CarmenSandiego

Last Monday, the Top 12 performed for our votes, but two failed to make the Top Ten. One of them was Jayna Elise. She got to the Top Twelve, so why didn’t she get any further? A quick analysis of the rules that American Idol contestants should follow will explain what Jayna did right, what she did wrong and why Jayna lost. The first rule states that contestants must show both singing and performing talent. Jayna was able to follow this rule well enough in Hawaii,in the Top 20 reveal, the Top 14 round and especially the Top 14 reveal to move on. So how was her final performance of “Diamonds” by Rihanna? IDF had varying reactions, but the consensus seems to be that Jayna did well enough that she should have moved on. In fact, I gave her an 8 and actually said that she should still be here. IdolChatter agreed, since he gave her a B, although he noted that she wasn’t quite able to match her performance on Sunday night, a problem that a lot of singers on Monday night had as well. Still,Jayna was able to follow the first rule. What about the second rule, which states that song choice is key? Jayna had at least one questionable song choice, doing “I Have Nothing” by Whitney. It’s been sung so many times, and every time a Whitney song is done, the best you can hope for is to at least match her vocals. Fortunately, Jayna was able to do so but still, she struggled a bit with this rule. The third rule states that contestants must be either consistently great or consistently improving. I think that Jayna was consistently very good, with flashes of greatness, which isn’t quite what this rule is about. So Jayna had problems with this rule as well. At least Jayna had no problems with the fourth rule, which states that contestants must be confident. It takes confidence to do Whitney or Rihanna songs, after all. So Jayna followed the fourth rule. Jayna also followed the fifth rule to a point, as she had an artistic identity. The problem is that a contestant’s artistic identity needs to be current and marketable, and Jayna, much like Nya, was an old-school vocal powerhouse. Had she been able to be more current, could have done better, but she wasn’t and thus Jayna stumbled on this rule. The sixth rule states that contestants must remember that they are a package. I think that Jayna did better than Nya on this rule, as she had the fact that she had been in the previous season and not only that, she was remembered for being very helpful to other singers in the Duets round last year. Unfortunately, that could only take her so far and Jayna needed more to her package to get far, and she didn’t, unlike Julia, who was adopted and came from Guatemala. Thus Jayna screwed up this rule. Jayna did manage to follow the seventh rule, which states that contestants should take any advice offered to them and follow it, within reason. While it didn’t save her, at least she had no problem with this rule, so I’ll move on. The final rule states that contestants must gather and sustain a fan base. While Jayna had her fans, she couldn’t gather a fan base to the extent of Abi, McKenna, Emmy, Julia or Kaibrienne, all of whom had a head start in gathering fans either due to getting a Platinum Ticket (Abi and Julia) or having a sympathetic backstory (Emmy, Julia, Kaibrienne and McKenna). Jayna had neither going for her and while not being disliked by the main voting demographic as much as Nya was helped Jayna get past Nya, it wasn’t enough. Thus Jayna struck out on this rule as well. Jayna should have gotten farther, at least on pure vocals and performance skills. But on American Idol, you need more than just a great voice. Jayna had the story of her journey the year before, but she needed more than that to gain fans. Unfortunately, her old-school artistic identity and occasional poor song choices hindered her, as did her lack of a sympathetic backstory. She wasn’t as disliked by the core voting demographic as Nya, but wasn’t as liked by fans as some of the others. Jayna couldn’t relate to the core voting demographic and that is why Jayna lost.

For spoilers on songs? I hope that Abi picked a great song or even a good one.

Last Monday, I analyzed the many reasons why Jordan was eliminated on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night. But one more person was eliminated with him, and that was Nya. And while Jordan’s elimination was deserved, the same probably can’t be said about Nya. But why was she eliminated anyway? A look at the rules that American Idol contestants need to follow can help explain what Nya did right, what she did wrong, and why Nya lost. The first rule states that contestants must show both singing and performing talent. Unlike Jordan, Nya had plenty of singing talent and as a Broadway performer, she had plenty of performing talent as well. IDF had her ranked third overall in the Top 24 round and they put her in seventh in the Top 20 reveal. Even in the Top 14 reveal round, they had her in the Top 14, (in 14th). So how did she do with “I Say a Little Prayer”? While a couple of people put her below a 6, most put her above 7, including me, as I gave her a 9, putting her in second behind Abi. That said, one critical voice was that of Idol Chatter, who thought that the arrangement sounded disjointed and that the full performance didn’t come together as well as it should have. Despite this, overall Nya succeeded with the first rule. What about the second rule, which states that song choice is key? Well, at least Nya never took on Whitney, Mariah, Celine or Carrie songs. But Tina Turner songs are also challenging, and she did a couple of them. Still, I think that she followed this rule, because the Tina songs she chose weren’t overdone ones. The third rule states that contestants must either be consistently great or consistently improve. Nya was consistently very good but I don’t think that she was consistently great. Had she been consistently great, she might have done better. Thus, Nya struggled with this rule a little. But Nya had no problems with the fourth rule, which states that contestants must be confident. It takes confidence to take on Tina Turner, and Nya is a Broadway performer, which requires a good deal of confidence. Thus Nya followed the fourth rule. Nya also had a strong artistic identity and followed the fifth rule to that extent. However, fifth rule states that a contestant’s artistic identity must be current and marketable, and Nya was more of an old-school diva singer. Also, she was a Broadway performer and while she wasn’t overly theatrical in her singing, that part of her identity wasn’t very marketable in the modern music industry. Thus Nya stumbled with this rule as well. Her first real failure was with the sixth rule, which states that contestants must remember that they are a package. Nya’s package included her being a Broadway performer, which might have been a problem for a number of viewers in the main Idol voting demographic, as was her old-school artistic identity. Nya also didn’t have a sympathetic backstory like Julia Gagnon did. Thus Nya screwed up the sixth rule. At least Nya followed the seventh rule, which states that contestants must take the advice given to them and try to follow it, within reason. I don’t remember her having any problems with this rule, even if it didn’t save her, so I’ll move on. The final rule states that contestants must gather and sustain a fan base. This was Nya’s biggest problem, since the main voting demographic consists of white, middle aged, conservative American women who just couldn’t relate to Nya and disliked her from the start, and her lack of a sympathetic backstory didn’t help. Thus Nya had a hard time getting a sizable fan base, which was why she was a Wildcard spot winner, and which hurt her in the end. Thus Nya struck out on this rule. Nya probably should have gone further than she did. She had the singing and performing ability to do well on this show. Unfortunately, the main Idol voting demographic preferred guys like Kayko, who was a handsome man, to Nya, who was a talented singer. Her old-school artistic style and lack of a sympathetic backstory also hurt her. Thus Nya could never get a sizable fan base to help her get into the Top Ten in votes, and getting a Wildcard spot only delayed the inevitable. Nya couldn’t appeal to middle-aged white conservative women and that is why Nya lost.

