ScarletDevilCCX

Oh frick I'm actually going to end up voting for Arthur, aren't I? Either that or hating him; there's no middle ground when you're covering one of my favorite bands ever.

Sure they can. They need to take credit for all of the FOX seasons' stars.

On both accounts. She was 100% robbed last year and she was absolutely awful tonight.

Well, it wasn't great, but it was so much better than the previous two performances.

I agree with the second sentence but strongly disagree with the first. He butchered that so much. With how drastically he rearranged it, how could you even tell if it was pitchy?

Oh freaking hell. You just had to invoke Season 3 Group 2, didn't you? I couldn't in good conscience give Aliana a 2-star rating, but I also couldn't in good conscience put Franklin within a full star of her, so I legit had to go into the negatives to rate him. If it weren't for Aliana, he'd probably scrape out a single-digit score, but she was that bad and he was that much worse.

This, on the other hand...ugh.

Disagree vehemently. We haven't had any amazing performances yet, but both of the ones we've had so far are above AI3 Group 2 level.

Wait, this is Nick? This is what a Nick Merico original sounds like? Still not great, but when did he become a rocker?

Ah, so that's what that song's called. Brilliant start to the show; I'm not used to them putting such good performances in slot 1. ...Wait, y'all didn't like it?

Oh hey look at these degrees I'm not using. Clan MacGregor is tonight's drink. Our ten returning contestants aren't the only ones returning to Idol--from seasons 13-15, welcome back judge Harry Connick Jr.! Cyniah Elise is up first, and she wants to show a different side from what she showed last year--she's going rock with "Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)" by Miley Cyrus featuring Stevie Nicks. Hey, since when did they put good performances at the beginning of the show?! 86 to start us off strong. Also, when I saw that artist combo I thought "interesting, that's some serious cross-generational pairing", but I actually recognize that song and I'm pretty sure it's older than Miley. Nick Merico, who was already on his second trip to Hollywood when he made last year's Top 20, is back for round 3. He seems more mature, and he's singing an original called "City Lights" that he wrote for "a special someone". It's...very much unlike the Nick Merico I remember. When'd he become a rocker? Unfortunately, he's still Nick Merico. 69 is the rating, because I like this side of him but he's still a bit lacking in talent. Luke agrees that he's not up to par vocally with this year's competition. Lionel pointedly disagrees with Luke, however. Katy likes the new side of him, moshing and moving about on the stage. Up third is Aliana Jester, who I felt was robbed last year--she was given the "fodder edit" and I thought she was really good. She's doing Lady Gaga's "I'll Never Love Again" and...oh dear. This feels like an 18--the belting just isn't working for me, and remember, last year's semifinal performance that I thought deserved a spot in the Top 10 was covering Whitney so it's not like it's the style itself that's turning me off. Up fourth is Franklin Boone, and hopefully we don't get something as weird as his rendition of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". His wife is eight months pregnant. He's doing "Meant to Live" by Switchfoot. I don't think I like this song choice for him. And good lord, it wasn't. I cannot, in good conscience, give Aliana a 2-star rating, but the only way to properly compare this performance to that one would be to give it a score of -6. Faith Becnel is...still Faith Becnel. Bobby Bones is reviewing her past mistakes, and she's gonna go for redemption on the song that she messed up the lyrics to in Hollywood last year. Unfortunately, that means she's doing a rock song previously done on Idol by one of its greatest rock chicks, Alison Iraheta. She's no Alison Iraheta, but her version of Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby" is certainly a decent palate cleanser after the twin disasters that preceded it. 71. Before we continue with the actual contestants, it's HCJ's turn, performing "Alone with My Faith", a song from his new album. It's unfair to these contestants to have a professional performing in the same episode. He continues on into "Old Time Religion"...he's a drummer too? And a tuba player, and a trumpeter...is he even going to sing in this song? I don't even know what the third instrument he was playing is called, but he finally starts singing as he heads to the piano, then he finishes up at a different keyboard instrument. Oh, it's called an arpeggi. Thanks, Ryan. Harry is surprised that Ryan knows what an arpeggi is. Arthur Gunn is doing the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris", and I'm praying he does it justice because I love the Goo Goo Dolls--with any luck, part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021. He was between that and a Bob Dylan song--as late as his time with Bobby Bones, he hadn't decided. ...And that'll be a no. Maybe I just underrated Aliana? Well, at least this one stays in the positives. Barely. 