Being Idol's Worst is Sanjaya's Best Bet

Wed., Mar. 14, 2007 2:59 PM PDT by Sarah Hall

Vote for the Worst might be Sanjaya Malakar's best chance of winning American Idol.

The anti-Idol Website has thrown its weight behind the 17-year-old contestant from Federal Way, Washington, deeming him the least worthy singer on the show, and therefore the one most deserving of its support.

"At this point, we've gotta embrace Sanjaya and take him as far as he can go," the site proclaimed last week, after its previous picks, Sundance Head and Antonella Barba, were eliminated.

Votefortheworst.com was launched in 2004, with a stated goal to "support voting for the entertaining contestants who the producers would hate to see win on American Idol."

The site counts past contestants John Stevens, Scott Savol, Kevin Covais, Kellie Pickler and season-five winner Taylor Hicks among its successes.

Since the current season began, virtually the only compliments Malakar has earned on the show have pertained to his sweet-natured temperament and ever-changing hairstyles.

His vocals, on the other hand, have been routinely criticized, making him an ideal candidate for Vote for the Worst.

On Tuesday, his shaky rendition of Diana Ross' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" failed to impress the judges once again, though Paula Abdul opined that he looked "adorable."

However, Malakar's carefully styled locks weren't enough to coax positive feedback out of Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

"Dude, it wasn't very good," Randy Jackson said. "That song was almost unlistenable for me. It was really, really weak."

Cowell agreed, accusing Malakar of butchering the song.

"When you hear a wail in Beverly Hills, that is where Diana Ross is watching this show," Cowell said. "She's going to freak when she hears that. The only similarity is the hairstyle."

A crestfallen Malakar admitted he had no idea what Cowell was talking about and said he felt he deserved to return next week.

Naturally, Vote for the Worst agreed, encouraging its visitors to vote as many times as possible for Malakar.

"Vote for Sanjaya for as long as you can, two full hours if you have the time," the site urged. "Just redial while you lay in bed, you'll feel good about it tomorrow when someone the judges love goes home and Sanjaya doesn't."

If Idol-predicting Website dialidol.com—which measures busy signals to determine which contestants' numbers are receiving the most calls—can be believed, Vote for the Worst's efforts are paying off.

By dialidol.com's calculations, Malakar, Lakisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle are the only three Idol hopefuls in the clear, while every other contestant has at least a chance of winding up in the bottom three.

The true test will come during Wednesday's results show, which will feature the elimination of one of the 12 finalists, as well as a performance from Ross, who served as this week's celebrity coach.