CarmenSandiego

I'd probably agree with you on the analysis of Noah.

1. Lady K. (personal choice) 2. Leah 3. Emyrson 4. Nicolina 5. Fritz 6. Huntergirl 7. Jay 8. Christian 9. Mike 10. Noah (especially with his Disney song choice)

That's actually another fine way to interpret a song, actually. The point is that you need to connect with the song, whether it's the way that the original writer intended or through some other way.

I agree that her edit played a major role in her not going any further. She had a lot going for her, but the lack of air time put her way behind the 8-ball and it was just too big a hole for her to climb out of. What a pity.

Four people were eliminated this week: three from the Top 14 and one from the Top 11. I have already explained why Dan and Ava lost, so now I'll turn my attention to Allegra Miles, the final contestant eliminated in the Top 14. This is the hardest analysis of an eliminated contestant that I have yet to write about, because I really believe that Allegra should have gone farther than she did. Nonetheless, there were reasons why she lost, and if we look at the rules that American Idol Season 20 contestants ideally should follow, then we can see why Allegra lost. Show Singing and Performing Talent This was one rule that Allegra for the most part followed. Except possibly for her first performance in the voting rounds, she showed plenty of singing and performing talent. The Too Fab staff praised her final performance of "Ocean Eyes", saying that she gave some truly magical moments. Crisis thought that this was her best performance, and I gave it a 9, which was a tie with Leah Marlene's "Happy Together". That said, she did have problems with enunciation in at least some of her performances. Still, overall Allegra followed the first rule. Song Choice Is Key I believe that Allegra also did well with this rule, with the possible exception of "Adore You." Still, she moved on to the Top 20, so we can move on. Be Consistently Great or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week This was another rule that I actually think that Allegra did well with. She started off well enough in the first voting round performance with "Adore You", but really took a huge stride with "Free Fallin'". Then she took another huge stride with "Ocean Eyes". However, due to a lack of exposure prior to the voting rounds, she needed to improve more dramatically, and she might not have been able to do so. Thus Allegra mostly succeeded, but didn't succeed enough, with this rule. Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable for Positive Reasons Sadly, this was the first rule that Allegra really stumbled on. She was probably one of a number of singer-songwriters in the competition, and there doesn't seem to have been anything memorable in a positive sense for her to use. Worse, she hadn't done too well when she appeared on The Voice earlier on, apparently being forgotten there as well. Thus Allegra struck out on this rule. Remember, You Are a Package Allegra also failed with this rule as well, especially if you consider the possibility that one of the reasons why she was featured so little before the voting rounds was because she was apparently pansexual, and the producers feared that it would not go over well with the people who watch the show. While I have had enough experience with LGBTQ+ characters to have little problem with pansexuality as long as the singer's good enough for me to root for (and if I don't have another strong favorite), I have to admit that middle-aged and older housewives would probably not go for a pansexual girl. This definitely hurt Allegra. Never, Ever Argue With the Judges or Respond To Any Baiting From Ryan Okay, so the odds of arguing Katy, Lionel and Luke are minimal at best, especially once the voting rounds begin, but still Allegra had no problem with this rule. Gather a Fan Base -- and Support It This was the final rule that Allegra had problems with. She'd been featured far too little before the voting rounds. She wasn't able to stand out from the other female singer-songwriters. Part of her package had to be concealed because of the conservatism of most viewers. And like with Ava Maybee, her voice wasn't really for everyone. While she was better than Ava, she couldn't gather enough fans in time to save her. Thus Ava missed the mark on this rule as well. Allegra should have gone farther than Tristen Gresset. However, Tristen was able to stand out by being a real entertainer. Allegra wasn't able to do so. Worse, she was barely featured before the voting rounds, in part due to an important part of her package being concealed. This put her in a huge hole when the voting rounds came, and while she was able to show more singing and performing talent in the voting rounds, she wasn't able to do so enough to overcome the huge hole she had to climb out of. That is why Allegra lost.

