Crisis' AI S20 Thought Box

miss denise · April 23, 2022

On 4/20/2022 at 10:02 PM, Crisis said:

That's understandable. At the same time, however, I think both the contestants and show use each other. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the contestants see how the winners have been treated and just want to make it far enough to get exposure without winning.

Thank you. I'm not holding my breath, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if there are. I wouldn't say no to them performing in those costumes although I doubt they're allowed to keep them after the show.

- I know what you mean. I thought about resurrecting it but got too busy with other stuff. The laugh was certainly better than when A.J. Gil laughed in the middle of his All Or Nothing performance.

- It would be cool to see him do more of those out-of-the-box songs. I can't help it if he appears to me like that.

- Nice to see appreciation for that comment.

I get that. But hmm I still feel the way I said. :dead: :blushingwave:

Awww. You'll have to let me know. :shiftywave: Aww darn.... but maybe they made their own versions. :giggle:

- Oh yay. :giggle: Aww that's understandable and fine. My thoughts will stay in my mind unless you know who I'm thinking of. LOLLLLLL I don't even remember that but I'm :dead: at the thought.

- I agree! And I suppose he can't help it either. :lmao:

- Aww I always find lots of your commentary amusing. :haha:

On 4/20/2022 at 10:10 PM, Crisis said:

Lady K – Bust Your Windows

Outside of the messes that were the key change and ending, this was a strong showing for her. LOL at Ryan pointing out the types of songs she’s sung thus far.

Huntergirl – Vice

This song isn’t exactly a happy one, but she made it sound that way. What I said about Jay being too cheery for You Know I’m No Good applies here as well.

Emyrson Flora – Love In The Dark

She and Ava were the most unlikely Top 10 vote getters. Adele is hard to sing, but she did OK. However, there were parts where she strained to hit the notes.

The Wildcards:

Allegra Miles – Tainted (Original)

This is a performance I didn’t care for upon first watch. However, it grew on me after watching it a couple more times. Unlike Huntergirl’s original, this one caught my interest. She connected well (considering it’s an original, it would be concerning if she didn’t) and the song was lyrically fine. It was one of the better wildcard performances.

Jay Copeland – Believer

I’ve said this before, but Imagine Dragons songs aren’t good in singing competitions. They’re too much of arena anthems to work well. Jay’s performance was…something. I watched the episode on a stream with my headphones on and ripped them out and threw them on the table in disgust once he hit the chorus. I certainly felt pain in my ears. That gave me Jacob Lusk flashbacks. With this said, there was no way they were going to let one of their Platinum Ticket recipients leave if they had the opportunity to prevent it. Speaking of the PT, I think that’s one of Jay’s problems. I may be talking out of my butt here, but it appears he’s trying to justify that he was worthy of receiving the PT that he’s more focused on showing off his abilities rather than giving a genuine performance. It would be nice to see such a performance from him, but it may be too late at this point.

Mike Parker – Bed On Fire

In his previous performance, Mike lacked any kind of passion and it suffered somewhat as a result. Here, he brought the fire (no pun intended) a song of this nature needed. While I have complained about the key changes this season, Mike had one of the better ones. Based on his performance, I thought he earned a WC pick. With everything said, it seems like Luke is hellbent on making him a country singer if it’s the last thing he’ll do.

The Eliminated:

Cadence Baker – I’m Your Baby Tonight

First, poor thing. The way her smile dropped after Ryan confusingly said she wasn’t in the Top 10 was both funny and sad. Now for her performance, this was another case of picking the wrong song. The attitude was there, and she appeared to give it her all, but this was not good. She didn’t have anywhere near the vocal ability to tackle this song. It was no surprise she was eliminated here. It’s too bad because she regressed after a solid showing in Hawaii. She has a lot of potential, but there are some things she needs to work on, namely her nerves and confidence, if she wants to continue to pursue this path. Finally (checks to see if she’s legal; she is so crisis averted), she sure was purdy – easily the prettiest girl this season – so I’ll miss her from a superficial standpoint.

- I loved that comment from Ryan too. :lmao:

- Ahh yeah, I noticed the mismatched emotion tooo.... maybe she was too happy from advancing and should have picked a different song. :haha:

- Oh really, Emyrson was a surprising one to advance? I didn't feel that way, but I also think she's probably my favorite at this point.

- Oh yikes, imagine not connecting to a song you wrote yourself. :lmao: Thankfully that wasn't the case.

- omggg yikes your comments here on Jay's performance. I'm so sorry... I didn't feel that way, but I suppose the PT ticket comment is fire.

- :lmao: at the Luke comment. My TV refused to work during this performance so I'll have to watch it back... which I'm only convinced to do now because of how much you liked it. :giggle: Okay, wow, that was really good. I can't believe I missed such a strong performance!

- Ugh, I felt bad for how she was given the news too. OMGG at the "crisis averted." :dead: But is it really.... when you ARE Crisis? :shiftywave: :lmao:

Crisis · April 23, 2022

11 hours ago, miss denise said:

I get that. But hmm I still feel the way I said.

