But it DOES change the vocalization.
G-dropping and other informal pronunciations are quite common in pop music lyrics as they are pronounced/vocalized, but whether this is reflected in the official title and lyrics seems to be based on the whim of the songwriter or perhaps even the whim of the record company or publishing company. Probably most people don't realize that the official title of the first American Beatles hit is "I
Want to Hold Your Hand," which was of course not vocalized that way. Another good example is CCR's "Bad Moon Rising," where a g-less pronunciation was allowed a few weeks ago, I assume on the grounds that it reflects the actual vocalization even if not the official spelling.
It is inconsistent and unpredictable enough that it would be a hard thing to demand contestants remember in the moment. A highbrow play like
Waiting for Godot is a different story. (Did that contestant ever weigh in here or elsewhere on his motivation? I always assumed it was just a slip of the pen rather than a poorly-timed attempt to be folksy. If he had left out a different letter, it would be a less-remembered story today - a tale of bad luck but not of a controversial ruling.)