In less than two hours, the American Idol axe will fall and our hopefuls will be cut from 51 contestants to our top 24. The judges are searching for those that have “the skill to command a live audience,” and the singers will get a chance to attempt just that for one final solo performance. After all have performed, it’s time for each contestant to take the dreaded 72 mile walk (I’m not a numbers guy, if you were wondering) to the three judges to find out their fate in the game.
The first to walk the runway of fate is 21 year old Stephany Negrete. I have decided that she reminds me of Nicole Scherzinger, who was discovered on The WB’s Pop Stars (the original American Idol) and formed the way-short-lived girl group Eden’s Crush. (If you haven’t heard their single “Get Over Yourself”, I suggest you do.) Stephany is one of J.Lo’s favorites, and is the first to make the top 24.
Shelbie Z, why must you haunt me so? I can’t escape the 23 year old’s last initial, or her Steven Tyler bandanna strips hanging from her microphone. As if she almost knows that I am taunted by her name, she has it emblazoned across her top. That’s like a virtual slap to my face. She is told that she has made the cut, and vows to “put the judges in it every time” she performs… whatever that means.
Michelle Marie, 16, is the first shattered dream of the episode. Of course before she is cut we get the video package about her living in a trailer with nine other people, where she sleeps in the kitchen. They give us just enough life story to stab us all in the heart when she’s cut. Harry likes that she “gracefully accepted” her fate, even though she was crushed.
Colette Lush, 19, the fiery red head we haven’t really seen since her San Francisco audition, also gets the Idol rug pulled out from under her. The judges feel as if her journey somehow went the opposite way it should have. What started as a strong presence and force to be reckoned with somehow got lost along the way.
We next get a batch of singers who fell shy of the next round: Jessica Cabral, Jessica Clark, Ameet Kanon, and my wrong-side-of-Memphis fave, Terrian.
Mackenzie Bourg, 23, who I have dubbed the living Tom Little (80’s cartoon reference for those in the dark), has everything I feel it takes to win this competition. He has the looks as well as the talent, and just seems like a really good guy. And how appropriate is my Littles reference, as he appears to be shorter than Ryan Seacrest? He easily coasts into the top 24, and is an easy pick for me for the top 10. (I will keep an eye on him to see if he scampers away into a wall, though.)
Trent Harmon, 25, is back with more talk about his bout with mono. Having survived the early rounds of Hollywood Week flying solo, he’s back to win the judges over all over again with “Tiny Dancer.” All three judges love this guy, and I just don’t get it. It’s not that I find myself rooting against him, I just don’t find myself rooting for him. I think his entire presence, from his ensemble to the performance, is just a little too obnoxious for me. He’s top 24 bound, and I guess I’ll just have to learn how to deal.
Next we get a string of contestants sent through, without even seeing any of their final performances: Jenna Renae, James VIII, Kory Wheeler… and are ya ready for it?? ADAM LASHER!!!! Finally… my favorite (from last year, even) gets a little screen time for the first time since his original audition this season. Am I mad that his performance wasn’t shown? Yes. Can I just be happy that he made it through to the top 24?? Certainly. Will I ever stop pinching myself because he tweeted me once, AND commented back to me on Instagram? NEVER!
Jeneve Rose Mitchell, the 15 year old from the side of the mountain, brings a very dramatic rendition of “Ring of Fire” to the stage for her final solo number. She triggers a standing ovation from Keith, and vows to be “the first mountain girl to win American Idol.”
It’s also a yes for CJ Johnson, 28, and Amelia Eisenhauer, 16. It’s Lee Jean, 16, who has Jennifer saying his “immaturity showed” during his performance, as he tried to ‘shush’ the audience not once, but twice. “If they wanna clap, let them clap,” said J.Lo.
Avalon Young, 21, makes no apologies for her lack of flashiness and plain Jane appearance. What she brings to the stage works for her (even if I think she studied the stage moves of Eminem a little too much). She says “I don’t think the way I look affects the way my voice sounds.” Keith compliments her on her stage presence, and not only does she make the top 24, I predict top 12, at least.
