“The Contender” premiered with much fanfare, however, American Idol showed the upstart it has much ground to gain in the coming weeks.
Powered by “Idol,” FOX finished atop the ratings Monday with an 11.0 rating/16 share. CBS was a close second at 10.4/16, followed by a distant NBC, 5.4/8. ABC was fourth at 5.2/8. The WB came in fifth at 2.2/3, beating UPN’s 1.9/3.
The third male semifinal of “American Idol” got a 13.9/21 for FOX at 8 p.m., crushing its competition. CBS was second, managing 6.3/9 with “Still Standing” and “Listen Up.” The first hour of a special hour-and-a-half “Fear Factor,” 5.2/8, was third for NBC, while “EM: Home Edition: How’d They Do That?” came in fourth for ABC. A “7th Heaven” placed The WB in fifth.
CBS took the lead at 9 p.m. with the reliable “Everybody Loves Raymond,” 10.9/16, and “Two and a Half Men,” 11.5/17. FOX fell to second with “24.” The conclusion of “Fear Factor,” 6.3/9, and the premiere of “The Contender,” 5.5/8, didn’t do very much to help NBC. ABC scored a weak fourth at 4.4/7 with its “Boss Swap” special. The WB kept fifth with “Summerland,” 2.3/3.
At 10 p.m., “CSI: Miami” equalled “Idol’s” rating with a 13.9/22. “Supernanny” scored a 6.3/10 for ABC, while “The Contender” was knocked out, finishing at 5.1/8.
Credit: Zap2It
