On The View, Whoopi led the ladies in a rant against the dangers of American Idol judges allowing themselves to be steered by sympathy for contestants' pitiable backgrounds instead of actual talent.

Though furthering along Idol hopefuls for their pathetic stories may gain viewers' sympathies and help ratings, it only tarnishes the already rusted name of the show, and takes away from its true purpose: the search for genuine talent in a sea of not-quites. As Whoopi states: "everybody's got a story".