Sorty. It’s going to be hard for me to use the they/them pronouns, but I’ll try. I hope things are going well for them now.

Me too! I voted for her in her season, and I was so thrilled when she won!

1. Julia — best performance of the night. 2. Abi — her weakest other than Showstopper round but still very good. 3. Roman — best of the guys tonight. Alas, it wasn’t enough to save him. 4. Jayna — she should still be here, but she isn’t. 5. Mia — she improved from the Top 14 round. 6. Emmy — vocally weakest of the girls but still very good. 7. McKenna — better than the Top 14 round even if not her best. 8. Kaibrienne — McKenna was the better performer. 9. Will — consistently middle of the road. 10. Jack — took a step back with his weird facial expressions. 11. Triston — his first real clunker. 12. Kayko — demented performance.

Top 10 Questions 1. Which 8 singers will advance to the Top 8? (160 points) - Abi Carter - McKenna Faith Breinholt - Jack Blocked - Julia Gagnon - Kaibrienne - Mia Matthews - Triston Harper - Will Moseley 2. Which 2 singers will be eliminated from the competition? (50 points) - Kayko - Emmy 3. Which singer will be announced last by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 8? (50 points) - Kaibrienne 4. Which female singer will be announced first by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 8? (50 points) - Mia 5. Which male singer will be announced first by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 8? (50 points) - Triston 6. What will be the ratio of male and female singers in the Top 8? (20 points) - 5 females and 3 males Bonus Question 7. How many singers in Top 10 will get standing ovation from Katy Perry? (50 pts) - 7 8. Will Lionel Richie give standing ovation to both eliminated singers after their performance? Yes or No (50 pts) - No 9. Which number of the performance order that one of the eliminated singer will be assigned to? From 1 (Opening the show) to 10 (Closing the show). (80 pts) - 6 10. How many singers will play musical instruments in their performance? (50 pts) - 5

Oh wow! I made the Top Five!

I remember him. He was so funny, in a train wreck way!

1. Abi — While her not having a stand-out personality is concerning, I still think that she has the best chance of winning. 2. Triston — he’s the best of the country guys but he had his first clunker and I said that he might be too green to win. 3. Will — he’s consistent, but he’s always just good in my eyes. 4. Mia — I think she can get past Will, but she needs to be better in order to win this season. 5. Kaibrienne — her fan base will take her far, but her inconsistency will be her downfall. 6. Jack — I think he’ll get farther than Kayko, so he goes here. 7. Julia — being the only vocal powerhouse left will help her. 8. Emmy — her grandmother can only take her so far. 9. McKenna — I now think that she’s in trouble due to her sickness. 10. Kayko — the weakest of all the ones left. It’s his time.

I understand. Having a personality that doesn’t stand out so much is a problem, but I still am rooting for Abi.

If minivan isn’t taking to Abi, do you have any idea why?

Okay, spill.

Top 12 Perform/Top 10 Reveal Template Abi Carter - All Too Well by Taylor Swift - 8.5. Not as good as “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, but still very good. Will Moseley - Starting Over by Chris Stapleton - 7. He sang it well but he’s still coasting. Jayna Elise - Diamonds by Rihanna - 8. She should still be here. Mia Matthews - Over You by Miranda Lambert - 8. Better than “These Memories of You.” Roman Collins - Roar by Katy Perry - 8. That was a very good performance. Jack Blocker - Blinding Lights by The Weeknd - 7. Took a step back with his facial expressions, unfortunately. Emmy Russell - Lose You to Love Me by Selena Gomez - 8. Lovely performance. Triston Harper - Beautiful Crazy by Luke Combs - 6.5. Could have been better. Julia Gagnon - Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan - 9. Her best performance. Kaibrienne - Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus - 7.5. Wasn’t as convincing a performance for me. McKenna Faith Breinholt - Cardigan by Taylor Swift - 7.5. She was better. KAYKO - Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye - 5.5. That was … demented.

I think that Abi is the most likely person to get there ahead of Will, but since I also think that Will will miss the finale maybe Jack, Mia or even Kaibrienne could play spoiler as well.