Is 'American Idol' looking to eliminate Ryan Seacrest?

Could dumping Ryan Seacrest help "American Idol" saggy ratings?

That's what the folks at Fox may be wondering, a source close to the show told the Scoop this week.

Seems studio-sponsored audience surveys are also asking questions about Seacrest and his interaction between the contestants and the judges.

While all of the main players were included in the question, “How important are each of the following people to your overall enjoyment of ‘American Idol’?” the survey also asks participants to weigh in on two extra statements: “I like the interaction between Ryan and the contestants” and  “I like the interaction between the judges and Ryan.”

Hmmm. Wonder what the answers were?

Is this why Ryan has been so busy off "AI," hosting the Super Bowl pre-game show, the 2007 Emmys, covering the 2008 Oscar red carpet for E!, picking up a reality TV award at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards show as well as producing Denise Richard's new reality series?

Just saying. Maybe that's why the hardest-working man in show business has been working extra hard lately.

He's so darn busy it's a miracle he's managed to stay in touch with (Seacrest's so smitten, he constantly texts her) his new squeeze, Sophie Monk, who's been really busy herself, shooting "Hard Breakers."

Top photo: Jordin Sparks has such fond memories of Ryan, she posed backstage with him at the Kids Choice Awards.

Bottom photo: And check out the legs on Ryan's new squeeze, Sophie Monk!
WireImage

Comments

[Mitzi]

Ryan lost a lot of fans when he was so cruel to Michael Johns. It's always a risk to change a major cast member on a show like AI...but if they give Seacrest another chance, he'd better be kinder to the kids, and stop being silly with the judges or else we'll turn them off for good!

[m]

ryan is a alikecheesey "game show host'. his contribution to society is nil.

[Cindy]

Ryan Seacrest is certainly NOT the problem on American Idol It's the judges!!!! There is far too much squabbling and making jokes between them. Simon sits there and acts as if he's bored stiff. Paula acts as if she's half in the bag...and Randy isn't too far behind them. For Pete's sake get some fresh faces in there!!! It's a joke and people are sick of it/

[Chelsea]

i am sexy

[Sandra]

I like Ryan Seacrest. It's the judges who bore me. I find myself muting the tv when they start running on and on. I know they are accomplished in the industry but they bore me.

[Julia Minor]

Do not get rid of Ryan, but maybe you should think of getting rid of Paula. She's the problem. I love Am.Idol but can't stand watching her struggle to talk each week. She sounds like someone who doesn't speak our language.

[Mat]

American idol is boring because we all know that ultimately it will be the Davids battling it out.

I just want to fast forward the show 3 weeks and figure out which David is going to win.

[Sandra]

I don't think that this has anything to do with judges or Ryan. I think this years contestants are boring and lack lots of talent. The judges need to be more selective for next season in order to the keep the ratings up.

[Donna]

I don't think Ryan is doing anything wrong and neither are the judges. I think the audience is just tired of the show. I thought this would be the last year no matter what. It has run it's course.

[Larry Forbes]

The problem is not Ryan or the judges. The problem is the voters who pick out a favorite because they're cute or interesting. They are voting for the person whether they can sing or not. This is a singing contest, not a personality contest. They have to figure out a way that the good singers are not voted off. When the best singers are eliminated we lose interest !!

[Barb]

Ryan is not the problem, it is that so many are more worried about personalities and not talent. This is a show looking for talent and Ryan is very good at what he does and that is keep everyone's head cool. I think the show would not be as good without him.

[mimi c]

Without Simon on the show, I wouldn't watch it. Love that man..he's usually right on..not always, but usually.

I'd hate to lost any of them, actually.

[Don]

The judges (all three) need to go! They make it hard to enjoy the show because they seem so far detached from reality. It seem to be a different judge each week. This week it was Paula. Keep Ryan!

[Yoli]

Do you think this is a ploy? I've heard rumors that Ryan is looking to replace Larry King isn't he like 100 years old and ready to retire? This could all be a very calculated way for him to move on to something new. Maybe having a 4th judge every week who is the "Voice of America" a plane old joe like most of us. Could be intersting. I pitched the idea to Simon at one of the Idol Concerts when he and Randy were sitting behind me. He laughed!

