Updated at 12:40 p.m. PT: A Fox spokesperson told EW.com that Symone Black was OK after her fall. She received treatment for dehydration and then continued her auditions, the network told the magazine.
Original story: It's not unusual for "American Idol" fans to voice their discontent the morning after an episode airs. After all, between off-key performances and debatable decisions by the judges, there's often plenty to gripe about. But the popular sentiment fans voiced Thursday morning had nothing to do with Wednesday night's musical performances. It was all about the fall.
The show closed on a shocking stumble that sent contestant Symone Black right off the edge of the stage. Rather than reveal how Black fared, the powers-that-be decided to roll the credits and leave fans guessing until the next episode airs on Thursday night. Judging by the buzz on Facebook, Twitter and "Idol" message boards, viewers weren't exactly entertained by the potentially-serious injury serving as a cliffhanger.
On our own Facebook page, fans expressed concern and outrage.
"I can't believe Idol would make us wait until tomorrow night to find out if this girl is okay," reader Andrea Lopez wrote. "She was very good. Poor thing."
Regular viewer Mikki Parkhill believes the way the fall was handled on the show was simply a ratings stunt and added, "I'm done. I have been in tears. That child is hurt and even the cast is not tweeting or facebooking about the show so that should tell us all something!"
But if any "Idol" followers are holding out hope that show bigwigs will have a change of heart and issue a pre-show statement about Black's condition or even an apology, don't bother. After reading viewer reactions, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe seemed far from concerned.
"I know you're all going crazy," he tweeted. "You'll have to wait until (Thursday). That's why I'm a mean producer."
As if that mean reputation needed any boosting, Lythgoe then joked about the stage-side spill and the cliffhanger complaints.
"It's not a 'cliffhanger.' She didn't hang, she fell," he wrote in a follow up post.
How do you feel about the show-ending action? And what about Lythoe's response? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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