CarmenSandiego

Dan was predictable and boring.

Christian sang the heck out of the song, but this wasn't the best song choice.

Jay wasn't as manic, which is a good thing, but it might be forgotten by the end, and that's bad. Huntergirl was enjoyable but was a little forgettable too. Still she'll probably be all right. That might be a bad idea. I agree.

I'm going to watch on TV, but I'll be voting for Allegra, Emyrson and Lady K. vi text as well as via online voting.

That would be good advice! I'll consider it for next season.

Whew! Writing up six analyses on why certain contestants lost was a killer. But I persevered, and now I'm down to just one contestant eliminated from the Top 20: Sage. Sage managed to make it into the Top 20, bu after her Top 20 performance, she had to sing to earn a Judges' Wildcard, and she was eliminated. But why did she fail to earn the coveted Judges' Wildcard? If we look at the rules that American Idol Season 20 contestants need to follow, that can help us learn what she did right, what she did wrong, and why Sage lost. Show Singing and Performing Talent Sage had enough singing and performing talent to make the Top 24, but she needed to show that talent in her three performances. And she didn't always do so. For example, let's take a look at her performance in the Top 20 round. The Too Fab staff ranked that routine in 19th place, above only Katyrah's performance, noting that the performance felt a bit uncomfortable. Crisis said that she should have stayed with the piano arrangement the whole way through the song, and said that the vocals fell apart when the band kicked in. I gave it a 7, but said that it was largely because I liked the song, since after rewatching it on YouTube I wasn't as impressed as I was the first time around. What about her Judges' Wildcard song? That actually went better. The Too Fab staff actually ranked this performance second best of the ones who sang for the Judges' Wildcard slot, behind only Tristen, suggesting that she fought for her spot because she mentally prepared herself for the likelihood that she'd be in trouble. And Crisis also thought that was her best performance. Unfortunately, it seems to have come too little, too late for her. Thus Sage ultimately failed in the first rule, although not as badly as some others did. Song Choice Is Key Sage had a questionable song choice in the Top 24 round with "Jolene". It's been done before on American Idol, and not always very well. That said, she got into the Top 20 despite that iffy song choice (and was helped by Danielle and Scarlet having worse song choices), and her choice of "Rihannon" for her Top 20 performance was panned more for how she performed the song than for it actually being a bad song choice, so she wasn't as bad with this rule as others were. Be Consistently Outstanding or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week However, Sage did have problems with this rule. She wasn't consistently outstanding, and she didn't consistently improve every week. By contrast, Allegra was improving every week once she got into the Top 24. Thus Sage fouled up this rule. Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable For Positive Reasons I don't think that Sage did too well with this rule either. She might have been the only one really competing in a particular lane, as the Too Fab staff thought. On the other hand, Crisis indicated that he thought that she was toast once Ava got into the Top 14 through public voting, so Sage might have had competition from her. And Ava was more memorable than Sage due to Ava's hair color and having a famous father. Thus Sage messed up on this rule as well. Remember, You Are a Package This is probably one of the biggest reasons why Sage lost. Her package was comparatively plain when compared to a number of the other women -- and men for that matter -- in the Top 24. She was able to outlast three other people (along with Kenedi, who withdrew), but she needed a better package to get into the Top 14, and she didn't have it. Thus, Sage struck out with this rule. Never, Ever Argue With the Judges or Respond to Baiting From Ryan At least Sage had no problems with this rule. Unfortunately, that 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 Sage failed to follow. Part of it was the fault of the producers, as they aired her audition as almost an afterthought. But she didn't do enough on her own part to get a fan base or to sustain it. Had she done an outstanding performance of "Rhiannon" or "Jolene", then she might have gotten a fan base. But she didn't. Thus, Sage fouled up this rule as well. Sage was screwed somewhat with the producers, since her audition was aired almost as an afterthought, and right after the Oscars were shown too. But she still could have saved herself once she got into the Top 24. She could have made a better song choice in the Top 24. She could have made better performance choices in the Top 20 round. And she could have had a better package and been more memorable. But she did none of the above. And when it was time for her to sing for the Wildcard slot, she finally sang and performed her best, but It was too little, too late. That is why Sage lost.

