By NICOLE HORTON
CULTURE EDITOR

As its 13th season begins, it is apparent once again that “American Idol” is struggling to maintain relevancy as the show continues to slip in the ratings. For Season 12, producers attempted to compete with the growing popularity of “The Voice” by recruiting a new judging panel, helmed by the sole remaining original judge, Randy Jackson. Rather than revamping the show with the addition of Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, commercials featured the bitter rivalry of the dueling divas, Minaj and Carey. Viewers may have been curious at first, but grew tired of the drama, similar to that of a “Real Housewives” knockoff.

Producers have attempted to institute fresh changes, such as a judges’ save and new mentors.

Going into this season, producers re-signed Jennifer Lopez, retained Keith Urban and brought in Harry Connick Jr. Jackson will now serve as the in-house mentor. Fans may feel that despite the revolving judges’ table, the chemistry and success of the original three judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, will never be recreated. Coupled with the fresh concept of a talent show that can make an average, extremely talented American a superstar, viewers were engrossed by the dynamic, often bickering trio. Each viewer could argue for hours about both his or her favorite contestant and judge.

Subsequent judges did not seem to possess the same sharp wit paired with expertise. Ellen DeGeneres was sweet and humorous, yet appeared misplaced. Kara DioGuardi failed to secure fan approval and was not re-signed after two seasons. Meanwhile, Minaj and Carey honed their diva images and took attention away from the contestants.

At its peak, “American Idol” was the country’s most watched television show; the Season 4 finale drew a record 38 million viewers. Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood would go on to become a bonafide country star. Other famous winners and past contestants include Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Katherine McPhee, Adam Lambert and Fantasia Barrino.

This season, the Jan. 15 premiere attracted 15.2 million viewers, down 16 percent from 17.9 million last winter, and the ratings have continued to slip. In recent years, both past winners and contestants have not been able to find the same success, possibly because the decline in ratings failed to amass a large fan base for their solo careers.

However, in recent years, “American Idol” has been a successful platform, specifically for country artists such as Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips and Kellie Pickler. At times, “American Idol” has been reflective of Southern culture. Southern household audiencesare 10 to 15 percent larger than other areas. Also, contestants from the South like Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks have found success despite not having country roots. Thus, even though its overall influence has dwindled in the past several years, the show can still be successful in discovering prominent country artists.

Retaining Urban for this season maintains country credibility, and he has an appealing, lighthearted persona that can serve as a complement to the stronger personalities on the judges’ panel.

Most likely, it will be up to Lopez or Connick Jr. to step up and serve as a dominant presence, that was once Simon Cowell.

Although auditions featured the usual group of extremely talented individuals, heartwarming personal interest stories and comedic or cringe-worthy train wrecks, the overall level of talent and competitiveness has decreased. Perhaps the producers are more concerned with finding television stars than the most talented individuals. Also, maybe aspiring singers are no longer as enthused by the prospect of competing on “American Idol,” instead choosing to explore other television talent competitions or starting a YouTube channel. Whatever the reason may be, the judges have become less critical, and the more knowledgeable music lovers will be left perplexed and dismayed.

In earlier seasons, the contestants were critiqued and pushed to their limits each week. If they did not make marked improvements, they would find themselves at risk of elimination.

Now, it seems like the judges serve as a source of encouragement and lighthearted commentary, rather than serving as a reflection of the ruthless entertainment industry.

No matter who is seated at the judging table, the show needs to get back to its roots of finding the best, most dynamic performers, regardless of their looks or made-for-television backstories. Until then, promotion for “American Idol” depicts it as an American cultural institution, similar to PBS or “Saturday Night Live.” However, with fresher options like “The Voice” or famous Youtubers, the creators and producers of “American Idol” know they must reinvent themselves so they can end their television reign on top, rather than on a slow decline.