Just wanted to drop in and let you know that this is no longer the "high point of my life." 46:18

the dry humour was on point in this one. "Whether it was a genuine interest in vocal talent, or some biological yearning for the age of public executions" killed me

This whole attraction is insane from a technical perspective. Running this show/process up to 7 times a day for nearly 6 years? Say what you want about the attraction itself, but that is impressive.

30:09 Hey! That’s me singing at the grand opening event. 😊 Met all the Idol winners and cast members. One of the coolest nights of my life! I got second place and, since the winner was above the age limit for the real show, he gave me the dream ticket and I used it to get ahead of the line at the auditions for the next season.

I learned 3 important lessons from this video, and they are: 1. One's relevancy is directly tied to Wikipedia. 2. "The Desk" is the make or break for an authentic singing audition experience. 3. Have fun.

The main indicator that American Idol was a cultural phenomenon was it was featured in Shrek 2.

The running gag of "do you have any advice? Just have fun" gets me every time.

I think the main reason for American Idol’s decline is the shift in corporate strategy from focusing on celebrities and star power to focusing on intellectual property. The fact that the theater used for the experience is now being used for Frozen shows is almost perfectly symbolic of that.

I got so invested in the American Idol lore in the first 10 minutes that I forgot I was watching Defunctland and this video was about a theme park.

I can’t stop laughing how you cut to every winner’s piece of advice which is to “have fun”

"The bridge part... I'd consider jumping off of." This character is the best part of the experience, holy shit dude. I want to go perform/watch this just for that actor's roasts

My wife was one of the contestants for this ride/show. It was super cool and a very unique experience. When you got through the auditions they gave you a lanyard to wear around with the Idol logo on it. As we were walking around a little girl’s mom stopped us and said that her daughter (8 or 9) wanted my wife’s autograph. The little girl was so starstruck and couldn’t speak. It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.

"Have fun" is this year's "Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car."

I won’t lie, when the “Simon” said “at the bridge part I’d consider jumping off” I laughed it was so out of left field

The brief shot of the "voting mechanism" and the two people clicking each others buttons is EXACTLY how that would be if you were sitting next to someone you knew lmao

I was one of the contestants the day Scotty McCreary visited the park! I had auditioned the day before, and they mentioned a "special guest" would be attending the next day. They took care of EVERYTHING for me in order to stay another day. One of the coolest experiences EVER!

My wife tried out for AI on TV but was rejected before she had a chance to sing because too many people showed up to the audition. One day at HS we happened to walk passed a sign saying auditions were happening now and we decided she should try. She made it to 2nd place at the final. She has since passed away and its one of our son and mine's favorite memories. Seeing her feel so close to her dream and enjoying every min of it while showing off her voice. It was special.

That Michael Eisner bit Where you explain in full and believable detail how he stole the plans for Disney MGM from Universal and then ended it with an unceremonious "allegedly" was hilarious

I had no idea they made a theme park attraction that was ACTUALLY connected to the show, that's honestly really damn cool

The "HAVE FUN" advice sprinkled in from American Idol winners was so beautifully executed and made me audibly laugh. Defunctland doesn't miss.

My takeaway from this video is Kevin wanted to do a DefunctTV for American Idol but you cant autopsy something that refuses to die

Advice for watching this video? Just have fun

50:18 “do you know i can sing?” “what?” that took me out 😭💥

the american idol sound effect literally sends shivers down my body LMAO such a peak childhood memory. does anyone remember the american idol mcdonald’s happy meal toy? lmdaooo had to be 2008/2009 maybe?

Personal favorite running gags throughout this video 1. Denim 2. Wikipedia Relevancy Test 3. "Have fun"

"What's your advice?" and the progressively shortening "Just relax, be yourself, and have fun" -> "have fun" was a good recurring bit.