Awww. You'll have to let me know. Aww darn.... but maybe they made their own versions.

- Oh yay. Aww that's understandable and fine. My thoughts will stay in my mind unless you know who I'm thinking of. LOLLLLLL I don't even remember that but I'm at the thought.

- Aww I always find lots of your commentary amusing.

- I loved that comment from Ryan too.

- Ahh yeah, I noticed the mismatched emotion tooo.... maybe she was too happy from advancing and should have picked a different song.

- Oh really, Emyrson was a surprising one to advance? I didn't feel that way, but I also think she's probably my favorite at this point.

- Oh yikes, imagine not connecting to a song you wrote yourself. Thankfully that wasn't the case.

- omggg yikes your comments here on Jay's performance. I'm so sorry... I didn't feel that way, but I suppose the PT ticket comment is fire.

- at the Luke comment. My TV refused to work during this performance so I'll have to watch it back... which I'm only convinced to do now because of how much you liked it. Okay, wow, that was really good. I can't believe I missed such a strong performance!

- Ugh, I felt bad for how she was given the news too. OMGG at the "crisis averted." But is it really.... when you ARE Crisis?

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that! :yes:

If I can remember most of it, I'll try to post a recap of the show in her fan thread. It would be something if they did. :haha:

- I actually have no idea who you may be thinking of, but now I'm curious to know. :giggle: A.J.'s was more of a nervous chuckle whereas Dan's was him getting caught up in the moment.

-

- That was hilarious from him. Now I'm interested to see what she does next. Maybe one of many Olivia Rodrigo's songs that focus on this subject? :lmao:

- Probably so.

- I thought others were more popular for some reason. I expected someone like Cameron or even Allegra getting into the Top 10 over her. Good for her regardless.

- That would've been a serious problem if that were the case. :haha:

- Yeah it was not a pleasant experience for me the first time I watched it; at least I was prepared during the rewatches. :haha: He and Christian do too much with their songs, but Christian's voice is easier on the ears.

- Luke isn't even being subtle with his intentions. Although doubtful, it wouldn't surprise me if he took Mike under his wing after the season. This was the performance that grew on me the most during the rewatch. I thought it was fine at first but appreciated a lot more the second time around.

- You could see her heart drop once she learned she wasn't among the Top 10 vote getters. I'm glad someone caught that. :haha: I haven't paid much attention to the contestants' ages except Tristen's because he looks much older than he is. :haha: You know I don't like commenting on minors' looks, so I made sure she wasn't one before doing so.

miss denise · April 25, 2022

On 4/23/2022 at 9:00 AM, Crisis said:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that!

If I can remember most of it, I'll try to post a recap of the show in her fan thread. It would be something if they did.

- I actually have no idea who you may be thinking of, but now I'm curious to know. A.J.'s was more of a nervous chuckle whereas Dan's was him getting caught up in the moment.

- That was hilarious from him. Now I'm interested to see what she does next. Maybe one of many Olivia Rodrigo's songs that focus on this subject?

- Probably so.

- Luke isn't even being subtle with his intentions. Although doubtful, it wouldn't surprise me if he took Mike under his wing after the season. This was the performance that grew on me the most during the rewatch. I thought it was fine at first but appreciated a lot more the second time around.

- You could see her heart drop once she learned she wasn't among the Top 10 vote getters. I'm glad someone caught that. I haven't paid much attention to the contestants' ages except Tristen's because he looks much older than he is. You know I don't like commenting on minors' looks, so I made sure she wasn't one before doing so.

Thank you. :haha: :hug:

Ooh okay! Let me know if you do and I'll check it out. I also hope you had a great time!

- Oooh... well, it will stay with me for now. :giggle: :shiftywave: Oh haha that makes sense.

- Maybe so. :lmao: I won't give anything away on tonight's song in case you haven't watched yet.

- I have to add that I felt an emotional disconnect with Huntergirl's performance tonight too, so am curious to see if you did again.

- Aww that would be so great for Luke to do for Mike. I hope he does. Ah, I really loved it right away so am glad it grew on you too! I don't even remember Mike much from before this. :lmao:

- Aww. Haha of course I did. :giggle: I don't really know either, except for the teenagers who have their ages brought up often. But sooo true about Tristen! There's no way he's 17. :shock: Haha yes, that was very respectful of you. :yes:

Crisis · April 26, 2022

22 hours ago, miss denise said:

Thank you.

Ooh okay! Let me know if you do and I'll check it out. I also hope you had a great time!

- Oooh... well, it will stay with me for now.

- Maybe so. I won't give anything away on tonight's song in case you haven't watched yet.

- I have to add that I felt an emotional disconnect with Huntergirl's performance tonight too, so am curious to see if you did again.

- Aww. Haha of course I did. I don't really know either, except for the teenagers who have their ages brought up often. But sooo true about Tristen! There's no way he's 17. Haha yes, that was very respectful of you.

