American Idol fans are shocked and angered about the circumstances surrounding the disqualification of contestant Jermaine Jones.
Judges of the popular Fox network show sent the 25year-old vocalist back to Pine Hill, N.J. after discovering the crooner has outstanding arrest warrants and a criminal history that involved a physical altercation. Police in Gloucester Township verified that part of the information was correct in releases to the media this week.
“Mr. Jones currently has two warrants outstanding for failure to appear for the Hindering Apprehension charges from Gloucester Township with a total bail amount of $1,000,” said an official statement from the Gloucester Township Police Department, posted on the Gloucester Township Patch website.
Jones was asked to meet with producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick after his criminal history was disclosed, including two arrests last year in which he gave false names to police.
The producers told Jones that he should have come to them and let them know, but in any circumstance, they said, they can’t have contestants with open warrants. The show issued a statement saying that Jones’ official causes of elimination were “veracity issues and failing to disclose information.”
“I was just scared, nervous. I didn’t want to get judged, I didn’t want to get penalized for anything that happened in the past,” said Jones, during the elimination shown on the March 14 episode. Fans have spoken out against the way in which the televised elimination meeting took place.
Jones’ velvety voice helped bring him back from exile after he was eliminated previously in the show. His elimination, after being brought back by a wildcard, shrinks the finalist list of Season 11 down to 11. In spite of the controversy, Joshua Ledet singing “When a Man Loves a Woman.” was called by Jennifer Lopez as the best act of the evening and the best she’d ever seen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-X4WkJBv5U
American Idol has been a staple of the Fox evening lineup since 2002. The show has sent the country into frenzies for cranking out winners such as Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, and Ruben Studdard.
