Two distinct camps have formed around the American Idol 6 season: those for, and those against a single singer. From his changing hair styles to his weird wardrobe choices and continuing lackluster singing, Sanjaya is a hit on the Idol stage. The big question now is…why? Currently, he is the most searched for and sought-after Idol to grace the stage - ever. According to search engine reports, it’s Sanjaya’s name that keeps coming up again and again, even more often than past American Idol winners. Simon Cowell has publicly gone on record to claim he’ll leave the show if Malakar wins, and Sanjaya’s harshest critics have been calling for him to get the boot for weeks now. Meanwhile, singing sensations like Stephanie Edwards, Chris Sligh, and Gina Glocksen have been sent home…and Sanjaya lives to butcher another song. When it comes to Sanjaya, people either love him or hate him, and all have their own reasons. Some of his biggest supporters are championing Sanjaya for a very specific reason: the ruination of the show. Others that love him are true fans (read: young girls). But those that hate him do so with tenacity. Even media criticism hasn’t been enough to sway votes out of his favor. It seems Sanjaya has true Idol staying power…go figure.

Reactions range to the extreme on both sides. Those who are for Sanjaya are rabid about it, loving everything he does and every hair style he manages to shock us with. But even his biggest fans say as little as possible about his singing, which has left the judges almost completely speechless as well. Sanjaya’s biggest (or at least, most public) support probably comes from the antithesis of American Idol, the web site known as Vote for the Worst. Featuring a dancing cartoon of a singing Sanjaya, the site has supported the Idol 6 contestant almost from week 1 – or at least, since after Antonella Barba failed to secure the votes to keep her onstage. This web site routinely backs singers thought to be among the worst on the Idol stage, and Sanjaya has been their top contestant for weeks and weeks. Also on the Sanjaya bandwagon are radio personality Howard Stern and actress Rose McGowan, who both seem to take delight in Malakar’s continued Idol success and have each publicly stated their support.

On the other side of the spectrum, some fans are being pushed to their limits as far as Sanjaya is concerned. A Philadelphia radio DJ (Justice on 96.5 FM) has publicly claimed he will protest Malakar, sit-in style, from the roof of a Philly car dealership until the contestant leaves the stage. Another anti-Sanjaya Idol fan chronicled a 16-day hunger strike on MySpace in an effort to reduce Malakar’s votes. Doctors ordered the girl to end the strike for health reasons, and after more than two weeks of protest Sanjaya is still singing.

Malakar, however, probably won’t have to go hungry even if his Idol days come to an end. Currently, the singer might be considering an offer from KFC that will keep him well-fed and sporting a new ‘do. The company has promised to feed him for life on their KFC Famous Bowls, and make a donation to the Colonel’s Scholars charity in his name – if he’ll wear a bowl hair cut on stage.

He’s done almost everything else with his hair so far – so why not? Right now, two truths seem to be universally accepted as far as Sanjaya is concerned. One, he really isn’t a great singer. And two, America really doesn’t seem to care.