I took notes during the show, so I'll do a summary of the show after I'm done with this week's Idol's episodes. In the meantime, I posted pictures I took of her in her fan thread. They aren't the best quality because I wasn't that close to the stage, but they turned out alright. There was someone else who I took pictures of and posted them in her thread as well. :yes: I had a great time! I'll explain more in my recap. On the subject of shows, I was invited to see one of Carrie's shows by a co-worker at her residency next month and may consider taking her up on her offer.

No, you can't tease me like that and expect me just to forget about it! :giggle:

- I did watch the episode and am working on the write-ups now. :yes: I have a few more to go and will try to post them tonight and have tonight's episode up either tomorrow night or Wednesday.

- I guess we'll see.

- Yeah. I should've known you would've gotten that. :giggle: No kidding about the judges constantly bringing up the teenagers' ages. They're worse than Randy with his constant mentioning of Jordin being only 17 during S6. :haha: Exactly about Tristen. :haha: See, even I have standards! :lmao:

Crisis · April 26, 2022

14 to 11: Breakout Songs

The Contestants:

Jay Copeland – Just the Way You Are

I was concerned when I saw he was singing this song because Bruno Mars’s songs, especially this one, have parts that encourage big notes; therefore, I expected him to oversing like he has in previous performances. Instead, he sang the song straight. More importantly, he appeared to connect to the song rather than show off as many vocal tricks as possible. This was his best performance of the season by a long shot up to this point.

Huntergirl – Baby Girl

HG is someone who hasn’t impressed me much vocally this season, and this performance was no different. However, this is the best she has sounded so far. While I was critical of her smiling during Vice last week, it was somewhat fitting for Baby Girl. The song is about being optimistic about making it as a singer, and HG conveyed that sentiment well for the most part. I believe knowing her parents were present helped her understand the message more.

Christian Guardino – Take Me to Church

As with Jay and Just The Way You Are, seeing Christian pick this song made me think he was going to over embellish it with unnecessary runs and trills because this is another song that encourages those type of things. With that said, outside of him being sharp at the beginning of the chorus and him oversinging at some parts in the end, this wasn’t a bad vocal. Like Jay, he gave his most restrained performance of the season.

Leah Marlene – Happy Together

First, she picked the right song between this and Mad World, mainly because the latter would’ve invited comparisons to Adam Lambert’s version which is considered to be one of the greatest Idol performances although Joey did OK with it in S14. Nonetheless, this was my least favorite performance of hers thus far. The arrangement and band were too much and therefore, it sounded like she was pushing her vocals too hard so she could be heard. With that said, it was still in the upper half of performances of the night.

Fritz Hager – Let It Go

I haven’t been impressed with Fritz’s previous two performances after his solid Hawaii showing. However, he gave a very solid rendition of the James Bay hit. If I have one nitpick with the performance, it was the final chorus where he started too low before going higher. It just felt out of place compared to the rest of the song. Despite this, Let It Go is my favorite Fritz performance so far and one of the highlights of the night.

Tristen Gressett – Whataya Want from Me

Lord knows I’ve had my fair share of criticism of Adam Lambert over the years. However, say what you want about him, the man has an incredible voice. Whataya Want from Me is my favorite song of his, and it was a serious earworm for about a week after hearing it in Subway one day. As for Tristen, this song was way too much for him to handle. I’ve said his voice isn’t big enough for these songs, and this proved it. The verse wasn’t too bad; however, the choruses were not good to put it lightly. He swallowed his words and didn’t even attempt to sing the high notes as the background singers covered for him. This is his worst showing by far.

Lady K – I Believe

Shakes head disappointingly. I’ve said this before, but no one should be singing coronation songs of AI winners. These are their crowning moments which are hard if not impossible to match. This is especially true for I Believe. No one will ever do this song justice other than Fantasia as she poured her heart and soul and tattooed not just put her stamp on this song. With all of this said, Lady K’s version was decent. She definitely put in the effort and wasn’t too poor technically. It’s just that as I said earlier, anyone who attempts this song will fall short to Fantasia. There are other Fantasia songs she could’ve chosen. Still, it’s in the upper half of the evening. On a final note, she looked beautiful in that dress.

Mike Parker – Hurricane

I’ve been listening to a lot of country music recently, and Luke Combs is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists in this genre. If I had to pick my favorite song of his, it would be Hurricane, so I was interested to see how Mike would fare with it. Dare I say this is my favorite performance of his. I liked his vocals, especially in the chorus, bridge, and towards the end of the song, and his stage presence and connection were good. This was his second strong performance in a row.

Emyrson Flora – drivers license

First, this arrangement was terrible. It was so slow and plodding; it nearly put me to sleep. Emyrson’s singing, however, kept me awake; unfortunately, I don’t mean this in a positive way. The verse was fine, but the chorus was way off with the worst part being the big note before going into the bridge. Speaking of the bridge, that’s the best and most powerful part of the song, and she fell way short there as well. She was more concerned with hitting high notes than conveying the emotion. Ava August did this song much better last season. Emyrson had a strong showing in Hawaii, but she’s someone who’s becoming less impressive each time out.

