Will American Idol’s New Judge Jinx the Show's Success?

People all across America have by now formed their own opinion about whether or not they like the new female judge on American Idol. Kara DioGuardi is an experienced music writer and producer, having worked with Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, and former Idol winner Carrie Underwood. Her pull and influence in the music industry goes without saying, and she seems to have a good camaraderie and rapport with the other judges.

But what most of America may not know is that DioGuardi’s television track record is remarkably bad when it comes to Nielsen ratings. Back in the summer of 2006, ABC developed and aired an American Idol rip-off show titled, "The One: Making a Music Star." ABC gave it a prime slot in their schedule and promoted it heavily as the ultimate television show for summertime viewing.

The network said the show wasn’t just looking for the next big music star, it was also going to show the trials and tribulations of the contestants as they lived and worked together at a music academy. Something like "American Idol Survivor." Ads for the show claimed that it was going to be superior to both American Idol and Rock Star because the contestants would have their actions and interactions documented in a format similar to the one used for the reality show Big Brother.

The One was hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, a Canadian celebrity best known for being the host of CBC Television’s The Hour. The judges on the show were music industry veteran Mark Hudson, former record executive Andre Harrell, and-as you may have guessed from this big buildup-Kara DioGuardi.

In ABC’s promotions before the premiere of The One, the network called it "the show FOX doesn’t want you to see," and said that the show’s content would go "where Idol has never gone." All of the contestants would be living together and always competing, on stage and off, and rivalries, arguments, grudges, and emotional breakdowns could result. The format of the show was the opposite of American Idol and more in line with other reality show: viewers at home would choose the bottom three contestants, the judges would save one of those three, and the remaining contestants would save another and decide which of the three would go home. It was reported to be the most expensive summer series in ABC’s history.

The One: Making a Music Star debuted on July 18, 2006, scoring a rating that was the second-lowest ever for a television show premiering on a major American TV network. According to Nielsen, the first episode of the show was the lowest-rated series premiere ever in the history of the ABC network. Subsequent shows had even lower ratings, and after two weeks the show was canceled abruptly with no explanation and the show’s final results still undecided. The website for the show carried one ominously brief comment saying the network had no plans for additional episodes.

And now DioGuardi is reprising her role of musical contest judge, only this time on an established show with legendary Nielsen ratings. Before this season began, the other judges were publicly crowing about how she would be a great addition, she would give the show a needed change-up, and according to Randy Jackson, "the extra girl power is good." It remains to be seen whether or not these optimistic predictions will hold true. And as long as DioGuardi hasn’t brought along with her any jinx from her previous singing contest gig, they may just be right. But it is interesting that everyone connected with American Idol has hedged their bets by keeping mum about DioGuardi’s sordid past. DioGuardi’s official website makes no mention at all of The One, and the story is not included in most of her biographies on the Internet.