Brian Dunkleman left Idol because of “how cruel the show was,” but is now hosting an Idol fantasy game

So far, the most noteworthy and absurd thing about this, the fifth season of American Idol, a rather bland season to date, is the return of the series’ original co-host, Brian Dunkleman. As his “fan” site BrianDunkleman.com puts it, “SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP! Brian Dunkleman has a blog!” and “it appears that Brian Dunkleman may be making a serious bid at a comeback.”

Brian, who you’ll recall is not gay, has resurfaced with his own Idol-themed blog and an admission that leaving the show on his own volition may have been his dumbest career move yet.

Brian quit the show, as he tells Inside Edition now, “to pursue an acting career. I wanted to be a performer and not someone who introduces other performers. It was my decision. I’m not saying it was a good decision because, obviously with the success of the show, it’s a difficult decision to think back on and think I did the right thing.”

But he also blames the show itself and its increasing cruelty. “I agonized over it, really, but I quite honestly had a very difficult time with how cruel the show was. It really affected me,” he said.

Today, however, he has no problem whatsoever capitalizing on that cruelty; he’s hosting an Idol fantasy game, and also blogging about the series. Although he’s one of those clueless pseudo-bloggers who refers to his posts as “blogs,” they at least show he’s not taking himself too seriously: he ends each post with “DUNKLEMAN OUT!”