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A golden ticket doesn\u2019t mean an easy journey! Since American Idol<\/em><\/a> premiered in June 2002, the show, its judges and contestants have become the subject of numerous scandals and controversies.<\/p>\n Prior to the days of voting by app for your favorite contestant<\/a>, fans reported an unfair voting system during season 1 of American Idol<\/em> when about 100 people used auto-dialing technology to reportedly place almost 10,000 votes every night for their favorite contestant.<\/p>\n Because not everyone had access to the technology, some said the system gave certain Idol hopefuls (whose fans were lucky enough to be on top of their tech) an unfair advantage. Nevertheless, production company Fremantle Media told USA Today<\/em><\/a> in August 2002 that the number of votes coming from the software were \u201cstatistically insignificant.\u201d<\/p>\n The next season,\u00a0the\u00a0drama became more personal when Ruben Studdard<\/strong><\/a> won the competition, beating\u00a0Clay Aiken<\/strong><\/a> by 140,000 votes out of\u00a0a total\u00a024 million. While fans complained that the crown belonged to the \u201cInvisible\u201d singer, both season 2 stars went on to have successful careers.<\/p>\n In 2021, American Idol<\/em> was hit with a number of controversies during season 19 when two contestants dropped out of the show. The first was Wyatt Pike<\/strong><\/a>, who made it to the top 12<\/a> before suddenly disappearing.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore we get to the results, I have to tell you that finalist Wyatt Pike will not be competing in the competition,\u201d Ryan Seacrest<\/strong> <\/a>said at the beginning of an April 2021 episode. \u201cHe had to drop out, but we wish him the very best.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, the contestant\u2019s rep told Us Weekly<\/em>,\u00a0\u201cWyatt could not continue<\/a> due to personal reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n Later that month, a TikTok rumor went around alleging that the Utah native had gotten into a fight with judge Luke Bryan<\/strong><\/a>. Fans\u00a0speculated\u00a0that the country star \u2014 who had missed an episode of the show after contracting\u00a0coronavirus \u2014 wasn\u2019t sick after all.<\/p>\n The \u201cPlay It Again\u201d singer\u2019s wife, Caroline Boyer<\/strong><\/a>, took to social media to debunk the claims<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTrust me, he has covid,\u201d she wrote\u00a0at the time,\u00a0according to a screenshot. \u201cI kinda wish there was a fight. I\u2019m sick of taking care of kids alone and sanitizing. I\u2019m peeing Lysol!!!\u201d<\/p>\n