Season number 13 may end up being lucky for the once popular singing competition American Idol, which is hoping for a comeback.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, American Idol premiered January 15 with auditions in San Francisco, California and Austin, Texas; it will continue its 13th season on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. on FOX. Clips and extra information from earlier episodes can be found on the American Idol’s website.

Despite the popular judges, the show is still getting low ratings according to E! Online, though the ratings of the premiere are slightly better than those of season twelve’s premiere. Season 13’s premiere was still twenty-three percent down, but season 12 was even lower. Perhaps the show is making a long-awaited comeback from its struggle with ratings last season. These higher ratings are possibly because of “The Chamber,” (via TVRecaps), which is an elevator of sorts that gives the contestants time to freak out or contemplate before their audition. Also, new judge Harry Connick Jr. is said to have raised the ratings with his popularity and honest judging.

Junior Alexis Anelli has watched every season of American Idol. She says that last year wasn’t as good, but this year is better because of the judges.

“J Lo is sweet, but she’s realistic. Harry is just funny and straightforward,” Anelli said. “Keith is lighthearted and playful.”

“Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj just made a joke out of it,” Anelli said. “I don’t think they meant to, but their own drama just made it obnoxious to watch.”

All the judges seem to get along well on the show, and there are almost no arguments about whether or not to put a contestant through. The days of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul bickering have long passed for the show. A lot of contestants sent to Hollywood in the current audition stages, and there are very few “bad” contestants shown.

Freshman Autumn Polanowski watches American Idol for the interesting auditions and contestants, but she thinks the show is declining with every season.

“Most people that I know really watched for Simon [Cowell],” Polanowski said. “[The show would be better] with Simon’s return.”

One of the problems may be that other singing competition shows have taken over. After leaving American Idol, Simon Cowell created an American version of his show based in Britain, The X-Factor, which most recently discovered the popular dating duo Alex and Sierra. The social media responses to the contestants on the competition are overwhelming.

Other stars like Blake Shelton and Adam Levine are also involved in a popular show called The Voice, which gives a creative twist to the classic televised singing competition with “blind auditions.” The Voice is very different from its predecessor’s competition though, so it may not even be comparable.

Spanish teacher Heather Walker enjoys the unexpected talent discoveries and the judges of American Idol. However, she acknowledges that the show’s ratings have suffered over time.

“People have had enough of it,” Walker said. “More of the same thing over and over again wears out its welcome.”

American Idol is continuing to try to raise its ratings by adding new twists to the episodes. Walkers states that more audience interaction on social media might help the show. The show still seems to have loyal viewers that continue to watch the show, so it may continue to air for many seasons to come.

“I think it was good at one point in the beginning,” Anelli comments. “Then it went downhill, and it’s getting better again.”