[Yoli]

Do you think this is a ploy? I've heard rumors that Ryan is looking to replace Larry King isn't he like 100 years old and ready to retire? This could all be a very calculated way for him to move on to something new. Maybe having a 4th judge every week who is the "Voice of America" a plane old joe like most of us. Could be intersting. I pitched the idea to Simon at one of the Idol Concerts when he and Randy were sitting behind me. He laughed!

[lynn]

people arre upset because they run overtime every week I'm tired of randy and his calling everyone dawg and saying yeeeah does he not speak english? Paula is in outer space most times. Simon needs to keep his hands to himself so he doesn't encourage her or make her more ditzy than usual Ryan has only made me mad one time and that was because he was rude and nasty when he told Michael Johns he was going home

[Shag]

Those are not legs on his girlfriend, those are sticks. That's part of the problem that's going in the modeling, undersized women.

[Marshall]

Ryan does a great job at keeping the show moving and on time. He could certainly show more respect to the contestants. His wit doesn't have to be quite as sarcastic, but he's still good. Just needs toning down, and his relationship with judges is too familiar.

[Kells]

Ryan? Does that even make sense? He could possibly be the only intellectual on the show aside from the musicians and the talent. Paula needs to go, get William Hung...anyone...just not Ryan! That is, if you want the show to go on...

[Johnboy]

The current judges -- Pitchy, Kitschy and Bitchy -- are all too predicable.

[Mike]

Changing the mix at this point is a waste. I and my family still love to watch the show. All the party poopers have left so it's all right.
With A.D.D. so prevalent a lot get bored easily. AI dominated the ratings for so long it's hard to keep that up. It's still better than most crapola on TV so I hope it continues.

[MaryJ]

Paula is the problem, not Ryan! Please, please get rid of Paula. Her drunken babbling drives me nuts. Olivia Newton-John did well when she was a guest judge. . .why not replace Paula with Olivia?

[Linda Walschots]

I agree with Donna....the teeny boppers have taken over the votes....its a personality contest and not a singing contest anymore...I know I am getting tired of it.
Linda

[tricia]

My husband and enjoy AI. I personally like Ryan and cannot imagine another host in his place. The show just would not be the same. Simon and Randy are both okay; however, Paula acts like she is not with the program. Personally I think she needs to look in the mirror. Most of the time her attire is tacky and sleezy looking. Who helps her with her wardrobe? pi

[Debbie A]

I think that Ryan does a great job for the show, as stated before it is the public that vote for popularity and not talent..what has happened to this show, it takes away from what this is really about! Carly and Mike Johns should never have left and it should be David Cook all the way, if America or the producers screw this up they may start losing viewers!

[Whit]

I'd like to see Paula's chair used for various guest judges in the music industry. Also, I lost interest when Brooke, now in the top 5???? flubbed up and still got to stay. BORING and just Plain Wrong!

[Linda]

I love AI, but am so tired of Randy Jackson and his Dawg comments. Yo Dawg! Poor Paula I some times wonder if she is on meds, she struggles so hard to complete a sentence. Simon is just Simon. Ryan is just getting to cocky, and has on several occasions forgotten to introduce Simon at the beginning of show, which is so tacky.
I certainly think having someone that is from everyday life would give the show some punch.

[lou Faircloth]

I like Ryan very much and think he is very professional. He is not as silly as the judges. Personlly, I think he is very professional and would not watch American Idol if he was dismissed. I have placed a lot of votes for various idols.

[cindysoo]

I think it would be a better show if you voted for who you thought SHOULD BE KICKED OFF. That way you could have more than one favorite until the end when you are forced to choose ONE. I really think it would be more accurate that way.

