You could say that, in its own way, 'American Idol' is not too unlike the classic television series 'the Gong Show' which ran on NBC in the '70s and '80s. So then the irony was not lost on 'American Idol' winner Taylor Hicks when he hosted his own version of 'the Gong Show' on a cruise ship this past week.

The show was part of Jam Cruise, a six-day traveling music festival that sets sail in the Caribbean each January. Jam Cruise traditionally features round-the-clock music, special artist-fan activities and -- of course -- constant jamming.

Having been a passenger on Jam Cruise in his pre-Idol days, Hicks was invited on the cruise this year as a roaming artist, encouraged to sit in with as many of the bands as possible. And, of course, to host the unofficial, loose version of the Gong Show.

"It's kinda funny, because you can draw some similarities between a gong and an Idol," Hicks tells PopEater. "Now that Simon's not with Idol anymore, I think you should just replace Simon with a gong. 'Amateur Night at the Apollo' had a siren -- Idol should have a gong now. You know what? In my opinion, if they put a gong on Idol, it would ring all the time."

And ring it did -- most contestants on Jam Cruise got the gong early on as Hicks added color commentary that would've made Simon Cowell proud.