Idol 10: Should Ryan be a judge?

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 24:  American Idol host Ryan Seacrest performs onstage during the American Idol Season 5 Finale on May 24, 2006 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

Access Hollywood posted a poll about American Idol:

With the judging panel still not set, should they consider Ryan Seacrest for a seat?

The options they gave were:

  • Yes! He’s more than qualified.
  • No, Simon was right. He should stick to hosting.

But we really needed a third option:

  • No. He’s more than qualified, but is too valuable as host.

I think Ryan would make a great judge, but he has said he’s not going to be a judge, and he’s already fantastic and iconic as the host — why would ‘they’ want to risk the show’s linchpin with so many other changes necessary? Maybe Ryan could manage both roles (if anyone can …), but it would be a real challenge for him to judge without affecting the dynamic he has with the contestants.

It’s sad that Simon’s left Idol, and I’ll miss his banter with Ryan, but with the huge turnout at auditions and the uncertainty surrounding the panel, it looks like there’s a lot of interest in what could be an exciting season … with Ryan front and center, where he belongs.

The final first round auditions are in Austin on August 11 and San Fransisco on August 19, with the MySpace auditions to be announced.