[fenderfan]

I really enjoy how the show gives a singer the chance to go from nothing to a real career in music (and not just for the final winner, but even for those who make it into the final rounds).
A singer from my previous band made it to the Hollywood round two seasons back. When we would be rehearsing, she used to run upstairs to watch Idol and talk about how much she would like to be part of it, so it was pretty surreal to then actually see her on the show (she had a bad cold/throat thing in Hollywood that kept her from doing well and moving farther. If that had not happened, her vocal skill and overall appeal would have gotten her into the later rounds without a doubt, although there's no way to tell if she would have won the whole thing)