Love Lessons From American Idol

What the Popular Fox Hit Show Can Teach Us About Love

May 22, 2007 Cherie Burbach

Tips on dating successfully, inspired from the TV hit American Idol.

Season 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson has had a remarkable post-Idol career. Even though Hudson didn’t come in first, she managed to parlay her Idol success into a major film role and an Oscar.

Lesson: Each thing you experience in life prepares you for the next. This is as true for American Idol as it is for dating. When you’ve ended yet another relationship because things just didn’t work out, don’t despair. Somebody great could be waiting for you right around the corner.

Gina Glocksen is known as the “rocker chick” from Season 6, belting out tunes such as Heart’s “Alone” and Evanescence’s “Call Me When You’re Sober.” But Season 6 wasn’t Glocksen’s only try at Idol gold. In Season 5 she successfully advanced to the Hollywood auditions, but was eliminated on the final day. Despite the grueling Idol audition process, she didn’t give up. When tryouts were held for Season 6 she went for it. Her appearance on American Idol not only netted her a place in the finals and on the Idol tour, but also gave her the exposure to launch a recording career.

Lesson: Don’t give up your dreams, no matter what they are. If you want love, but have been unsuccessful, keep trying. Don’t change your personality or outlook in order to find a date. In Glocksen’s example, she took the judges advice and made herself stand out against a bevy of powerhouse female voices. Yet, she stayed true to her roots and the music she loved to sing. Just because you have been through it before doesn’t mean that this time it won’t be different.

Both Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood (Idol winners from Seasons 1 and 4, respectively) had tried to get recording contracts before they appeared on Idol. It seems amazing now that neither got the interest of music executives they visited, since each has attracted the collective attention of countless fans worldwide. Despite prior disappointments, both Clarkson and Underwood tried again, this time by auditioning for Idol. The rest, as they say, is history.

Lesson: Don’t sit out a future opportunity just because you’ve been disappointed in the past. What was true for Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood in regards to music will ultimately be true for you when it comes to love.

For a time, Sanjaya Malakar was the talk of Idol Season 6. Malakar knocked the judges out during his first audition, but future performances such as “Bathwater” and “Cheek to Cheek” were largely panned. Malakar’s hair became a source of ridicule and fascination, and he seemed to invoke strong feelings in people: they either loved or hated him. All this attention might have thrown off any young performer, but seventeen-year old Malakar took it all in stride. Despite criticism he changed up his hairstyles each week and did well with performances of “You Really Got Me” and “Bésame Mucho.” Malakar advanced to seventh place before getting voted off after country music night.

Lesson: Don’t let other people define who you are. None of us will probably have to feel the kind of media attention that Malakar faced each week on American Idol, and yet, he seemed to take it all in stride. This is a lesson for all of us in life and love. After all, sometimes people (for whatever reason) are just not going to like us. When faced with criticism and break ups, handle yourself gracefully and smile. Let other’s negativity ultimately be about them, not you.

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