2 is the score. Also, did I speak this into existence last night, like when I suggested "Use Somebody" for Wade and Eddie Island sang it instead? DeWayne Crocker Jr. is up seventh, and they mention him still having the Christmas tree up in April in his performance last year. He's doing "Voice of God" by Dante Bowe featuring Steffany Gretzinger and Chandler Moore. It's lacking something, but it's not actively bad mostly not actively bad not awful, so I'll give it a 35. Luckily, we're not going to commercial break just yet, but are instead going to see Makayla Phillips. She's singing "Anyone" by Demi Lovato. If the Bobby Bones package is any indication, we're going to get an emotional performance. ...Yeah, that was emotional. She is only 18, so I shouldn't hold it against her if she wasn't at her crispest when she's emotionally connected to the song. ...Oh, wow, she's about to break out into tears on stage, and that gave it the boost it needed. Even the 96 I was going to give it would put a gap of over 100 points between my favorite and least favorite performance, but now it's a 99! She sang it for her sister, who lost her father within the past year (so I guess it's actually a half-sister if it isn't also Makayla's father?) Next up is Idol "alum" Lauren Daigle with the lead single from her new album, "Look Up Child". Again, professionals making the contestants look bad! Olivia Ximines is up ninth, and she says that she's more of a stage person so being stuck in her living room wasn't good for her. She promises a dance break. She's doing "Say Yes" by Michelle Williams featuring Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland. ...So Destiny's Child, then? Anyway, Olivia is fire and the only acceptable alternative to Makayla for that slot. 94. Louis Knight closes it out with an original called "Maybe That". Ryan calls tonight a "history-making show". Uh...yeah. Maybe not the best Idol history, honestly. ...But it finished strong. Louis! I remember being disappointed with him last year, because he showed promise in the auditions and early Hollywood and then he just kind of crapped out. But, uh...looks like I'm going to break the ratings scale in both directions. If Makayla's a 99, then Louis's a 102! Holy crap this ended strong. For those of you who don't speak mathematics, the season number goes from 19 to 18 and then back to 19, while the episode number constantly fluctuates between 15 and 17. And, yes, this episode's number really would only be two higher if I counted it as a Season 18 episode than if I count it as a Season 19 episode. Also the first sentence is a pun, because I'm not using my degrees in Mathematics or Finance, but also because I used radians instead of degrees.

And again, that was a foregone conclusion. As much as I hate to praise ABC Idol for their aversion to having a show in which only one contestant is eliminated (and no, S17's Top 6 doesn't count), it does cut down on the Sesame Street Effect, and S7's Top 6 was one of the most stark examples of the SSE in action. Brooke sucked, and Jason sucked, and everyone else was really good, and Brooke and Jason's fans voted like crazy to try to get their contestant one more week over the other one and they both advanced easily. And since the remaining two contestants were David and David...yeah. I'd say that the SSE was also a large factor in the aforementioned voting pattern that I copped to in my last post. The first half of Season 6 was one long Sesame Street Effect--Haley Scarnato was never terribly good, but she was never as bad as Sanjaya. The two of them SSE'd a number of (sometimes-deserving) contestants, and then the moment Sanjaya put up an actual quality performance, Haley was gone, with Sanjaya following a week later.

I will cop to having voted on looks in past seasons, but deep into the past. I voted for "the other Haley" back in Season 6 and Kristy Lee in Season 7 and that was probably largely driven by them being very attractive women. But then I kind of missed Seasons 8 and 9, and when I came back in Season 10 the biggest knockout was also legitimately the most talented contestant around (the one true Haley).