Incidentally, I'd like Allegra to do a version of the title song from the James Bond film "No Time To Die". That would get people to pay attention to her and vote for her, I think.

Maybe not, but if enough people who could be in danger (like Ava) stumble badly enough, she might just squeak by this round.

Katyrah was one of my personal favorites. Unfortunately, my rooting for her ended all too soon as she failed to get into the Top 14 through public voting, and then failed to get a Judges' Wildcard slot. But how did it happen? What caused Katyrah to end her journey in the Top 20? As with Cadence, Cameron, Elli and Jacob I'll look at my list of rules of what American Idol Season 20 contestants need to follow in order to find out what Katyrah did right, what she did wrong and why she lost. Show Singing and Performing Talent Katyrah had enough singing and performing talent to make the Top 24. She also showed her singing and performing talent in her Top 24 group. But she might not have shown both off as well in her Top 20 performance or her Wildcard song. In her Top 20 performance, the Too Fab staff thought that she didn't nail all the big notes and that she might have gotten into her head a little too much, while Crisis thought that she wasn't able to match the energy that Bishop Briggs had when Katyrah sang "Dream." And while I loved her performance, others on IDF ranked it lower than I did. And what about her Wildcard slot song? Katyrah chose "Through the Fire", and the Too Fab staff put her last amongst those in danger, saying that she didn't nail some of the big notes that she needed to hit. Thus, Katyrah failed this rule. Song Choice Is Key I think this is the main problem that Katyrah had. Crisis hit the nail right on the head: Chaka Khan is a vocal powerhouse. You need to have a tremendously powerful voice in order to take on her songs. While it's commendable that Katyrah wanted to go big, she really should have chosen a different song. Thus Katyrah struck out on this rule. Be Consistently Outstanding or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week This was another rule that Katyrah had problems with. I believe that she hit her peak in the Top 24 round, but then she stalled. You can't afford to hit a plateau, especially in the early rounds. Thus Katyrah messed this rule up as well. Stand Out by Being Unique, or By Being Memorable for Positive Reasons I don't think that Katyrah did as well with this rule as she could have. She was a fine performer and had some memorability in her backstory, but it didn't reach out as much to people as the backstory of say, Lady K., who definitely was more memorable. Thus Katyrah stumbled slightly with this rule as well. Remember, You Are a Package Katyrah had problems with this rule as well. She had a package -- a powerful voice -- and was an entertainer as well but her packaging was comparatively plain compared to that of Lady K., who also had a powerful voice but had a more sympathetic backstory. Thus Katyrah fouled up this rule as well. Never, Ever Argue With the Judges or Respond to Baiting From Ryan At least Katyrah succeeded with this rule. But that didn't help her, so we'll move on. Gather a Fan Base -- And Sustain It This is the final rule Katyrah had problems with. She wasn't a Country singer like Huntergirl. She didn't have as compelling a backstory as Lady K. And while she was a fine entertainer, her song choices weren't always the best. Thus Katyrah missed this rule as well. In the end, Katyrah had too many strikes against her. She could have found a way to make herself more memorable. She could have performed better at certain key moments in the competition. And most important, she could have chosen better songs. But she did none of the above, and that is why Katyrah lost.

I think that voter complacency played a role here. Jacob's fans probably thought that he was safe and didn't bother voting for him as much as they should have. Also, he probably didn't have a real "it factor" like others.

In other words, smart song selection. Maybe Allegra should do the same.

My guess that it's a combination of the two theories offered -- her enunciation is a problem for some people and others can only understand and appreciate the basic stuff.

