10 Reasons (Besides Howard Stern) Why Sanjaya's Still On 'Idol'

Whether it's entertainment value, pity, the media or contrariness — it's working.
By Gil Kaufman


There's one every year: An "American Idol" contestant who dominates the show despite not really having a chance at the top prize.
Some, like William Hung, don't even get past the auditions. But when they do, they shake things up every week, exasperating fans and other contestants, spawning endless chatter about their perplexing ability to avoid the ax.
This year, it's the vocally suspect Sanjaya Malakar, who has turned into a media sensation mostly because of the vast media chatter — including ours, admittedly — about his suspect vocals. Conspiracy theories explaining his popularity have credited everything from the VoteForTheWorst.com Web site and Howard Stern's lobbying efforts see ("Is Howard Stern Behind Sanjaya Malakar's Staying Power On 'Idol'?") to phantom phone banks in his father's native India flooding the show with fake votes (a theory that has apparently been debunked: see "A.M. Surf Report: Fergie Responds To Alanis; Game Slaps Vida Back; Avril Denies Britney Trash Talk").