Fans of American Idol have noticed that, especially in more recent years, the show and its voting viewers have tended to favor a certain kind of white, country-inflected artist.

"AMERICAN WHITEOL Strikes again.... They have to do something about voting... at this point it's embarrassing..." one person wrote on Twitter following the eliminations.

Another person added that the show might need to rethink its format in light of the latest round of eliminations:

"The thing about #americanidol is the format needs a refresh. America should not have that much power, I'm sorry. the judges were even visibly confused and dumbfounded tonight. Production count your days!"

Clearly, fans weren't happy about the eliminations, and particularly about who seems to leave the show early.

Of course, American Idol's elimination are done democratically, which means that it's viewers at home who decide who has been eliminated. That means that the show itself is not "racist," per se, but that the people who vote on it tend to favor a certain type of singer.

We don't have any firm demographic data on who votes for American Idol, but it's safe to say that many suspect the show's audience tends to be older and whiter, which might explain which contestants wind up winning.