1. Which 11 singers will advance to the Top 11? (110 points) - Noah (ugh) - Huntergirl - Fritz - Lady K. - Nicolina - Christian - Leah - Dan (double ugh) - Emyrson - Tristen - Allegra (I still have hope) 2. Which 3 singers will not advance to the Top 11? (30 points) - Ava - Jay - Mike 3. Which female singer will be announced first by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 11? (30 points) - Nicolina 4. Which male singer will be announced first by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 11? (30 points) - Fritz 6. Which singer will be announced last by Ryan Seacrest to move forward to Top 11? (30 points) - Allegra 7. What will be the ratio of male and female singers in the Top 20? (20 points) - 6 females and 5 males Bonus Questions 8. How many singers will use any musical instruments in their performance? (50 points) - 5 9. How many singers in Top 14 will receive standing ovations from Katy Perry after their performance? (50 points) - 10.

Why do the Facebook people hate Allegra's voice so much?

I have analyzed the reasons why Cadence Baker, Cameron Whitcomb and Elli Rowe all failed to make the Top 14. Three down and three to go, with one of the remaining three being Jacob Moran. Unlike the first three, Jacob had a very good chance of advancing farther into the competition despite not finishing in the Top 10 public voting but after singing to ensure a Judges' Wildcard slot, he was gone. How did what was probably the best male vocalist in the competition fail to make the Top 14? My list of rules for Season 20 contestants to follow in order to get far into the competition hopefully will explain what Jacob did right, what he did wrong, and why he lost. Show Singing and Performing Talent There is no doubt that Jacob has lots of singing talent, and that he showed it as often as he could. Indeed, when he sang his Top 20 song, Katy called him the best voice in the competition, and with Kenedi gone from the competition, that might well be true. Unfortunately, we have seen far too often that there's more to winning American Idol than just being a great singer. You need to show your performance skills, too. And how did Jacob do with this rule? Not quite as well as with his vocals. The Too Fab staff put him in their Top 14 but noted that his stage presence was a little subdued. Crisis, meanwhile, thought that he didn't have a natural stage presence and when he tried to emphasize it, his vocals suffered as a result. A similar problem occurred when he had to sing for the Judge's Wildcard slot, as the Too Fab staff ranked him fifth of those who were in danger, noting that his Wildcard Slot performance wasn't as good as his audition, and Crisis felt the same way. But the real problem might not have been Jacob's performance skills; it might have been his tone of voice. Like Adam Lambert, Jacob had a tone of voice that tended to get on my nerves, and I don't think that I'm the only one who felt that way. Still, Jacob was mostly successful with this rule. Song Choice Is Key Jacob didn't seem to have any real problems with this rule, unlike Cadence or Elli. I think that reprising "Rise" was a smart choice since it would remind the judges of why they put him in the Top 24 in the first place. Allegra sang a reprise of her original song that she first sang at her audition, and it worked out for her. Thus, I don't believe that Jacob failed this rule. Be Consistent, or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week Unfortunately, Jacob did fail with this rule to some degree. His performance of "In My Blood' was possibly his best performance, but I didn't find his performance of "Don't You Worry About a Thing" as good. And his Wildcard Slot performance of "Rise" doesn't seem to have been as good as DYWAAT. I didn't view those two performances as bad, just not as good. And since he began the competition in a strong position, he needed to keep the momentum going. But like LaKisha from Season 6, he couldn't. Thus, he screwed up on this rule. Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable For Positive Things Jacob did stand out by being the best male vocalist in the Top 24, and he was memorable for that. Unfortunately, he also was memorable for having a tone that could drive people nuts, me included. Still, he succeeded with this rule more than those who were eliminated before him, so we'll move on. Remember, You Are a Package Jacob did have a package -- his package was being the best male vocalist in the Top 24. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that there was much else to his package, and that might havre hurt his chances when his vocals weren't as good or his performance skills were lacking. Lady K. also has a strong voice, but she also has a sympathetic backstory that probably helped her get into the Top 10 via public voting. Jacob's package was plainer by comparison. Thus Jacob messed up on this rule. Never, Ever Argue With Any Of the Judges or Respond to Baiting From Ryan This was another rule that Jacob followed, so we can move on from there. Gather a Fan Base -- and Sustain It Jacob began well with this rule. His killer vocals enabled him to gather fans. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to gather as many fans as the country singers, and he wasn't able to sustain his fan base. Complacency might also have played a role here, since he was still good enough that his fans might have thought that he would be okay and slacked off a little. Thus Jacob ultimately failed with this rule as well. Jacob began the competition well. He had plenty of singing talent, and this enabled him to gather fans. Unfortunately, he wasn't a natural performer, which hurt him to some degree. Worse, his tone of voice could be grating. His packaging was plain compared to some of the others, and finally, he couldn't remain consistently outstanding, losing steam just enough to lull his fans into complacency. He had one last shot to impress the judges, and he fell short. And that is why Jacob lost.