Top 7 Questions 1. Which 7 singers will advance to the Top 7? (70 points) - - Nicolina - Noah - Leah - Fritz - Huntergirl - Jay - Lady K. 2. Which 3 singers will not advance to the Top 7? (30 points) - Bye-bye, Christian - Bye-bye, Emyrson - Bye-bye, Mike 3. Which female singer will be announced first by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 7? (30 points) - Nicolina 4. Which male singer will be announced first by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 7? (30 points) - Noah 5. Which singer will be announced last by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 7? (30 points) - Emyrson 6. What will be the ratio of male and female singers in the Top 7? (20 points) - 3 males and 4 females Bonus Questions 7. How many singer will play musical instrument in their performance? (50 points) - 3 8. Which singer in the Top 10 will perform last? (50 points) - Huntergirl 9. Will Luke Bryan wear Disney costume during the Disney Night? Yes or No? (50 points) - No Super Bonus Question 10. Which costume will Katy Perry wear during the Disney Night? You can give 5 answers to this question (100 points). In the previous seasons, Katy’s Disney costumes were Snow White, Ursula, Dumbo and Tinkerbell for Disney Night. - Ariel - Belle - Cinderella - Elsa - Rapunzel

That's not the only reason why his song choice worries me. "Remember Me" is an example of the need to properly interpret a song. The songwriter intended it to be a loving ballad addressed to his daughter, but the villain twisted it into a bombastic song about romance in general, not for a specific person. Jay needs to understand the context of the song, and if he doesn't, then he's doomed.

Nicolina Bozzo - Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson - 7.5. I'm glad that she chose an uptempo song but this is her weakest performance yet. Also, taking on Kelly Clarkson? Bad idea. Mike Parker - Chasing You by Morgan Wallen - 7.5. A very good performance from him. Fritz Hager - Wonderwall by Oasis - 7.5. Took a tiny step back from his last performance so this week, he's not the best of the guys. Christian Guardino - I’m Not the Only One by Sam Smith - 7.5. This was better than his last performance, especially since he didn't begin over singing right away. Noah Thompson - Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer - 7.0. He's improving on his performance skills slowly. Lady K - Traitor by Olivia Rodrigo - 8.0. I'm glad that she took a risk and didn't choose "Jesus Take the Wheel"! HunterGirl - 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton - 7. I love the song and she sang it well, but I think Huntergirl needs help with her performance skills on this song. Leah Marlene - Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan - 8.5. Not quite as good as her last performance but she's still very good. Tristen Gressett - You Can’t Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones - 6.5. It was past his time to go. Emyrson Flora - Lovely by Billie Eillish - 8.0. Nice recovery from her last performance. Jay Copeland - Lilac Wine by Jeff Buckley - 8.5. I think this was his best performance since his audition.

Eliminated in the Top 10 round: Lady K., Mike and Christian. Eliminated in the Top 7: Emyrson and Jay. Eliminated in the Top 5: Nicolina and Fritz. 3rd place: Huntergirl Runner up: Noah American Idol: Leah

He's also audience bait and a favorite of Luke, so he gets a free pass for those reasons as well.

Nobody as far as I remember. But Cameron came close when he chose to ignore the advice of Bebe Rexha and predictably was a disaster. Which is why I'm adding to that rule next season that you shouldn't ignore any advice from mentors.

