Is it real or is it just a case of sour grapes for Ju’Not Joyner, a Season 8 American Idol contestant who got bumped off the show. In a candid internet chat with AI fans, Ju’Not says the winner is decided by the producers of the show and not the viewers’ votes.

The bumped off contestant was quoted as saying:

“It’s a fixed thing if I ever saw one….They pay for our lawyers to negotiate against their lawyer (which is BS). They make us COLLECTIVELY choose the lawyer, then they act like it’s in our best interest. Craziest stuff I’ve ever seen. I have a son to feed. I HAD to ask questions and know what I was signing. Plus I write my own songs and I needed to know details…Some folks were like, ‘Just shut up and sign on the dotted line.’ I know better than that…I wasn’t complaining…I was asking basic legal questions. There’s a huge difference between the two.”

“I definitely believed that affected my time on the show. They didn’t like the fact that I wouldn’t sign ‘just anything’ and that other contestants were coming asking me questions. So I think they ousted me the first chance they could get…Even if I didn’t get in on votes…how did I not get picked for the Wild Card show when I received comments from the ‘judges’ that were better than most of the contestants who were picked for the Wild Card show?”

Then Joyner said he thought Kris Allen was definitely talented enough to win, he further commented:

“The producers know who they want and they slant it to reflect that. They fix it in a way that makes you surprised but it’s still manipulated. Think about it…ADAM, ADAM, ADAM, then…Kris….SURPRISE SMITHCHES!!!!”

So what do you think? Is American Idol rigged or is Ju’Not just resentful?