Noah Thompson – Stand By Me

I was glad he didn’t pick the Chris Stapleton song as he didn’t do him justice earlier in the season. Stand By Me is another out of the box song choice for him. I feel like I’m repeating myself with him every week because he once again was solid vocally but nothing more than that. You know what, I take some of it back. He had some nice vocal moments during the last part of the verse and into the chorus. Lastly, this was the first time he didn’t look like he was in pain while singing. He’s shaping up to be one of those contestants who I recognize is competent but won’t have too much interest in.

Nicolina Bozzo – Halleljuah

Here we have another song that has been done to death in singing competitions. Having said that, the main appeal of the song is its simplicity. It’s one of those songs that doesn’t need a bunch of bells and whistles to sound good. While Nicolina had some parts that did verge into that territory, it wasn’t too bad, and the softer parts sounded really lovely. It wasn’t the best performance of the night, but it was a decent way to close the show. All in all, this is the type of performance Christian should’ve had with Imagine because both songs are in a similar vein.

Eliminated:

Allegra Miles – ocean eyes

Not Allegra being the only Wildcard contestant not to be voted through. :dead: Poor girl. Before I get into the eliminated contestants, what is up with the official YouTube channel not posting the performances of the eliminees? I have to watch MJs videos (ugh) if I want to rewatch the performances. On to Allegra, I’ve made it clear I haven’t been that fond of her tone. However, I loved this performance. She had some moments where she showcased a beautiful head voice. If there is one criticism, I would’ve liked for her to stay at the piano throughout the performance. I’m 50/50 on that, but it didn’t work in this case because it was so close to the end. It would’ve been better if she left halfway through the performance. Regardless, it was her best performance of the season and a strong note to go out on. Before I end this, I got Paul Kim flashbacks when Ryan joined her on stage barefoot. That was old school Ryan when he tried to relate to the contestants after their performances. :lmao:

Ava Maybee – Sign of the Times

First, what is up with all of the Harry Styles this season (the same can be said for Billie Eilish, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it)? At this point, I’m expecting someone to bust out Watermelon Sugar (ugh) and/or As It Was before the season’s over. Like Allegra, Ava is someone who’s tone I wasn’t much of a fan of except worse. However, while I still can’t say I’m fond of her voice, this was her best vocal of the season. There were concerns of her starting the song in a weird spot because it could go wrong quickly if there’s no direction where the singer wants to take it. It reminded me of Sabrina Sloan’s Don’t Let Go (Love) performance back in S6. Ava, however, managed to stay on course with the performance. Like Allegra, Ava went out on a positive note.

Dan Marshall – She’s Got It All

I wasn’t expecting him to leave this soon seeing how well country artists do on this show. His performance was OK, but nothing to get excited over, which epitomized Dan’s Idol run. He wasn’t outright terrible, but he wasn’t in the same league as most of the other contestants. He did say in his video packages he’s only performed for a few months prior to Idol, and his inexperience showed quite a bit during his performances. I didn’t dislike him (I don’t really dislike anyone, but I don’t have any emotional attachments to these contestants and haven’t had so for the past couple of years), but he was one of the weaker contestants and think this was a good spot for him to bow out. The only regret is he won’t get to sing anything from Toy Story on Disney night. Best of luck to him and the others.

Personal Rankings:

1. Allegra

2. Mike

3. Nicolina

4. Fritz

5. Leah

6. Ava

7. Lady K

8. Noah

9. Jay

10. Christian

11. Huntergirl

12. Dan

13. Tristen

14. Emyrson

Edited April 26, 2022 by Crisis

rockerannah · April 26, 2022

9 hours ago, Crisis said:

Jay Copeland – Just the Way You Are

I was concerned when I saw he was singing this song because Bruno Mars’s songs, especially this one, have parts that encourage big notes; therefore, I expected him to oversing like he has in previous performances. Instead, he sang the song straight. More importantly, he appeared to connect to the song rather than show off as many vocal tricks as possible. This was his best performance of the season by a long shot up to this point.

I have to disagree here. I think he sang this song really well, but I really think Believer by Imagine Dragons was his best performance so far.

9 hours ago, Crisis said:

Emyrson Flora – drivers license

First, this arrangement was terrible. It was so slow and plodding; it nearly put me to sleep. Emyrson’s singing, however, kept me awake; unfortunately, I don’t mean this in a positive way. The verse was fine, but the chorus was way off with the worst part being the big note before going into the bridge. Speaking of the bridge, that’s the best and most powerful part of the song, and she fell way short there as well. She was more concerned with hitting high notes than conveying the emotion. Ava August did this song much better last season. Emyrson had a strong showing in Hawaii, but she’s someone who’s becoming less impressive each time out.

I whole heartedly agree with this.

Crisis · April 27, 2022

13 hours ago, rockerannah said:

I have to disagree here. I think he sang this song really well, but I really think Believer by Imagine Dragons was his best performance so far.

No issues with the disagreement. I thought he went overboard on the chorus in Believer, and that ruined it for me. It would've been better if he toned it down some.

