Nigel Denies Manipulation

“Idol” Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe has been doing a lot of media lately to promote his other show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” which premieres next week. But, of course, he’s been answering questions about “Idol” as it winds down…

In an interesting interview with the “New York Post,” Nigel denied any manipulation either to eliminate James or eliminate Haley.

Here is what he had to say about Haley: “Haley has been one of the few that the judges have had harsh words for – but don’t forget that the judges know that her second song will be fantastic because they’ve watched the dress rehearsal. So I think maybe they know they can be tough on the first song because the second one is a wow moment.”

It’s been obvious all season long that the judges have prepared their critiques in advance—notice Steven’s legal pad—but to actually admit it? Wow, this really is the remix…

You can read the rest of the interview here.