Wow. I can’t even imagine the amount of work this took, plus it’s hilarious - the highlight of the same sound effect - everyone saying “and just have fun” - saying “Simon type” or “Ryan type”

Kevin, never have I once cared abour American Idol on my 20+ years on this earth. I'm not surprised that you, of all people, could keep me invested for over an hour with its history and Disney tie-in. Another great documentary. Fantastic work. I had fun.

Paula saying "you're a sweet soul, and it comes across when you sing" while Simon audibly takes the fattest slurp on his drink as the frame zooms is such a good bit.

Ok, but "you are to pop music what Hannibal Lecter is to the food network" is legit one of the funniest insults I've heard in a while.

YOOOO our childhood babysitter was working at hollywood studios when this opened! she had a bunch of photos of her meeting the american idol people, but the only person me and my siblings recognized was ryan seacrest. we always thought it was so awesome that she got to meet him, and for the longest time i remembered her telling us she did and showing us the photo but for the life of me i could never remember why. ancient memory unlocked

My mom did this in December of 2009! I remember the theatre was almost entirely empty except for the families of the singers. My mom is still mad that she lost because the guy who won had a bigger family and they were voting for him on the buttons of empty seats😅 but so great to see a video about this!!

"And also in it's 7th place finisher, Jennifer Hudson" This line just dropkicked me out of nowhere, holy shit

The "have fun" somehow gets funnier every time, this video's "his mother is very proud"

The fact that you give us a brief background on Michael Eisner every episode is classic 😂

honestly of all of the attractions covered on this channel this one sounds the most genuinely amazing. like getting such an in depth and impressively themed experience as an auditioner just sounds like a total dream come true for some people, the idea is so so good and it sounds like it absolutely bled money trying to make that idea come to life, as all good art should do

Honestly it's kind of impressive that an attraction requiring large amounts of skilled park operators, active guest engagement, and complicated sets based on an IP that was relevant in the wrong decade managed to stay in operation for 6 years, only to be taken out by Star Wars of all things instead of violently imploding in Disney's face

I love how the video has 2 main themes, denim and a thinly veiled frustration at Wikipedia being unreliable for highly niche research on people who are still alive.

14:24 The AT&T executive that came up with that is the real winner of American Idol.

Love how so many people who were actually a part of the experience are in the comments, that’s cool

the wikipedia photo test is actually THE most accurate way to test a person’s popularity/cultural relevance! can confirm I use it all the time

I’m not joking at all, “Pants on the Ground” was an integral part of my childhood with my brothers and I had entirely forgotten about it. What the hell.

I remember walking by this attraction and really wanting to do it, but never getting to do it because I wasn't an adult at the time and didn't really have the independence to break off from my family to do it. Really glad this video shows the ins and outs, highs and lows of it. Part of me still wishes I could've tried but seeing the time commitment needed for it also makes me glad I didn't.

I had the privilege of sitting in the tech room one day backstage at the American Idol Experience when I was a Cast Member at WDW. The most impressive thing about the whole thing was how quickly the video editors worked to create a professional looking 1-1.5 minute video "package" in the extremely limited time between a live performance and the recap video at the end of that show, repeated constantly several times throughout the day.

I'm glad all that b-roll I shot of that building exterior twelve years ago has FINALLY been put to good use!

Glad you pulled out of that FastPass PTSD pretty quickly

8:45 absolutely KILLED ME. The switchup was INCREDIBLE.

Came for Defunctland, stayed for the American Idol retrospective. I'd forgotten how much of a watershed moment season 8 was for the show. Even at the time, it felt like the writing was on the wall between rumors of Paula leaving and Adam Lambert losing to....*checks notes because I legitimately forgot his name after 15 minutes* Kris Allen.

I swear Kevin could upload an hour long feature length video on the history of the fancy socks used by Disney personalities and I'd still watch it all.

I cannot believe they were able to keep this thing going every single day for so long. Hearing about how this attraction was operated was actually stressing me out. What an incredibly ambitious project this was.

It's pretty cool seeing how much behind-the-scenes work the chosen contestants had to go through for the attraction. If MGM/Hollywood Studios' original purpose was to bring the behind-the-scenes experience of film and television-making to the viewers as park guests, this was probably the most immersive and effective attraction they had.