Crisis · April 27, 2022

11 to 9 10: Judges' Song Contest

I was iffy about the judges’ song contest theme at first because it placed more emphasis on the judges instead of the contestants. However, I found myself enjoying it as the night went on, and it appeared others did as well. The songs the judges’ picked on the other hand, well that’s up in the air, and that’s all I have to say about that. Oh, and way to go Luke for spoiling the twist before the last commercial break for the judge, or in this case judges, who won the contest. :dead:

The Contestants:

Nicolina Bozzo – Since U Been Gone

It was good to see her sing something uptempo after doing nothing but ballads up to this point. I appreciated the effort she put into the performance with her moving around on stage more. However, while I enjoyed it the first time, it’s one I docked some upon the rewatch. The verses were too low for her, and she hit a really sour note in the beginning of the first chorus. This was her weakest effort of the season, but at least she looked like she had fun. I didn’t expect Lionel to pick this song for her, but I get why he did though he could've picked a different song. Nonetheless, of the three songs, Somebody Like You would’ve been the best option.

Mike Parker – Chasin’ You

Ugh, why didn’t he pick I Swear? I think he would’ve killed that song in a good way. As for his choice, regardless of the controversy surrounding Morgan Wallen, I’m not a fan of his voice or music. I find his music boring and completely zone out when I hear one of his songs, so Mike would’ve had to do something to make this song more interesting. Unfortunately, he didn’t do so. It wasn’t a terrible performance, but he could’ve done a lot more than what he did. With that said, I liked what he did in the end with the “chasing that freedom” part. Other than that, this was a step back from his Hurricane performance. It didn’t surprise me Luke picked this song.

Fritz Hager– Wonderwall

I don’t know what song that was, but it sure as heck did not sound like Wonderwall. I’ve said in the past there’s a difference between making a song your own and making it unrecognizable, and Fritz did the latter. At first, I did not like what he did to the song because he sucked the energy out of it. Upon a rewatch, however, this one grew on me some. He had some nice vocal moments, particularly in the pre-choruses. Still, I wouldn’t say it was my favorite performance of the night. Regardless of what I think about the performance itself, he picked the best song of his three options (I probably would’ve destroyed something if he picked Perfect because I’m sick to death of hearing that song). I thought Katy picked this song, but it was Luke again. I think Luke’s musical knowledge outside of country is bigger than people think, so this shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise.

Christian Guardino – I’m Not the Only One

Oh joy, it’s Sam Smith, one of my favorite artists. After showing some restraint with his previous performance, Christian went back to doing what he does best: oversinging the song without trying to understand the song’s meaning. It’s a song about being cheated on by a lover, yet he sang it like he and his partner were celebrating an engagement. This performance emphasizes my issue with Christian thus far. For once, I want to see him just sing a song and not try to put a bunch of unnecessary bells and whistles. I had a feeling Katy picked this song for him. Speaking of whom, her calling Sam Smith the GOAT. The GOAT of what, singing overdramatic, woe is me, I’m deserving of love type of songs? I think I’ll stop here.

Noah Thompson – Heartbreak Warfare

Personally, I would’ve liked to see him sing Bigger Than My Body. It would’ve forced him more out of his comfort zone and provide more energy. At least it wasn’t Take Me Home, Country Roads. I would say he needed to open his voice more because his throat sounded restricted, but John Mayer has made a career singing that way. This was another OK performance from him, though I think it’s his weakest outside of Blue Side of the Mountain. Oh, and him thinking Katy picked that song and him looking clueless was hilarious. :haha: It was clear he knew nothing about Katy and John’s past. Katy antics annoy me often, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t amused by her after Noah guessing she picked the song for him. She’d pick a Taylor Swift song before a John Mayer one. :haha:

Lady K – traitor

On 4/23/2022 at 9:00 AM, Crisis said:

That was hilarious from him. Now I'm interested to see what she does next. Maybe one of many Olivia Rodrigo's songs that focus on this subject?

I was only kidding when I said this! :dead: It makes me wonder if Lionel stumbled across this thread and picked this for her. :haha: It was smart of her not to pick Carrie again after her earlier performance wasn’t well received. Unfortunately, this was not a good showing. Her voice jumped all over the place, and there was that awkward pause at the end of the first chorus. Outside of that, the worst part was the beginning of the bridge when she came in too sharp. She tried to salvage it in the end, but it wasn’t good enough. This was her worst performance of the season other than Before He Cheats, and it wasn’t surprising she was in B2. She was fortunate the twist was in play and that Tristen was with her instead of someone else. She bounced back nicely after BHC; we’ll see if she can do so again next week.

Huntergirl – 9 to 5

This performance epitomizes why I haven’t enjoyed her much this season. Despite its uptempo nature, 9 to 5 is a song about someone who is worn down from working too hard and feeling underappreciated for everything she contributes to her profession. Huntergirl, however, sang it with great jubilation. She appears to be one of those performers who can’t help but smile when she’s on stage even if it’s inappropriate. Even with the lack of connection to the lyrics, the singing once again wasn’t anything special. Overall, this was something that can be seen in just about every country karaoke bar across the nation. No surprise Luke picked this one for her.

