Four American Idol finalists — two of whom are black — insist the singing competition is many things…but racist is NOT one of them.

TMZ broke the story that nine black ex-contestants are planning to sue Idol producers, claiming the contestants were publicly disqualified solely because they’re African-American.

But Season 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle adamantly disagrees, saying, “It is shocking to see such allegations. In my experience on the show, the Idol team strives to champion everyone, regardless of race.”

Season 4′s Vonzell Solomon adds, “I didn’t experience any of that [racial discrimination] … all of our contracts were clear about how the background checks worked and that we could be disqualified if we lied about our past.”

Two other former contestants — Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks and Season 10 finalist Casey Abrams — also spoke out.

“I don’t know why they are biting the hand that fed them,” said Abrams. “Those guys beat thousands of people who wanted to be on TV.”

Hicks added, “All walks of life go through the show. Not once did I see the show discriminate towards anyone.”