How appropriate that my Boy Band Billy Idol, Dalton Rapattoni, 19, performs “It’s Gonna Be Me” by *NSYNC for his final number. He knows this is a make it or break it performance, one that could be the deciding factor between “van tours and bus tours” in the future. Harry thinks he’s “inconsistent,” but loves that about him. It’s an easy top 24 yes, and he’s another I can see in the top 12.
Manny Torres, 20, charms his way across the stage one more time and right into the hearts of all three judges. He claims the 15th spot in the top 24, with only nine spots remaining.
We get another batch of heartbreak, and as I watch Laurel Wright, Anatalia Villaranda, and Isaac Cole get their hearts broken, I am reminded that Jennifer Lopez is easily one of my favorite people in the world that I have never met.
Thomas Stringfellow, 17, shares a story of a fresh broken heart, as his girlfriend dumped him only three days prior to judgment day. He releases his emotion on One Direction’s “Story of My Life.” His performance cements him as one of my very favorites, and Harry thinks while there are “better singers” in the competition, he has a “special type of quality” that’s “really rare.” He’s an easy yes for the judges, and Jennifer thinks he even delivers a “genuine hug.” Somewhere in America this night there is a teenage girl kicking herself.
Sonika Vaid, 20, gets the good news, while Malie Delgado, 21, isn’t so lucky.
Olivia Rox, 16, brings somewhat of a Cher quality to her number, singing in a lower register. (Sometimes I pretend to know what I’m talking about musically, when I probably sound like an idiot.) As she is told she has made the top 24, Kelly Clarkson’s “Catch My Breath” plays over the package. This could be some foreshadowing by the universe, as we are looking for the Kelly Clarkson bookend champ to this show.
Emily Brooke, 17, has reached the spot in the competition where she was cut last year. She performs Carrie Underwood’s “So Small” and tries to create some universe foreshadowing of her own. It’s no surprise that she, too, makes the cut.
Gianna Isabella, 15, daughter to the 80’s pop star mom, triggers another standing ovation from Keith. (…but only after her stage mom tries to relive her glory days and act as music director, a move that doesn’t sit too well with actual music director, Rickey Minor.)
And now it’s time for my newest Idol BFF Jenn Blosil, 23, to face the music. I completely love everything there is about this girl. I feel like she’s a mix of Crystal Bowersox and Joey Cook, but with a personality all her own. She makes me want to hang out with her, and when she sings, she makes me want to buy her album. She also make me want to pick more daisies in my life, and I don’t even know why. I’m under her spell.
After another string of cuts, it’s Tristan McIntosh’s turn to have her fate revealed. The 15 year old (who appears to have already hit the “makeover” stage of the competition, a few weeks ahead of everyone else) has already won America over with her story, and easily grabs a spot in the top 24.
We now have only two spots left to fill, with four people still left in the holding room. First, Jordan Sasser, 27, and Kacye Haynes, 23, take the long walk to hear the news together. Jordan drops the man bun for his performance (that, or he is wearing a Caitlyn Jenner-inspired wig) and I just don’t get this guy. I don’t think he fits into the role of American Idol, at all. Kacye, on the other hand, oozes star quality from every aspect; his name, his performance, even the leggings he appears to be performing in. I think it will be Kacye, hands down, to go through. I guess the Idol gods can’t let me have Adam Lasher and Kacye Haynes, and Jordan Sasser somehow manages to slide in for the final spot for the guys. (If he wins this whole thing, I will never watch American Idol again. Seriously.) Kacye says he feels like he’s taken a “kick to the gut.”
And now it’s time for the final two ladies to find out who will get the lone spot left. We have Lindita, the 26 year old from Kosovo, and La’Porsha Renae, the 22 year old mom with big hair and a big voice. I don’t know if this was supposed to be a nail-biter for all of us, or if I just don’t see what’s so special about Miss Kosovo… but it’s clear that La’Porsha is top 24 (12, even) material. Thankfully, I get it right this time, and she claims that final spot.
Next week: 12 of the 24 finalists will perform not only a solo, but also a duet with a former American Idol… and five will go home.
