ikwonic

I also don't think there's any reason Kim shouldn't be in the finals either. I haven't written her off yet, though, and I think with the right trajectory, making the finals isn't necessarily impossible. With some great songs like Natural Woman (or really, any more well known/more impressive Aretha songs than I Never Loved a Man), she could run away with this competition. Kim has had a LOT going against her though. I mention this like daily, but Kim's edit has just SUCKED. I'm choosing to compare Kim to Jershika. I know Jershika's voice is a bit less raspy than Kim's, but she still had a comparable heaviness and rasp in her voice (which she showed on Beggin, God Only Knows, etc.). I think the biggest differentiator between Kim and Jershika isn't their voices, but rather their edits. Jershika had a solid, marketable, and relatable story that was shown to us performance after performance. We all knew who Jershika WAS even by the time the Playoffs came and it was easy to root for her. Jershika also had a pimp spot by closing Night 1 of the battles and also got to close the last night of the KOs. Jershika had a pretty late audition, but that was a bit of a given since her actual audition was late in the taping process anyways. Kim on the other hand had: -An inexplicably late audition (despite the fact that her audition was one of the earlier ones in reality). -Kim was the only 4 chair turn of her night, yet they decided to leak Constance Howard's audition instead. -Kim's audition was the first one of a jam-packed, late, 2 hour night of both auditions AND a battle. Her night was also stacked with people like Rowan Grace and Justin Aaron. By the time the night was done, it was easy to forget about Kim. -Kim's battle was right in the middle of a jam-packed, late, 2 hour episode. Once again, it was easy to forget her battle since it didn't result in a steal and didn't have much screentime. -Kim's KO was ALSO tucked right in the middle of a jam-packed, late, 2 hour, episode (see the trend?). Her KO night was especially rushed due to a lack of montages, leaving even less time to devote to her backstory package and her rehearsal. TLDR: I don't think Kim's voice is holding her back as much as the fact that we/the general audience know NOTHING about her. I know that we at IDF are probably a little quick to throw around a phrase like bussing, but Kim's terrible edit and lackluster songs definitely point to some sort of production interference... It's just SO frustrating that she hasn't been given the spotlight she deserves.

I think, again, for Brayden that won't matter too much since he'll probably get thrown a lowball easy country song week after week. If anything, that'll probably help him out as some of the more creative artists take risks week after week that won't end up paying off.

I think the whole "Brayden can't sing" thing needs to be put to rest. I mean, his audition was shaky, but everything since then has been consistently solid from him (which is more than a lot of the Top 13 could say). Of course, his songs have been easy, but I don't see Blake throwing him Listen by Beyonce any time soon. I think where Brayden could be done in is stage presence. They let him sit down and hide behind a guitar this week, but obviously, he can't do that every week. I really wonder how far Blake will end up pushing him. I mean, if Blake tries to get him to prance around the stage and thrust his pelvis, his vocals would definitely suffer and Bryce could totally overcome him.

Locks for the Bottom 4: Eric Who: I still have no idea who he is Alyssa Witrado: In Danger: Devix: He unfortunately just doesn't stand out that much. He had a bit of a quiet early edit with no leaks and lots of late episodes. With another forgettable performance, he could easily be in the bottom 4. Kique: He's been a star on Team Gwen, but I don't think minivan will blindly support him like they would someone like Brayden or Justin. I think a bad song choice or a lackluster performance could totally put him in danger In Decent Standing: Kim Cruse: Literally ALL she would need is a Natural Woman level performance and she'd SAIL through the rest of the competition. Her songs choices have been awful though and she could get sent home if she gets a Shadale-esque bus Rowan Grace: Blake giving her his stamp of approval by giving her a CS will probably help her share votes with Blake's country voting block. She's a solid and consistent singer who tends to pick good songs, so I think she'll be okay for at least one more week. Probably/Definitely Safe: Justin Aaron: He will absolutely get more votes than everyone else on Team Gwen, at the very least. Therefore, the only way he'd end up in the Bottom 4 would be if it was all 3 members of Team Gwen + Eric, which is technically possible, but quite unlikely. Brayden Lape/Bryce Leatherwood: I think it's a totally real possibility that any/all of them could completely flop next week, but honestly even if they did, they'd probably still be safe. They'd have to give an OFFENSIVELY bad performance to even be close to being in danger. Omar Cardona: He might be losing a bit of steam, but I think no matter what, there will be 4 people who are more at risk than him (at least going into the first week). 0% Chance of Being in Danger: Morgan Myles Parijita Bastola Bodie: He proved that he could still get a PV even without a minivan-friendly song. All he has to do is pick some religious song to dedicate to his kids and he'll be in good standing week after week.

Really like: 1. Justin Aaron (he consistently slays) 2. Kique 3. Parijita Bastola 4. Kim Cruse 5. Brayden Lape 6. bodie Indifferent: 7. Devix 8. Omar Cardona (I need him and Devix to pull out a non overdone/cheesy song ASAP) 9. Rowan Grace 10. Morgan Myles 11. Eric Who? (still not really enough performances to judge him on, esp. since we barely heard him over the band last night...) Still haven't liked a single performance: 12. Alyssa Witrado 13. Bryce Leatherwood

Kevin's IS got a higher grade than Justin's performance last night....?

I think next week is too early for Kim. There are SO many great songs she could make work and rake in votes with. As long as she doesn't sing Life is a Highway or I Never Loved a Man (again), I think she will be fine.

Have any of his performances besides his KO gotten good numbers though? It doesn't seem like minivan "gets" him, or at least, from what I saw, they haven't liked his audition or most recent performance.

Goodbye Alyssa, Eric, and Kique next week.

don't rub it in

Hopefully he learns to sing by then.

Bailey Rae, Foushee, and Kyndal Inskeep. Kate for the last one.

I mean, none of Kate, Kevin, and Sasha are MAJOR losses, but it's still sad that Kate got sent home despite giving her best performance and Bryce totally flopping.

It absolutely will.

NOOOOO

IKR. It takes a LOT of energy for me to even open the app and I'm actually invested in these people!

Let's go Kate!

Interesting. I'd be happy to see Kevin move on, but I still don't see that happening.

Tanner at least had a good KO. Bryce has been so consistently awful.

That was Kate's best performance so far. I think she's one of the few people who somehow does better with the added pressure of performing live.

Kate is slaying!

Brayden ate him up last night and Kate put him to rest today.

Perfect song for Kate. TOTAL Minivan bait. She has this in the bag.

Not expecting Kevin to get saved, but I mean, I'd honestly prefer that to Kate or Bryce.

He probably didn't "choose" these songs to be fair.