Leah Marlene – To Make You Feel My Love

This is a song I’m tired of hearing in these settings. I would’ve loved to see her take on the other two songs, in particular The First Cut Is The Deepest. However, while not impressive as Heal, Leah had a great vocal showing. I liked that she didn’t try too much with the song because it’s another one in which the best way to sing it is to sing it the way it was intentionally written. With that said, she had a couple of moments in which she showcased a lovely head voice. This is definitely one of the better showings of the night. Right now, she’s playing the Idol game the best out of everyone. She’s mixing things up while delivering on a near weekly basis. I expected Lionel to pick this song, but it was Katy instead. Speaking of lovely…

Emyrson Flora – lovely

As with Harry Styles, there is a heavy emphasis on Billie Eilish songs this season. Anyway, Emyrson certainly redeemed herself after her poor showing the night before. Starting with the chorus was an interesting move, but she didn’t delve too much into it before going to the verse. She did a good job with the lower parts of her voice and transitioning into the chorus. I did think she went sharp when beginning the second verse, but that’s the one nitpick I have. All in all, this was a step in the right direction for her, and she picked the song that suited her the best. Speaking of songs, I want to know who was the judge who picked that Chris Stapleton song? That song would’ve eaten her alive.

Jay Copeland – Lilac Wine

First, Jay did NOT look impressed with his song selections. He was the only one who showed his displeasure whereas everyone else looked excited. :lmao: To his credit, he picked the song that was the least like him. This is the performance that grew on me the most upon rewatch. At first, I dismissed it as loungy and boring. However, it was the best he sounded all season. He didn’t overdo it like he did in the past and showed he can interpret a song. I was waiting for the moment he would try to go big, but to my pleasure that moment never came. It was clear this song challenged him to become a different performer and based on this performance, the challenge was met. He took what he did on Just the Way You Are and built on that foundation. Kudos to Katy for this song selection.

Eliminated:

Tristen Gressett – You Can’t Always Get What You Want

OK, so this performance was a complete mess. The arrangement was too busy, especially with the gospel type part towards the end, his vocals were off because he was so out of breath from moving around on stage too much, and him dropping to his knees made my knees hurt. With all of this said, however, I smiled liked an idiot watching this the first time and enjoyed this just as much as during my rewatch. The judges moving like they were inflicted with the holy spirit was hilarious as well. In a way, he reminds me of Qaasim Middleton in that they aren’t the best singers, but they go out and give everything on stage. Going back to the vocals, this is the main reason he’s out. While he was energetic, that can only carry you so far. At some point you’ll have to prove you can deliver vocally, and Tristen was unable to do so. He should’ve had at least one performance where he just sang. Contrast this to Leah who is also energetic on stage but showed on a couple of occasions she can sing a song straight. Finally, there was no chance he would be saved a second time. Even if he was, he most likely would’ve been out the following week. Something similar happened to Sonika Vaid in S15. With this said, his voice isn’t where he wants it to be, but fortunately he’s still young and has time to grow into it. Good luck to him in his future endeavors.

Personal Rankings:

1. Jay

2. Leah

3. Emyrson

4. Fritz

5. Noah

6. Nicolina

7. Christian

8. Mike

9. Tristen

10. Huntergirl

11. Lady K

So the annual Disney Night is next week? I'm looking forward to the potential ~~trainwreck~~ group performance of We Don't Talk About Bruno. Speaking of Encanto, I would love to see someone take on Surface Pressure.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Crisis

miss denise · April 28, 2022

On 4/25/2022 at 8:13 PM, Crisis said:

I took notes during the show, so I'll do a summary of the show after I'm done with this week's Idol's episodes. In the meantime, I posted pictures I took of her in her fan thread. They aren't the best quality because I wasn't that close to the stage, but they turned out alright. There was someone else who I took pictures of and posted them in her thread as well. I had a great time! I'll explain more in my recap. On the subject of shows, I was invited to see one of Carrie's shows by a co-worker at her residency next month and may consider taking her up on her offer.

No, you can't tease me like that and expect me just to forget about it!

- Yeah. I should've known you would've gotten that. No kidding about the judges constantly bringing up the teenagers' ages. They're worse than Randy with his constant mentioning of Jordin being only 17 during S6. Exactly about Tristen. See, even I have standards!

Sounds good! I'll go check out the photos. ^_^ I'm curious who is this other person you took photos of? Oooh that would be amazing if you got to see Carrie as well! I wish someone would invite me, lol.

Haha you don't have to forget... but I don't know when or how it will be revealed. :giggle:

Thanks. :giggle: Haha I feel like it's always been a thing to mention the 16 and 17 year old's ages. They won't let us forget. (!) Of course you do!

On 4/25/2022 at 9:24 PM, Crisis said:

Huntergirl – Baby Girl

While I was critical of her smiling during Vice last week, it was somewhat fitting for Baby Girl. The song is about being optimistic about making it as a singer, and HG conveyed that sentiment well for the most part. I believe knowing her parents were present helped her understand the message more.

