American Idol Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips recently opened up about his time on the show, revealing a secret about the show’s production that many fans might not know. Phillips claimed that parts of the show are rigged to benefit certain contestants.
Phillip Phillips Reveals American Idol Secret
In a new interview with Taste of Country, Phillip Phillips revealed that some contestants had a very different experience moving through the competition than he did. He claimed that certain singers were recruited by the show, and parts of the competition were rigged in their favor.
“I never really watched the show, you know, when I went out for it, but people had tried out for years and it gets, it’s very serious for them,” Phillips said. “You start realizing that some of these people were scouted. So they were like, they were guaranteed they were going to make it to a certain level. I was like, what? I was kind of, my mind was blown on that.”
As for Phillips, he told the outlet that he “didn’t care about winning” the show, explaining, “I just did it because my parents said, here’s some gas money. We think he could do it. I did and got it and got lucky.”
Phillips was crowned the winner of Season 11 in 2012, going on to release his debut single “Home.” It became the best-selling American Idol coronation song in the show’s history.
Earlier this year, Phillip Phillips appeared on The Masked Singer Season 14, disguised as a character called Pugcasso. He ended up finishing the competition in second place, behind Golden Mask trophy winner Ashlee Simpson.
Phillips has released three new singles so far this year — “Homesick,” “Let’s Go Far,” and “Remember Me.” His new EP, Let’s Go Far: Vol 1, will be released on September 4. He’s also gearing up to embark on a new tour beginning September 10, with dates around the United States lined up through November.
Are you a fan of American Idol winner Phillip Phillips? Have you been keeping up with his new music? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