[Donna]

Personally this season has been terrible. The talent just isn't there. Most seasons there is someone that sticks out and you love to watch them evolve, but this year they are not really good. Maybe they need new judges get a fresh set in there to pick real talent. Watching what little we got to see of Hollywood week there were some that they should have kept, but for some odd reason they didn't. For the most part I like Simon he usually tells it like it is and doesn't sugar coat it. I'm tired of seeing Paula fumble for words and tired of Randy also. Those two are just boring and obnoxious. I mostly like Ryan. As long as he's not hooked on Kelly Pickler's "addition". Sometimes he says the wrong thing, but most of the time he's ok.

[dominique]

Ryan's the last person to get rid of, he does a great job. I would get rid of Simon and Paula, and possibly Randy. Definitely not Ryan.

People think the sun rises and sets with Simon, however that is not true. I now mute him and mostly all the judges comments because they are repetitive, predictable, and useless. Simon and Paula are like little children who never grew up. Not fun to watch them.

[cindysoo]

I think it would be a better show if you voted for who you thought SHOULD BE KICKED OFF. That way you could have more than one favorite until the end when you are forced to choose ONE. I really think it would be more accurate that way.

[JR]

American Idol has sunk to a level of abusing contestants. The producers think this is the form of entertainment America wants...they are wrong.
Dump the show. It has lost its relevancy in TV land.

[Debs]

I wish everyone would wake up and realize that AI is a singing contest, not a popularity contest. Jason has to go...he is soo boring.
Along with Jason, send Paula out too... she has nothing important to say to the contestants and babbles constantly, I can't stand listening to her anymore... she is done. Get rid of her!!!Simon is ok, as is Randy... Ryan is awesome....

[Debby reames]

Ryan is awesome, I think Paula is boring sometimes. This year its a tough competition and I know the finalists are going to be the Davids.No problem from Ryan's side

[Sally]

Get rid of the Mosh pit. Looking through all those arms is like looking through a sea of snakes.

Get rid of the inane banter between the Judges and with Ryan.

Kill some of the commercials won't happen.

Actually, get judges that really critique the singers or extend their vocabulary beyond say "Check it out, man", "That's the bomb", "You're the dawg" ,"You are such a gifted artist" to every contestant that sings, "I love what your wearing tonight" .

Bring the backup band together.

Get rid of mentors who don't really mentor and are just their to promote their next upcoming album. Find mentors younger than the contestant's grandfathers

[joan]

ryan is a vital part of the show. if anyone to get rid of would be paula. when it comes to her coments she might as well say ditto, after randy speaks. now she made a big blunder. get rid of her.

[Kelly]

Get rid of Paula. She is an idiot!!! She thought they sanfg two songs when they only sang one last night!! She's either drunk or high as a kite!! Either way she needs to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Doreen]

I give Ryan an A+ as a host, Simon an A+ for his honesty, Randy a B+ for his contributions and Paula a D- because she's really the only one that bores me......as Simon would say "forgettable"

[wndlou]

KEEP RYAN!!! The show would not be the same or as good without Ryan, Simon, Randy, and Paula! It would RUIN the show if any of them were replaced!!! they work well together and the show has lasted 7 Seasons just fine!

[shelly bigger]

they need to create a panel of 10 or so judges to rate the contestants and only allow 40% of the text messages to hold any water. Kids are voting(texting) who knows how many times for ONE person and it should be ONE VOTE per person, for EACH contestant. SO.. You could vote each week, once, for each contestant

[Tracey]

This is what they need to do….

Ryan - keep him - he is good - and good for the contestants when they get slammed by the judges.
Randy - you can replace him - all he does is drop names, says Dawg, and tells them they have "pitch" problems.
Paula - well that is a no-brainer. And that goes for her too. She can not put a sentence together before moving on to another…and she says everyone is GREAT each time - she has no guts to tell them when they do bad.
Simon - he has to stay cause he is the show. Contestants hate when he says they are no good, but all they look for is a Good Praise from him. They could get amazing comments from Randy and Paula - but that don't matter if Simon does not like em. But he needs to stop with the "theme park, cruise ship, etc" comments.

