns to Idol after he appeared on season 12. Connick, famous for being in the movie “Copycat” and his career as a pianist, composer, and singer is new to the mix and the third addition to this upcoming season’s judges.

Even with the new and improved ways to the show, it may not ever be as good as the original. Idol has sort of over done the constant mixing of new judges.

“I think [that the newer seasons] are not as good they used to be. They need to bring [Cowell] back! He was the best part of the show!” said junior Kellen McMurry

“Yes, [when Cowell was judging] the old [seasons] were better [than the newer seasons],” said junior Lanaiya Parker.

“I don’t like that they have changed the judges,” said junior Timea Renfrow.

It seems that most of the Spartans have either no opinion or are disappointed in these new changes. The widely noticeable change is in the various judges coming and going after each season. Students make no attempt to hide their apathy.

“It doesn’t matter if they keep changing the judges [to make the show better],” said senior Claire Martin.

Sometimes change is a good thing, but Idol doesn’t seem to be on that celebration parade. As a tip for the new judges of American Idol: bring your own style, keep it real, and maybe the viewers will warm up to you.