Tristen Gressett – Whataya Want from Me

Lord knows I’ve had my fair share of criticism of Adam Lambert over the years. However, say what you want about him, the man has an incredible voice. Whataya Want from Me is my favorite song of his, and it was a serious earworm for about a week after hearing it in Subway one day.

Lady K – I Believe

Shakes head disappointingly. I’ve said this before, but no one should be singing coronation songs of AI winners. These are their crowning moments which are hard if not impossible to match.

Mike Parker – Hurricane

I’ve been listening to a lot of country music recently, and Luke Combs is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists in this genre. If I had to pick my favorite song of his, it would be Hurricane, so I was interested to see how Mike would fare with it. Dare I say this is my favorite performance of his. I liked his vocals, especially in the chorus, bridge, and towards the end of the song, and his stage presence and connection were good. This was his second strong performance in a row.

Emyrson Flora – drivers license

First, this arrangement was terrible. It was so slow and plodding; it nearly put me to sleep. Emyrson’s singing, however, kept me awake; unfortunately, I don’t mean this in a positive way. The verse was fine, but the chorus was way off with the worst part being the big note before going into the bridge. Speaking of the bridge, that’s the best and most powerful part of the song, and she fell way short there as well. She was more concerned with hitting high notes than conveying the emotion. Ava August did this song much better last season. Emyrson had a strong showing in Hawaii, but she’s someone who’s becoming less impressive each time out.

Eliminated:

Allegra Miles – ocean eyes

Not Allegra being the only Wildcard contestant not to be voted through. Poor girl. Before I get into the eliminated contestants, what is up with the official YouTube channel not posting the performances of the eliminees? I have to watch MJs videos (ugh) if I want to rewatch the performances. On to Allegra, I’ve made it clear I haven’t been that fond of her tone. However, I loved this performance. She had some moments where she showcased a beautiful head voice. If there is one criticism, I would’ve liked for her to stay at the piano throughout the performance. I’m 50/50 on that, but it didn’t work in this case because it was so close to the end. It would’ve been better if she left halfway through the performance. Regardless, it was her best performance of the season and a strong note to go out on. Before I end this, I got Paul Kim flashbacks when Ryan joined her on stage barefoot. That was old school Ryan when he tried to relate to the contestants after their performances.

Ava Maybee – Sign of the Times

First, what is up with all of the Harry Styles this season (the same can be said for Billie Eilish, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it)?

Dan Marshall – She’s Got It All

The only regret is he won’t get to sing anything from Toy Story on Disney night. Best of luck to him and the others.

- Ahhh darn, I guess it was just me feeling a weird connection between her emotion and the lyrics on this one. Actually, it was only one part in particular that her smiling seemed odd to me and then that's all I could think about, lol.

- :lmao: at "serious earworm for about a week after hearing it in Subway" :dead:

- This.

- I really like Luke Combs as well and this song. I feel like Mike makes the more sense to me as an artist compared to most of the other contestants.

- Oh no, I'm so sad to read all of this.

- Poor Allegra again. That's very weird of YouTube... I don't get why they'd do that. But yay for loving this performance because I did too. It was the first one of the night to really capture me and I was so bummed she was eliminated. Aww the Ryan comment. :giggle:

- I'm feeling this too about Harry and Billie songs. :lmao:

- The Toy Story comment! :dead:

On 4/26/2022 at 8:17 PM, Crisis said:

11 to 9 10: Judges' Song Contest

I was iffy about the judges’ song contest theme at first because it placed more emphasis on the judges instead of the contestants. However, I found myself enjoying it as the night went on, and it appeared others did as well. The songs the judges’ picked on the other hand, well that’s up in the air, and that’s all I have to say about that. Oh, and way to go Luke for spoiling the twist before the last commercial break for the judge, or in this case judges, who won the contest.

The Contestants:

Nicolina Bozzo – Since U Been Gone

It was good to see her sing something uptempo after doing nothing but ballads up to this point. I appreciated the effort she put into the performance with her moving around on stage more. However, while I enjoyed it the first time, it’s one I docked some upon the rewatch. The verses were too low for her, and she hit a really sour note in the beginning of the first chorus. This was her weakest effort of the season, but at least she looked like she had fun. I didn’t expect Lionel to pick this song for her, but I get why he did though he could've picked a different song. Nonetheless, of the three songs, Somebody Like You would’ve been the best option.

Noah Thompson – Heartbreak Warfare

Katy antics annoy me often, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t amused by her after Noah guessing she picked the song for him. She’d pick a Taylor Swift song before a John Mayer one.

Emyrson Flora – lovely

As with Harry Styles, there is a heavy emphasis on Billie Eilish songs this season. Anyway, Emyrson certainly redeemed herself after her poor showing the night before. Starting with the chorus was an interesting move, but she didn’t delve too much into it before going to the verse. She did a good job with the lower parts of her voice and transitioning into the chorus. I did think she went sharp when beginning the second verse, but that’s the one nitpick I have. All in all, this was a step in the right direction for her, and she picked the song that suited her the best. Speaking of songs, I want to know who was the judge who picked that Chris Stapleton song? That song would’ve eaten her alive.