And the songs they do…get into this decade please. Doing songs from singers that even the contestants parents were too young to have grown up with. Neil Diamond?? I know he is amazing…but come on…these guys don't have a clue who he is. Give them a different song book to choose from so they are NOT singing the same songs each year. And take out Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion. They CAN NOT sing ANY of their songs AT ALL. I understand having them sing different kind of music to see their talent….but don't judge them by saying, "this is not your comfort zone, or not your style". WELL YA they could have told you that.

One last thing…if Simon hates the Cruise Ship songs so much, STOP making them sing like that during the show. All in a group dancing around the stage….how cheesy.

Oh, and when the Rocker "nurse" chick was kicked off cause the judges wanted her to sing something other then rock….well HELLO tell David A the same thing. He sings the same type of SLOW song. BORING!!

Last thing - stop rigging the show. Paula "thinking" they sang twice?? I don't think so. Either she is being told what to say…and messing that up…or they are judging from the rehearsals.

[Katie]

Keep Ryan. The sagging popularity is that good singers get voted off while others get the votes such as Sanjaya ans so forth. Sometimes America does not get it right....

[riley]

OMG!!! I WOULD STOP WATCHING AI IF THEY KICKED OF RYAN!

[Charlie]

Last season I emailed one of the producers of AI and suggested a change in the voting procedure which I thought would yield truer results and stop the skewed voting for favorites...just have everyone vote only for the worst performance of the night. I think the best....not necessarily the cutest......would then likely win. The change would reinvigorate AI. Ryan is Great. Use a celebrity judge each week to replace Paula.

[Robin]

The problem is that the judges should count for some of the voiting. It is them that choose the top 25, so it should be the judges count for 1/2 and then the public count for 1/2. That way it can be more of a vocal contest instead of a popularity. We should not have another season where a Taylor Hicks is voted as the winner. So where is he now????

[Jo]

Ryan is not the problem. Michael Johns & Carly should never have left. The teeny boppers have turned this into a popularity contest and the mosh pit is totally annoying.

[Lessia Bonn]

We are a large fun-loving batch of teenage girls. We love watching American Idol. Here's the thing; Ryan is just a little not bright maybe. Paula is obviously on medication. Simon has to be unpredictable or no one will watch the show. It's really all about what Simon Says now in the end, isn't it? And people tend to vote for a person in their favorite genre now mostly. David Cook is AMAZING and he crosses genres a bit--that's why he's popular. He deserves it.
Now about Simon Cowell--we put together a funny music vid about him this weekend. We couldn't resist. So if you have three minutes, here it is-- us singing:

SCARY GUY:Ode to Simon Cowell.
You'll find it funny.
Seriously.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=84xtGS4TU7M

thanks for reading all this
good day now

[darvio]

Paula needs to go. She is so phony and talks like she is uneducated and on drugs. No one should ask for her opinion. She is just there as a playtoy, and so Simon can stare at her breasts the whole time. They need to get a woman who is credible on that show. She is an embarrassment to successful women. Randy and Simon give good feedback. Simon has even become less cruel. I like Ryan. He is just trying to keep things going.

[Mary]

Ryan is great - he is priceless in the audition phases when he manages to keep a straight face and be genuinely charming to each and every weird and needy contestant and their family members. He's the best thing about Idol in the audition phase which is when the season builds its viewers and ratings.

It's not Ryan, it's not the judges (admit it Simon is always right, we like watching the Paula train wreck and Randy is the only one who actually knows music), it's not the band, it's not the singers - the problem with Idol is the theme weeks and the guest judges who are only there to promote their own records. The themes each week are boring and either so broad (60's, 70's, 80's) as to be useless in any unifying way or so narrow (an individual songbook) that they are stiflingly boring musically. The flop second week of Beatles themes just proves the point - the producers are on autopilot and are guided by money and music industry plugs rather than what will actually make a great TV viewing experience. This will kill the golden goose if viewers sign off - no amount of iTunes plugs will save Idol then...

[JD Sigmon]

The problem with ratings is not Ryan Seacrest. It is twofold. First, there are a plethora of reality shows right now. Second, the talent this year is not as good as it has been the previously years. That is the judges fault and not Seacrest's.

