DISQUS

Ross LaRocco · 1 year ago

I still think Kristina would have been the best choice even though some people thought she had the Veronica thing goin' on. Leah and Andrea have the experience, but having either of them hosting will give off the vibe of "This is where Veronica left off". I just don't see any change in the show if either of those two are picked.

Out of the two, I pick Leah. She had the best Viral video and best continuity in her Mahalo Daily episode. Her topic really surprised me, and that's what I like the most out of anything I watch, see, or do. It got me interested in learning about something I didn't know existed.

Lon · 1 year ago

Great post. Really enjoyed reading your take on the whole process now that it's finally over.

Let me just say...To my mind, the competition was a total success, because we have found an amazing host who is going to do some fantastic shows. And I think we came up with some pretty fun episodes along the way...

As for why Michelle and Nadine did not appear in the Mapprentice...it's very fair to say that we asked a whole lot from our contestants. These ladies' hectic schedules just didn't permit them to make it to the taping of that show. I'll leave the question of whether or not Jason should have dismissed them for failure to appear to others, but I can say that there were no hard feelings, and it's certainly possible you'll see one or both of them make future appearances on the show.

Thanks for watching.

Andy DeSoto · 1 year ago

@Ross: Getting a chance to talk with Kristina a little bit over Twitter has definitely shown what an unusual and unique person she is. I'll have to hear that rant from you sometime soon!

I agree with the video comment, too; she's done great work. I found myself humming "Touch My Body" numerous times today... and I haven't even seen the original video yet!

@Lon: Your comment really means a ton to me; I appreciate it. I agree with you about the successful episodes: I think the 6 the ladies produced have been some of the best yet. It's also great to hear that about the Mapprentice episodes, too; it felt a little weird just not having them there, and your explanation really clears things up. It's been an extremely rigorous process!

Thanks for your comments, and Lon, thanks for your hard work making this all happen!

Sarah Atwood · 1 year ago

A show's success is contingent on it's host so when Veronica announced she was leaving I'm sure some of the MD team got a bit nervous. Would fans stick around? Would they be accepting of a new person? It was gonna be a hard transition so why not distract the audience a bit. Now, instead of viewers complaining that the new host is "no Veronica", they are so excited for her to start already. The new host already has a supportive fan base.

I think each challenge was well thought out and appropriate to the job responsibilities. And it allowed the producers and editors to work with several ladies to really get a feel of who they wanted to work with regularly.

I will be interested to see what happens to the show's traffic once it gets back to typical programming but overall I believe the Vlog Idol was a success.

Thanks for this blog post. I enjoyed reading a viewer's response. And as a contestant, thanks for watching and caring.

Andy DeSoto · 1 year ago

Thanks for the inside scoop, Sarah! That explanation makes a lot of sense, and it's good to hear you agree with the whole process, as many might say it was roughest for you.

And hey, it's gotten me to write a big long post about it, so it must be a success! I definitely feel more attached to the show than I did last month.

Thank you so much for being a contestant; it introduced me to you, and I love keeping track of fascinating people such as yourself!

Kaykoa · 1 year ago

Thanks for writing this overview of the entire experience, Andy. I agree with you on most points. Though the competition did last a while, it also gave the viewers the opportunity to get to know the competitors more.

Sarah made an excellent point up there. In many ways this was a test drive and a much appreciated transitionary period for the entire show. Veronica leaving the show was potentially a deal-breaker if the transition wasn't handled well. I'm sure you all remember what happened with Rocketboom. (Side thought: What would have happened if Andrew Baron had done a Rocketboom Idol?)

Overall the risks the Mahalo Daily crew took in doing this idol competition paid off and made some history in the process. If the schedules are permitting, I suggest that hostship be shared between the two for a few weeks. After that, Mahalo will have better metrics on which host is preferred, and won't that make the decision easier? Why rush?

Thanks again, Mahalo and Andy!

John Frost · 1 year ago

While I agree that the early rounds and parts of Bachelon were often cringe worthy, so too are the really poor auditions from American Idol (and similar shows). That cringe factor is the main reason many tune in to the audition shows.

I felt the competition really started to find its legs during the Man on the Street portion where it immediately became clear that Leah D'emelio was the front runner. Sarah's point about the process building in a fan group for Leah is on point, but I have to wonder how many fans of the other final 6 will now tune out Mahalo Daily and follow those hosts to their own Vlogs. Fans of Clay Aiken don't go out and buy Ruben Studdard CDs.

If we did learn one thing from Mahalo Idol, it's that Lon Harris is an amazing talent. I hope we continue to see more from Lon as the Mahalo Daily continues.

Andy DeSoto · 1 year ago

hurt). The process did get some exposure for the other gals, too; I'm happily following along at least three of the semifinalists' Twitter accounts and am excited to follow them wherever they may go.

And yes, Lon Harris definitely kicks butt. Especially with how brave he was in that viral video!

tigerjuju · 1 year ago

When it first started, I felt the Vlog host search thing to be a bit cheezy. But over time I did enjoy most of the episodes and did not feel it got dragged on for too long. I am very happy to see Leah won. She is definitely the best with most depth and composure. I have been cheering for her since the second round. The viral gave me the extra surprise on her ability in acting, and also ability to be light-hearted and goofy. She can be both a serious host, and yet not afraid to look stupid/ugly to be funny. Being beautiful did not hurt either. =)

I thought Leah has better quality/skill than Veronica over all, though she is not well known like Veronica. Sometimes I felt Veronica is too techie to be a host for Mahalo - a not so tech centric show. From what I have seen so far, Leah has the best balance, even compare to Veronica.

(Don't get me wrong, I am a techie and I like watching Veronica hosting. I just think she is a better fit for a more tech centric show. So I guess things worked out perfectly for everyone in the end.)

Any way, I hope Leah will be successful at Mahalo. She can count me in as one of her fan base, and I would love to follow her some more and see what she really has to offer.

P.S. Is Andrea accepting the offer to be a Mahalo corespondent? She does not seem too enthus about it in the final video.

tigerjuju · 1 year ago

By the way, one thing I really did not like are the judges. I don't mind them being cruel-honest. But listening through their comments, I have ZERO clue exactly what they are looking for. Some of the worst performances by the contestants got HIGHLY praised by the judges. Jason is the only judge whose comments consistently make sense to me throughout the competition.