Last Tuesday, I posted an analysis of why Dan lost -- and why Dan got as far as the Top 14 before finally leaving. I wasn't able to do analyses of the other two who were nominated with him due to participating in an ORG and due to wanting to re-watch the Top 14 performances, but now I've done so, so I will continue my analysis with Ava. Ava managed to make it into the Top 14 but was cut then. Why did that happen? As always, I'll look at the rules that American Idol Season 20 contestants ideally should follow in order to explain what Ava did right, what she did wrong and why Ava lost. Show Singing and Performing Talent Ava had enough singing and performing talent to make the Top 24, but Ava was always kind of in the middle of the pack when it came to showing that talent. The Too Fab voting staff always put her either near the bottom or In the middle, neither of which is a good thing. And in her final performance, "Sign of the Times", they ranked her in 12th overall, saying that they felt detached from Ava's interpretation of the song. Crisis did think that it was her best vocal, however. I gave her a 7.5 for that performance, putting her in the middle of the pack. Thus while Ava wasn't terrible with this rule, unlike Dan, she wasn't great with it either. Song Choice Is Key I don't think that Ava had any major problems with this rule. There were others who had problems with it (like Lady K.), but not Ava. Unfortunately, that wasn't nearly enough to save her, so I'll move on. Be Consistently Outstanding, or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week Ava wasn't consistently great nor consistently outstanding. Instead, she was consistently in the middle of the pack, or towards the back of it. And that's not a good thing, especially if you have little prior exposure before the voting rounds, like Ava did. Thus she messed up in this rule. Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable For Positive Reasons This was another rule that Ava had problems with. She wasn't exactly unique except in terms of her hair color, nor was she memorable except for being the child of a famous musician. There's a reason why she was only featured in the audition episode that aired after the Oscars ended. And her tone of voice wasn't for everybody, a rule which gave Allegra similar problems. Thus Ava fouled up this rule as well. Remember, You Are a Package This was another rule that Ava had problems with. Her tone of voice wasn't for everybody, and other than her hair color and her famous father, she didn't have enough of a package to really help her get far in the competition. And unlike Allegra, she didn't consistently improve every week. Thus Ava struck out on this rule as well. Never, Ever Argue With the Judges or Respond To Any Baiting From Ryan At least Ava had no problems with this rule. Unfortunately like with the second rule, this wasn't nearly enough to save her, so we'll move on. Gather a Fan Base -- And Sustain It This was the final rule that Ava had problems with. Granted, she wasn't a country singer like Huntergirl, but she had other problems beyond that. She wasn't featured much before the voting rounds, and once she was, she wasn't able to do enough to gather a fan base that she could sustain. In fact, she probably just barely made it into the Top 10 in public voting in the Top 20 round. Thus, Ava failed in this rule as well. Ava had too many strikes against her. While nowhere near as bad as Dan in singing or performing skills, she was still near the bottom. She wasn't consistently great and didn't consistently improve. She wasn't memorable enough, and her package was too plain. This along with little exposure prior to the voting rounds prevented her from getting the fan base she needed to survive. And that is why Ava lost.

Very true. I wouldn't have recommended this song for him.

Jay Copeland - Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars - 7.5. Good performance, but he needs to step it up. HunterGirl - Baby Girl by Sugarland - 7.5. Enjoyable but not my favorite performance of hers. Christian Guardino - Take Me to Church by Hozier - 7. He's good but not great. Dan Marshall - She’s Got It All by Kenny Chesny - 5. Leah Marlene - Happy Together by The Turtles - 9. Like Maddie Poppe, she sang a song I remember, and I loved it! Fritz Hager - Let It Go by James Bay - 8. He's still the best of the guys. Tristen Gressett - Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert - 6. What was he thinking, singing a song by Adam Lambert? Lady K - I Believe by Fantasia - 7.5. And what was she thinking, singing Fantasia's coronation song? Allegra Miles - Ocean Eyes by Billie Eillish - 9. She went all too soon. Ava Maybee - Sign of the Times by Harry Styles - 7.5. Not quite as good as last week, and I fear that it cost her. Mike Parker - Hurricane by Luke Combs - 7.5. He was very good again. Emyrson Flora - Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo - 7. Good but I've seen better from her. Noah Thompson - Stand by Me by Ben E. King - 7.5. "Stand By Me" was his best performance. Nicolina Bozzo - Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen - 8.5. Third-best of the performances tonight.