[lovelyroses]

They should only allow one vote per household. Rating probably have gone down because people liked more mature people like Michael Johns. The prepubecent Archie should be eliminated until he finds some balls. As for Seacreat, I love seeing him. Randy and Paula could use more vocabulary as could Archie.

[jms61]

Ryan can go and do what ever he wishes in terms of his career; however, I think he's great...happy that he ditched 'Seacrest, Out!' but aside from that the show, as it is works superbly and this is from a baby boomer who would love to see the 'Idol' format stay just as it is. My only fault is with Simon and others like him...what the hell's the matter with old broads?! Seriously, enjoyed seeing what these singers-entertainers can do with music they were unfamiliar with. If you can't deal with challenges at their ages, watch out as Bette Davis said...you're in for a bumpy ride!!' The superior amongst those who got cut way too early continues to be measured in the grace they continue to exhibit.

[Shirl]

The show would not be the same without Ryan. He does an awesome job.
I do think however, that Paula's dumb act is getting a little old. It's frustrating listening to her each week struggle through her comments. I think at times the contestants don't even know what she's trying to say.
As far as Simon. He has to stay. He's the reason why most people watch this show. He makes it interesting.
I think however, this year the competition isn't much and that's why it's a little boring.
But I love this show and hope they have better talent next year.

[josh]

This is the first season I've watched the show. I think Ryan ia actually very entertaining. The judges are so damn predictable that they are a meaningless part of the show, not to mention that Paula Abdul is pathetic to watch as she babbles. How about getting rid of her.

[Karen]

The problem with ratings starts with the initial process of picking talent. Out of a 100,000 people trying out, there has to be better talent. The talent this year is just average, to say the least. The transformation of the contestants in their dress, hair, etc., seems to be lacking this year also. Usually, it is fun to watch them change, over the course of the show, into star material. It has not happened this year.

Get rid of the mentors. They are useless. Find a better way of getting material for the contestants to sing.

The overall judging needs to be changed. The three judges need to be more serious and less cute. They need to have a part in the judging all the way to the end, along with America, so that good talent does not get removed too early in the show.

Ryan is not the problem.

[Frank Sharpe]

I think Ryan does a great job!!!

[kim]

I love american idol. I look forward to it every year. The judges are great including Simon and Ryan too. The show would be boring without all of them together.

[Helenah]

I like American Idol but the thing with the voting is ridiculous. It should not depend on how many friends you have and the teeny boppers can dial faster than friends and family. If you get my drift. I like Simon the most. Ryan's insults are old and rude. Enough already!The others may appear cool and then when you listen to them they have no substance. You stand there going huh what did they say? I have wanted David Cook to win from the beginning because he has talent. If we are going for personality then end it now David Noriega was Mr. Charm. That's my 2 cents.

[franieg]

Each year I wait for Ryan Seacrest to say, THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL. Ryan is American Idol! There has been A big mistakes this year, these mistakes are no fault of Ryan. I believe the judges have a different agenda than the program AI. Their interest seems to be every where but on choosing the next AI. Judges get your professionalism together or hit the road and let some one with freshness and honesty take your seats. Also, you judges lied to us, claiming this is the best group ever, give me a break, something has to be wrong with your hearing, they all sound the same, there is no originality, character, charm or soul in any of them, I feel nothing from any of them. Judges bring back the excitment and rush of expectation, or all of you hit the road. This is the most boring group of singers. I have not connected with any of them, usually friends and family refer to the contestants by name, but not this year. Everyone is saying it makes no difference who win, who ever win will be boring. So Nigel, stop picking with Ryan who does his job very well, and get on the judges who may have to many other things going on at the same time. THIS IS FRANIEG...OUT!

[cynthia gaddy]

I WOULD NOT WATCH IF THEY CHANGED THE JUDGES OR RYAN.

I BELIEVE THEY ALL COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER.

IT IS A PERFECT MIX.

C.GADDY
ROCKINGHAM NC

[James]

Ryan is a bore and huge narcissist. Get rid of him and the ratings will go up. He is totally overexposed and a hack.

Let him go.