That never happened. Syesha was literally the last non-David standing, and even then the producers felt the need to bus her with the "judges' song choice" in Top 3. (And according to CSAB, it shouldn't have even worked; Archie had enough of an off night that Syesha had the Finale on merit even if he hadn't been eliminated by "We Can Work It Out", or as they so memorably called his version, "We Can Out".) And Brooke was an early frontrunner too. Look at her trajectory on WNTS; she's pretty solid until around Top 7 where she just craters. Probably the third-biggest meltdown in Idol history, behind Jason Castro (that very same season!) and Jasmine Trias.

Whew. Willie still made it through.

They already were. Not sure exactly when they first became eligible but they were definitely in the talent pool last year, including robbed queen Lauren Spencer-Smith.

Gorgeous as ever.

Original post: 1. Casey Bishop 2. DeShawn Goncalves 3. Willie Spence 4. Chayce Beckham 5. Cassandra Coleman 6. Grace Kinstler 7. Alyssa Wray 8. Caleb Kennedy 9. Hunter Metts Edit: Huh, looks like I actually did do rankings last week. And these rankings aren't at all consistent with last week's rankings + tonight's performances. I guess I really didn't like last week's performance by DeShawn? Because Cassandra was already ahead of him last week, and she was my "best of the night" tonight so she should stay there, but I chose DeShawn for "Favorite Guy" so that would necessitate moving Cassandra all the way up to #2. Eh, you know, it was a toss-up between Willie and DeShawn anyway. Willie's more consistent, but DeShawn's got more upside. Edited rankings after looking at where I stood last week, with last week's ranking: 1. Casey Bishop (1) 2. Willie Spence (2) 3. Chayce Beckham (5) 4. Cassandra Coleman (6) 5. DeShawn Goncalves (7) 6. Grace Kinstler (3) 7. Alyssa Wray (11) 8. Caleb Kennedy (12) 9. Hunter Metts (10) Beane was #4, Ava #8, Madison #9

As usual, 1 space per five points of WNTS rating. 1. Cassandra Coleman - “Writing’s on the Wall” (Sam Smith) 2. Deshawn Goncalves - “The Way We Were” (Barbra Streisand) 3. Willie Spence - “Stand Up” (Cynthia Erivo) 4. Alyssa Wray - “This is Me” (Keala Settle) 5. Chayce Beckham - “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (Bryan Adams) 6. Casey Bishop - “Over the Rainbow” (Judy Garland) 7. Madison Watkins - “Run to You” (Whitney Houston) 8. Ava August - “City of Stars” (Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling) 9. Caleb Kennedy - “On the Road Again” (Willie Nelson) 10. Grace Kinstler - “Happy” (Pharrell) 11. Beane - “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” (Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes) 12. Hunter Metts - “Falling Slowly” (Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová)

Happy - Majesty Rose, Daniel Seavey, Grace Kinstler Falling Slowly - Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox, Alex Preston, Hunter Metts Run to You - Angela Peel, Jasmine Trias, Mara Justine, Aliana Jester, Madison Watkins (Everything I Do) I Do It for You - Kimberly Caldwell, Anoop Desai, Kevin Harris, Chayce Beckham This is Me - Mara Justine, Alyssa Wray The Way We Were - Equoia Coleman, Paris Bennett, Deshawn Goncalves Over the Rainbow - Kimberley Locke, Katharine McPhee, Jason Castro, Grace Leer, Casey Bishop

Good thing Casey's turned 16 since her audition then! Must be a winter birthday since I'm pretty sure they explicitly mentioned that she was born in 2005 during her audition.

Well, this is a very Willie Spence performance. And that's a good thing.

Well, at least Slezak made sure to remind people of Kris's version of "Falling Slowly".

Jason literally learned how to play ukulele in a single week in order to do the Israel Kamikawiwo'ole version.

Well at least someone got to do a Bond song. Queen Cassandra.