The most important thing I learned from this incredibly well researched and presented video has gotta be “just have fun with it”

The sob story bit made me lose my mind. “DO YOU KNOW THAT I SING?” “…Do I what?”

To everyone who is about to watch the video: I know it's challenging to sit through a +1hr long documental but my advice is to just have fun

this was such an old school defunctland video and i loooooved it. Kevin's humor has also just ...CHEFS KISS matured perfectly

I didn't even realize this documentary was an hour long (or that American Idol continued after its "Farewell Season"). That's how good Mr. Kevin is at storytelling. Great work once again.

“You are to pop music what Hannibal Lecter is to the Food Network” is actually a genuinely sick burn, not even gonna lie

"It's the early 2000s, and being famous sounds like a GOOD idea." banger opening line

1) Phenomenal writing/pacing/editing on this one, you did an excellent job of setting up the story of American Idol, the story of the developing theme park, then brought them together in a really organic way 2) Absolutely nailed the humor this time. Just the right amount of dry wit and silliness without breaking the mood.

What's especially great about these videos is the pure nostalgia I get from them. I definitely have fun

I competed in the Experience and made it to the final show (where I came in second). You got one small detail wrong... when you auditioned in the first room, you were asked to sing any song you'd like, a'capella. Only when you made it to the coke room, were you asked to choose a song from that list and then rehearse it for your second audition. That would be the same song you performed in the main show, if you made it. Also... they made us wear these really high-tech sensors that made the automatic lights on stage follow us during our performances. (You can see the sensor clipped onto some of the people in certain shots of this video). Also, the show really was karaoke... they had a really impressive teleprompter in the rafters at the very back of the theater. Most audience members never saw it. My favorite part was that for the rest of my week at WDW, I kept getting recognized by random people. I would get random applause and cheers from out if nowhere. One family made me sign their kids' autograph books. I think about those kids all the time... grown adults now, flipping through their old Disney World autograph book and seeing my autograph in-between Mickey and Goofy. #blessed

"The bridge part.. I'd consider jumping off of" i am rolling at the thought that those words were legitimately said to somebody in a disney park lmfaoooo

The set up for the joke at 24:36 is something only Kevin could pull off.

33:10 "It even had a desk!" Not as impressive as having a bubble guy.

*“It’s the early 2000s and being famous sounds like a GOOD idea.”* Fewer than 10 seconds in and Kevin summarized what sociologists have written entire books trying to say. I AM IN.

Seeing an episode on this is insane. Nobody would have any reason to believe me, but my dad was a golden ticket winner. He was too old to actually go on the show, but he kept the ticket. I VIVIDLY remember going to the backstage set to film the biography intro with him when I was like 12. What a crazy memory.

I used to work in that park. I tripped on the Sorcerer's Hat all the time, so I was glad when it finally came down.

I don’t always watch videos by Defunctland, but when I do I try and have fun with it.

“The bottom crest of his sphere body” talking about Mike Wazowski getting kicked in the nuts somehow had me rolling

As someone who's mother was one of the Lighting Technicians for multiple seasons both for Idol when they were in Hollywood and America X Factor; she confirmed that yes, Simon was a real jerk on and off camera, but he was half the diva that Seacrest was to the actual crews working for them. It's why she still accepted calls to work X Factor when it came over to the US. I have plenty of vacation memories that were paid for thanks to Mr. Cowell

This continues to be the best channel after all these years. The amount of random amusement park knowledge I have dropped on my family is ridiculous. Thank you for that.

Phenomenal video, seriously. I am a History major, and it drives me crazy how many KZfaqrs do 1.5 hr + "documentaries" or long video essays that are not substantive, interesting, or factual. But I have yet to see a Defunctland video that is not genuinely funny, educational, and clever - it's amazing to me.

29:37 Seeing Grumpy holding a sign saying "Simon is my IDOL!" was the kind of spiritual experience I didn't know I needed.