Yeah, she had more potential than actual ability at this point.

I do think that song choice played an important role in Elli's failure. Allegra was a little better than her in that regard -- while she didn't make the Top 10 in public voting, her rendition of "Free Fallin'" was more memorable, and by choosing to sing one of her original songs for the Wildcard slot, she was able to convince the judges to keep her in. Elli didn't do so, and was cut accordingly.

Last Monday, Elli Rowe was one of ten contestants that had to sing to get a precious Judges' Wildcard slot. However, like Cadence Baker and Cameron Whitcomb, she failed and was eliminated. What could she have done differently in order to get into the Top 14? My list of what rules Season 20 contestants should ideally follow in order to get far into the competition can help explain what Elli did right, what she did wrong and why Elli lost. Show Singing and Performing Talent Elli had enough singing and performing talent in order to make the Top 24 and even the Top 20. But how did she do in the Top 20 round? Not great. The Too Fab staff said that she sang like a shy girl who was convinced to go up and perform at a party to show everyone how great she was. Denton Davidson from GoldDerby liked her more but didn't think that she should have let the band come in so strongly during the second half since it drowned out her delicate voice. On IDF, Crisis also thought that the band drowned her out and that she was better the week before. I gave her an 8 but I thought that she could be forgotten by the end. But Elli had a second chance with her performance of "All I Want". And how did that go? It didn't go well either. The Too Fab staff ranked her in eighth out of those who were in the Bottom 10, thinking that she wasn't fully mature as an artist. Denton Davidson liked her performance more, but was worried because she got a backhanded compliment from Lionel Ritchie. And Crisis thought that she was vocally great but the performance part was lacking. Thus Elli stumbled on this rule, mainly with the performance aspects of it. Song Choice Is Key One of the reasons why Elli might have stumbled with the first rule was because she had problems with the second rule, which states that song choice is a key to winning. Crisis noted that "All I Want" required a certain kind of sadness, and Elli just wasn't able to convey it, while the Too Fab staff noted that when a song demanded a few moments of emphasis, she didn't always have it in her. Elli should have picked a better song for her Wildcard slot performance, and possibly even chosen a better song for her Top 20 performance. Thus Elli failed with this rule. Be Consistently Outstanding or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week An American Idol contestant should either be consistently outstanding or consistently improve every week. This is especially true if you're not focused on much, as Elli was. Unfortunately, she didn't do so well with this rule either. She did well enough to advance into the Top 20 but too many people put her near the bottom of the Top 20 round, and her Wildcard Slot song wasn't good enough. Thus she messed up this rule as well. Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable For Positive Reasons This was probably the main reason for Elli's loss. She wasn't memorable enough, especially when compared to Allegra Miles, who also sang in a lane similar to Elli and also had to compete for a Wildcard Slot. I compared Elli's Wildcard Slot performance to Allegra's, and found Allegra to be better, and I clearly wasn't the only one. Elli was a pretty blonde girl with an ethereal voice, but she wasn't memorable enough to be really featured in the early rounds. And she wasn't memorable enough for people to vote for her in the Top 20 round or for the judges to keep her. Thus, she struck out with this rule as well. Remember, You Are a Package This was another rule that Elli failed to do well with. As I noted earlier, Elli was a pretty blonde girl with an ethereal voice, but that was pretty much it. She wasn't featured much because she had a vanilla package, and that wasn't going to cut it on this show. Thus Elli screwed up this rule as well. Never, Ever Argue With the Judges or Respond to Baiting From Ryan Well, at least Elli succeeded with this rule, since she never seemed to argue with them. Nor did she ignore the advice from mentors (Jimmie Allen in her case), unlike Cameron, whose decision to ignore Bebe Rexha's advice in the Top 24 round probably came back to haunt him when he needed to get a Wildcard slot. Unfortunately for Elli, that wasn't enough to overcome her other failures, so I'll just move on. Gather a Fan Base -- And Sustain It This was the final rule that Elli failed to follow. Not all of it was her fault, since she was only montaged during the rounds before the Top 24 performed, which also happened to Allegra. But she could have overcome it by being more memorable to be focused on, or by being a country singer. And once she came into the Top 24, she could have done a better job of gathering a fan base. Unfortunately, her performances weren't good enough to overcome her massive disadvantage and she didn't get into the Top 10 via public voting. Thus Elli fouled out on this rule as well. Elli had a major disadvantage going into the Top 24. She wasn't memorable enough to be focused on heavily and thus was behind the 8-ball. But she could have done better in order to survive. She could have been a better performer. And she could have made better song choices. But she did neither. And the final straw was the fact that she was in a lane similar to that of another contestant who also had to sing for a Wildcard Slot -- and was more memorable as well as better. Three strikes, and Elli was out. That is why Elli lost.

