The much-anticipated eighth season of American Idol is currently underway, and Ryan Seacrest is wasting little time living up to his dumb-as-rocks pedigree.

As series veterans know, each season begins with the search for the contestants who will ultimately compete on live television. Naturally, this process brings out the strange and absurd… and it also reinforces just how much of a nitwit Ryan Seacrest is.

In case you haven’t guessed it, Scott MacIntyre, the contestant in the video above, is legally blind, but for whatever reason, Seacrest decides to slap him some celebratory skin.

What ensues is classic live television: an awkward rebound and a cringe-worthy moment forever crystallized by YouTube.
 

Oh, Ryan, don't ever change...