Having to film a movie at a theme park with explosions going off in the background every 20 minutes honestly feels like a running gag from bojack horseman. I guess reality is sillier than fiction.

The “have fun” advice cut off is killing me every time

Pushing contestants through the real American Idol contest in order to advertise Disney's theme park attraction, is just too good. Classic.

The fact that Kelly Clarkson is still famous now, between daytime tv show watchers AND tik tok kids that think most of her covers SMOKE the original versions, really is amazing. The very first Americans Idol!

I love how Kevin can make his distaste for Ellen blatantly obvious without saying anything negative about her, showing any negative footage, or even changing the tone of his voice.

The production value for this all day show running daily for 6 years is absolutely absurd. Frankly insanely impressive for just some mostly forgotten theme park attraction

I absolutely loved getting occasionally jumpscared with a reminder of the actual subject and title of the video (a Disney attraction) every time I got too enthralled with the American Idol documentary.😂 I also just love your storytelling style in general.

"the bridge part i considered jumping off " what an insult I love it ESPECIALLY at Disney of all places its just perfect.

I'm glad Bojack's 'Ryan Seacrest type' has entered the lexicon

I never watched American Idol, and even managed to convince a few people at the height of its popularity that I'd never even *heard* of it, yet I still found this video very entertaining, informative, and funny. That's how good you are at this job, Kevin!

I love how the advice every winner gives, despite being the same, comes off more cynical and sarcastic with each person.

To be honest, I'm surprised Defuncters didn't rush to add images to the Wikipedia pages and annoy Kevin.

the "have fun" gag has me in fucking stitches lmao

To me the coolest thing about the show were the fans waiting for the winner of the finale outside the studio after the show ended. The winner often became an instant star with people asking for autographs and taking pictures with them.

I performed in this when I was in high school! It was so much fun, they really made you feel special. They did your makeup and your hair, they had this little vocal coach, and they even gave you fast passes for any ride you wanted to compensate you for the time. They did these cool personalized little videos, it was very intense.

I'll never forget. My dad required we record things like idol to skip commercials. We start watching a few hours after it premiered when the two contestants were both named David. And right after Ryan said '...David...' it cut off. Never seen my dad laugh so hard

The steady shift in Kevin getting more and more informal with his narration in these videos while still being informative has been delightful to see.

30 minute intro, holyy. this production is on the other level.

53:27 I would say that Melanie Martinez, who was a contestant on The Voice, was one of the few people to find success from there but also outside of it.

The fact that this triples as the entire history of formerly MGM Studios and also American Idol as a whole is crazy.

33:46 "The Coke room, which was either a reference to the soft drink sponsorship, or a way to _really_ prepare these contestants for Hollywood" It's jokes like this that keep me coming back to this channel. Well, that and the incredibly researched deep dives into both theme park and pop culture history... but mostly the way Kevin downplays zingers like this.

“Which to this day is still charting number one in the mind of American fathers” 💀💀💀 @51:19

“If a singer made it to the finale, they were allowed to explore the theme park, that they had paid to enter…” It’s the dry one-liners like that that keeps me coming back to these videos

That Simon job had to be one of the most sought after jobs in the park. You get to sit there and tell guests they suck. As far as park actor jobs go, that’s got to be top of the list.

There’s a very subtle bit of humor the way he keeps playing the American Idol theme, but just the last note

I STILL miss Superstart Television at MGM. I was just 8 or 9 when it was on, and super shy yet still wanted desperately to try my hand at being on camera. The year I finally had the courage to at least try volunteering, we arrived and it was gone. 😭 I'm not even gonna get into The Great Movie Ride. I know it was mostly a statue show by the time it was taken down, but I have so many wonderful family memories associated with it!

While I never knew about the theme park experience, the first 30 minutes of this documentary was a huge blast from the past, as I was a preteen during the first years of American Idol and watched it with my family consistently. I learned a lot about the show from this documentary that sheds like on what I watched when I was younger. Great work!!