This week is a little better for me, with only four people to analyze and not six. I'm going to begin my analyses of why these four lost by looking at Dan Marshall. Dan was a handsome male country singer, but he was the first of the trio of male country singers (plus one female country singer) who be eliminated. And as always, I'll be looking at the list I made up of rules that American Idol Season 20 contestants need to follow in order to do well on the show in order to explain what Dan did right, what he did wrong (a lot) and why Dan lost. Show Singing and Performing Talent This is the most important rule for a reason. Dan had enough singing and performing talent in order to make the Top 24, but when it came time to show that singing and performing talent, he failed to deliver. He showed more singing talent than say, Cameron Whitcomb, but he didn't show enough singing talent to compete with much more talented vocalists such as Jacob Moran, and certainly didn't show enough performing talent to get far. A large part of the reason for his failure to show performing talent was because he had only been performing for a short time before getting on the show, and it showed. For example, in his last performance, the Too Fab staff called it amateur and compared it to karaoke. And the judges were actually critical of his performance, which is never a good sign. And if I'd been prone to sleeping, his last performance would have put me to sleep -- and most of his performances would've put me to sleep, for that matter. It's clear that Dan fouled up massively with this rule. Song Choice Is Key Dan didn't do quite as badly with this rule as did some others, such as Katyrah Love. But his performances were so dull and boring that even decent song choices would keep him around forever. So I'll move on from here. Be Consistently Great or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week Dan wasn't consistently great. In fact, he was consistently boring. Whenever he performed, it was pretty much a snooze fest. Sooner or later, his tendency to put people to sleep would catch up with him, and it did so this week. Thus Dan struck out with this rule. Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable For Positive Reasons Dan had a mixed bag with this rule. On the one hand, he was one of four country singers -- three guys and a girl -- and thus couldn't stand out by being the only country singer in the group. On the other hand, he was memorable for being a handsome former football player, which was a positive thing. Unfortunately, he was also memorable for being the most boring of the quartet of the country singers. I'd say that overall, he failed with this rule but not as badly as with the first and third rules. Remember, You Are a Package This was the final rule that I think Dan screwed up on although like with the fourth rule, it was kind of a mixed bag. He was a country singer and a former football player, and could have used the package to really succeed in the competition. But his total lack of performance skills ensured that he could never really do anything with his package. Thus Dan ultimately stumbled with this rule. Never, Ever Argue With the Judges or Respond to Baiting From Ryan Well, this is one rule that Dan succeeded in. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to cover up his failures with the other rules. So we'll move on from here. Gather a Fan Base -- and Sustain It This might have been the rule that Dan did the best with. He was a country singer, and the country fans have often supported country singers. Moreover, country singers have often done well on the show, especially since Luke Bryan became a judge. And I'm sure that the country fan base, along with his handsome appearance and being a former football player, enabled him to survive a lot longer than he should have. But sooner or later, his luck was going to run out, and his luck ran out in the Top 14. Honestly, I think Dan was really lucky to last as long as he did, and I'd put his lasting so long down to the country fans and his being a handsome former football player. But he was never going to win American Idol. He was one of the weakest singers and his performance skills stank. The only thing he was consistent with was being a consistent snooze fest. And eventually, his luck ran out. That is why Dan lost.

Is that a good song choice for her? I'd like her to go farther due to what happened in the previous round.

After Leah's most recent performances, I'd like to be added as a fan, please.

With Allegra now gone, my Top 3 are Lady K., Emyrson and now Leah.

Glad that they saved Lady K.

I think that Jay saved himself. Possibly his best.

I think that Emyrson might have saved herself.

Tristen is more of an entertainer than a singer.

Thanks. Anyway, Leah is really becoming a dark horse. I enjoy her a lot!

What song did she sing?

I actually enjoyed this performance of Huntergirl, but maybe that's because I remember practicing it for Voices Together back when I lived in Raleigh. I would've gone for it in a heartbeat if I was her.