Well, I'll take any contestant over Noah or Dan.

I watch the performances live but then I rewatch them on YouTube to get rankings.

1. Allegra -- my favorite now that Kenedi's gone. 2. Lady K. -- if Allegra doesn't win, I hope that she does. 3. Nicolina -- best vocalist. 4. Emyrson -- my third pick. 5. Huntergirl -- I wouldn't mind if she won. 6. Fritz -- the only guy I wouldn't mind winning. 7. . Christian -- best male vocalist but he over sings a lot. 8. Leah -- she's sometimes just a little much for my taste, that's all. 9. Jay -- his star is fading fast. 10. Ava -- I like her least of the girls. 11. Mike -- I like him most of the male country singers. 12. Tristen -- he can be too much for me. 13. Noah -- . But he has a nice tone. 14. Dan --

Last Monday, the Top 20 was cut to 14, with 10 singers getting through on the public vote and ten having to sing for one of the four Judges' Wildcard Slots. In the end, six were cut from the competition: Cadence, Cameron, Elli, Jacob, Katyrah and Sage. I've already done an article which tried to explain why Cadence lost, and now it's time to look at why Cameron lost. Cameron managed to get to the Top 20, but why wasn't he able to get to the Top 14? Let's look at the rules that American Idol Season 20 ideally should follow in order to understand what Cameron did right and what (a lot) he did wrong. Show Singing and Performing Talent Cameron had enough singing and performing talent in order to make the Top 24. And he showed more than enough performing talent during his short time on the show. But did he show enough singing talent? No way! In fact, when he performed in the second group in the Top 24, his performance could accurately be described as a train wreck. The TooFab staff accurately noted that his voice faltered because he couldn't really sing when he was running around at top speed. Nobody on IdolForums liked it either. He had the lowest overall rating of Group 2, with only Dan Marshall from Group 1 being rated worse overall. However, he managed to get into the Top 20 because as I noted in my analysis of why Sir Blayke lost, the only thing worse than being a train wreck which is entertaining is being boring. So how did he do in his Top 20 performance? Well, he calmed down and actually sounded better. The TooFab staff put him in tenth overall, and in the Top 14, praising him for delivering a better vocal performance and thinking that it might've been his best performance yet. However, the people from IDF still weren't impressed. Crisis thought that he was still all over the place vocally. And I gave him a 6 out of 10, which was better than the 3 I gave him for his Top 24 performance but was still at the bottom along with Dan. When he failed to make the Top 10 in terms of votes, he had one final chance to save himself with "if It Hadn't Been For Life". How did he do with that one? Again, the TooFab Staff thought he did better than in the Top 24, although they did note that his voice faltered when he moved around. The IDF people, on the other hand, were still critical, with most of those rating him anywhere from a 3 o a 5. I gave him a 6, admitting that it was his best vocal but still thinking that he was a goner. IAlso, Denton Davidson from GoldDerby said that he would keep Allegra (who got one of the Wildcard slots) over Cameron, a decision a lot of us would have agreed with. In short, Cameron failed in the first rule. Song Choice Is Key I don't think Cameron did as badly with this rule as others did, like Cadence. While his song choices weren't always my cup of tea (like "Black Sabbath"), they were probably better than doing Whitney Houston or Carrie Underwood. So I'll move on from here. Be Consistently Outstanding or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week Cameron had problems with the first part of the rule, being consistently outstanding. In fact, as I noted before, he was a train wreck in his first performance! He did manage to improve in his next two performances, so he did manage to follow the second part of the rule. The problem is that he didn't do it nearly fast enough to make it into the Top 14. So he didn't really succeed in this rule either. Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable for Positive Reasons Cameron did manage to be memorable and thus followed the fourth rule to an extent. As I noted when reviewing his Top 24 routine, he was at least entertaining. However, he also was memorable for ignoring mentor Bebe Rexha's advice, which isn't a positive reason to be memorable. If you want to be memorable, ignoring advice isn't the best route to take. And while he did improve his vocal performance in the Top 20, it might also have had the unintended effect of making him more forgettable. Thus, while Cameron wasn't a total strike out, he still had problems with this rule. Remember, You Are a Package Cameron did know that he was a package and proved it with his entertaining back flips. However, his package was that of a performer, not that of a singer. He may not know how to combine his energy with his vocals in such a way that he can be a package that people would vote for, especially people like me, who tend to vote for the better singers. If that's the case, then he struggled with this rule as well. Never, Ever Argue With Any of the Judges or Respond to Baiting From Ryan I'm afraid that I'm going to have to add a related warning to future American Idol contestants: never, ever ignore the advice of mentors. Because that is exactly what Cameron did. Bebe advised him to stand behind a mic and tone down his manic energy, and he ignored it. The result was a disaster, with steam likely coming from Bebe's ears and the judges appropriately speechless. Fortunately for Cameron, he didn't argue with the judges and he did listen to Bebe's advice and tone the manic energy down, but by then it was too little, too late. Thus in the end, Cameron struck out with this rule. Gather a Fan Base -- and Sustain It This was the final rule that Cameron failed to follow. Part of the problem was that like Nicolina, he was from Canada and Canadians aren't able to vote on the show. But Nicolina was able to deliver killer vocals that allowed her to gather a fan base. Cameron had decent vocals, but his manic energy often took away from his vocals and in any case, he wasn't the best male vocalist by a long shot. He had fans, but they were fans mainly because of his manic energy (and after his Top 24 performance, because of the judges giving him thumbs-down), but once he toned down his manic energy, the fans went away. Thus he fouled up this rule as well. Quite frankly, Cameron should have been eliminated a week ago. He was one of the weakest vocalists in the Top 24. He was a natural performer, but it often came at the expense of his vocals. His packaging was focused almost entirely on his performance skills. And he made the fatal mistake of ignoring the advice of Bebe Rexha. And that explains why Cameron lost.

Take a look at my thread on why Sir Blayke lost, and what you said about him being forgettable is probably the biggest reason why he lost.

While I don't mind that you love Gabby (as you said, everyone has a right to their opinions when it comes to rooting for a contestant), you really should be more realistic. Gabby might be a potential star, but a potential superstar? That remains to be seen, since it's too early in her career to tell, and unlikely as well.

