AMERICAN IDOL ON FOX NETWORK: POTENTIAL EMOTIONAL TIMEBOMB FOR CONTESTANTS

PRESS RELEASE

AMERICAN IDOL ON FOX NETWORK:
POTENTIAL EMOTIONAL TIMEBOMB FOR CONTESTANTS

For Immediate Release

Recently, the contestants from American Idol reveal just how emotionally
difficult the process can be, unfortunately, this experience is turned into exploitation for the sake
of ratings, says Terence McPhaul, a Mental Health Therapist, Personal Advisor to the Stars and author of The Celebrity Psyche and The Psychology of Hip Hop.

McPhaul, who has appeared as a Mental Health expert for Court TV and Bill
O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor says, “one could argue that what is witnessed on the Fox TV program is the nature of show business, but this is hardly the typical scenario,”

Of course, those who have watched American Idol will indicate it has been
amusing watching Simon and Randy tear away at the emotional core of some of the contestants. The important thing to remember is that while entertainment, American Idol is not a sitcom. Real emotions are going to be felt by real people. McPhaul adds, “it is one thing to have a bad performance, and to not be well received by one’s audience,
however, it is quite another to be paraded in front of millions while being ridiculed.”

The contestants from American Idol come from a variety of backgrounds, and it is not uncommon for certain contestants to come from places of extreme desperation. McPhaul claims that American Idol has been perfectly designed to manipulate show
contestants into potentially disastrous circumstances, because judges feel they have toplay to the camera. McPhaul asserts, “the experience is a violation of a serious kind, and individuals in this situation are susceptible to some of the same emotional and physiological
responses lived by rape victims.”

Contact:
Eliza Bedenko
(404) 584-5205
pr@mcphaulconsultants.com