As scary competitive as I am, I have grown weary of contest-based reality television. Singing, dancing, dating and ‘other talent’ shows just aren’t doing it for me these days. Maybe I am alone?

There was a time when I was among the “Idol faithful”… I believe it was during seasons one through three. It seems folks are still watching “American Idol,” “The Voice,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “America’s Got Talent,” etc… but I am not among them.  I’m not saying that they are bad shows, but I’m just looking for something new and different.

They used to be novel, new and exciting…I’m talking to you Kelly Clarkson. The first couple of seasons of “Idol” were magic:  Big voices, total new genre (mostly) and judges who were not yet ego-maniacal enough to steal the show.

I was even willing to patiently endure every long, painfully positioned commercial break, at the urging of Ryan Seacrest, to find out who had survived another round.

Then, every wannabe started waiting in line to be ‘discovered’ and my love affair ended for the most part.

What I love(d) was that Idol turned “nobody’s” into bona fide stars. What I love(d) was seeing who could sing without the bells and whistles of backup singers and accompaniment. What I love(d) was that we got to see new talent, before the Hollywood machine took over and made them more marketable (you know how this works).

What I really want is something new. I know imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (did I butcher that quote?), but I want something that doesn’t copy or imitate. I guess I am issuing a challenge of sorts to all those idea people out there to come up with something that isn’t a singing competition featuring diva judges.

Maybe I am asking too much? It doesn’t have to be a new genre in the way that reality television was when it burst onto the seen a decade and a half ago (Real World anybody?).

Until Next Time….