Last night, the public vote put 10 contestants of American Idol Season 20 in jeopardy: Allegra, Cadence, Cameron, Elli, Jacob, Jay, Katyrah, Mike, Sage and Tristen. The judges then decided to save Allegra, Jay, Mike and Tristen, thus ending the journey of Cadence, Cameron, Elli, Jacob, Katyrah and Sage. That means that this week, I have to analyze why the dream ended for six people, based on the rules I listed that American Idol Season 20 contestants should ideally follow in order to get far into the show. It's a tough thing, but I have to begin somewhere, and I'll go in alphabetical order, which means that the first person I'll analyze is Cadence. Cadence had the tools to get into the Top 24 and even into the Top 20, but her journey ended there. What happened? Why didn't Cadence get any farther? Show Singing and Performing Talent There is no doubt that Cadence had enough singing talent to get into the Top 24. She also had enough performing talent; unfortunately, it seems that she was more comfortable performing with a family member nearby, especially her father. When she went to Hollywood and had to leave her father behind, her performances began to suffer due to confidence issues and she began falling towards the back of the pack when the Top 24 were chosen. She did make a good enough recovery in the Top 20 round that she was able to get into the Top 20, but how was her performance of "Train Wreck"? Not the best. Denton Davidson from GoldDerby thought that her high belting screeched, while the Too Fab staff put her into the list of those who they didn't think would make the Top 14, although they did think that she invested herself fully into the performance. And few people in the IdolForums Rating thread gave Cadence a very high score either -- I gave her a 7, and that one of the higher scores. And what about her performance of "I'm Your Baby Tonight" when she had to sing for her survival? That wasn't great either. The Too Fab Staff thought it felt like something that you might see at a high-school talent show. And Katy Perry actually complimented Cadence's appearance before commenting on her performance, something that Davidson correctly realized wasn't a good sign. I think it's safe to say that Cadence failed in this rule. Song Choice Is Key Cadence didn't exactly shine in this rule either, especially when she sang for her survival. Singing a Whitney Houston song is very risky, and you need to have the vocal pipes required to tackle her songs. When I heard her perform the song, I didn't think that it was the smartest choice. Still, she wasn't as bad with this rule as some others -- most notably, Katyrah. Be Consistently Outstanding or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week This was one of the biggest problems Cadence had. She was inconsistent, in part due to her confidence issues. She began well, but began losing steam in Hollywood and never regained enough of her former steam to have a shot at going very far. I thought that her best performance since her audition was in the Top 24, when she sang an Etta James song, but then she slid backwards in the Top 20 round. Thus, Cadence stumbled on this rule as well. Stand Out by Being Unique or by Being Memorable for Positive Reasons Another strikeout from Cadence here. She was just one of many young female performers with a very good voice, and her confidence issues led to her being rather forgettable. In fact, my comments on her "Train Wreck" performance was "Lovely but forgettable." I didn't think it would get her the votes she needed, and I was right. Thus Cadence struck out on this rule as well. Remember, You Are a Package This was another rule that Cadence fouled up on. Perhaps due to her confidence issues, she had problems defining who she was and thus packaging herself to appeal to enough people that they would vote for her. And her inconsistent performances certainly didn't help her out there. Thus, she fouled up this rule as well. Never, Ever Argue With Any of the Judges or Respond to Baiting From Ryan At least Cadence had no problems with this rule. Cameron, on the other hand, had some problems here though his problems weren't with the judges, they were with mentor Bebe Rexha! Remind me to add that you should take the advice of mentors in the future. However, I'll get to Cameron later, so I'll just move on. Create a Fan Base -- And Sustain It This was the final rule that Cadence had problems with. Due to her confidence issues and resulting inconsistency, she wasn't really able to create a fan base that would help her out. It didn't help that she wasn't a country singer like Huntergirl, have an entertaining personality like Leah, or have a sad backstory like Lady K. All Cadence had was her voice, and that wasn't enough to get a fan base. Thus Cadence missed this rule as well. Cadence had potential. But she wasn't confident unless she had family nearby and if she didn't have them around, she struggled with consistency. This prevented her from being memorable, and thus affected her ability to create a package and gain a fan base. And finally, she made an iffy song choice when it came time to sing and convince the judges that she deserved to be one of the Wild Cards. And that is why Cadence lost.