Jay Copeland – Lilac Wine

First, Jay did NOT look impressed with his song selections. He was the only one who showed his displeasure whereas everyone else looked excited. To his credit, he picked the song that was the least like him. This is the performance that grew on me the most upon rewatch. At first, I dismissed it as loungy and boring. However, it was the best he sounded all season. He didn’t overdo it like he did in the past and showed he can interpret a song. I was waiting for the moment he would try to go big, but to my pleasure that moment never came. It was clear this song challenged him to become a different performer and based on this performance, the challenge was met. He took what he did on Just the Way You Are and built on that foundation. Kudos to Katy for this song selection.

Eliminated:

Tristen Gressett – You Can’t Always Get What You Want

OK, so this performance was a complete mess. The arrangement was too busy, especially with the gospel type part towards the end, his vocals were off because he was so out of breath from moving around on stage too much, and him dropping to his knees made my knees hurt. With all of this said, however, I smiled liked an idiot watching this the first time and enjoyed this just as much as during my rewatch. The judges moving like they were inflicted with the holy spirit was hilarious as well.

So the annual Disney Night is next week? I'm looking forward to the potential ~~trainwreck~~ group performance of We Don't Talk About Bruno. Speaking of Encanto, I would love to see someone take on Surface Pressure.

I felt actually the same as you on all of this. :haha:

- This sound choice was so weird to me and I was surprised she picked it. Not a fan of this being done on the show and agree that SLY was the best choice... although also predictable.

- That was so funny, as we so many moments from the judges throughout the night. :giggle: But yes she would because they are on good terms. :teeheewave:

- Oh yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed Emyrson again with this performance.

- Jay's reaction was so funny. :giggle: I'm surprised you didn't care for this on first watch, but glad it grew on you! I was so impressed and amazed with Jay after this.

These comments. :lmao: I was also like "ouch" when he fell on his knees. That couldn't have felt good.

Yay Disney night! :wub: lol I'm curious to see if either of these things happen. :shiftywave:

jarmon · April 28, 2022

Me when “traitor” is my favorite performance from Lady K :dead:

erik g · April 28, 2022

51 minutes ago, jarmon said:

Me when “traitor” is my favorite performance from Lady K

Lmao same

Crisis · April 28, 2022

7 hours ago, miss denise said:

Sounds good! I'll go check out the photos. I'm curious who is this other person you took photos of? Oooh that would be amazing if you got to see Carrie as well! I wish someone would invite me, lol.

Haha you don't have to forget... but I don't know when or how it will be revealed.

Haha I feel like it's always been a thing to mention the 16 and 17 year old's ages. They won't let us forget. Of course you do!

- Ahhh darn, I guess it was just me feeling a weird connection between her emotion and the lyrics on this one. Actually, it was only one part in particular that her smiling seemed odd to me and then that's all I could think about, lol.

- at "serious earworm for about a week after hearing it in Subway"

- This.

- I really like Luke Combs as well and this song. I feel like Mike makes the more sense to me as an artist compared to most of the other contestants.

- Oh no, I'm so sad to read all of this.

- Poor Allegra again. That's very weird of YouTube... I don't get why they'd do that. But yay for loving this performance because I did too. It was the first one of the night to really capture me and I was so bummed she was eliminated. Aww the Ryan comment.

- I'm feeling this too about Harry and Billie songs.

- The Toy Story comment!

I felt actually the same as you on all of this.

- This sound choice was so weird to me and I was surprised she picked it. Not a fan of this being done on the show and agree that SLY was the best choice... although also predictable.

- That was so funny, as we so many moments from the judges throughout the night. But yes she would because they are on good terms.

- Oh yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed Emyrson again with this performance.

- Jay's reaction was so funny. I'm surprised you didn't care for this on first watch, but glad it grew on you! I was so impressed and amazed with Jay after this.

These comments. I was also like "ouch" when he fell on his knees. That couldn't have felt good.

Yay Disney night! lol I'm curious to see if either of these things happen.

It looks as if you did. I'll try to post my review either tonight after work or tomorrow. I most likely will take her up on her offer. However, that means I'll have to relisten to her music because I haven't listened to Carrie in a while. :haha:

I am so looking forward to this whenever it comes. :giggle: :yes:

It does feel like a thing regardless who's sitting at the judges' table. Some people don't think so. :haha:

- I thought it was one of the only times she was connected to a song. That changed the following night, however.

- I wanted to curse Adam and that Subway for having that song stuck in my head for that long. :dead:

-

- There's nothing wrong with that.

- Sorry, I was just giving my honest opinion.

- Funny she leaves when she gave my favorite performance of hers. Yes, that was a funny Ryan moment. One of my favorite moments is when he danced and beatboxed with Blake after the latter's Time of the Season performance. :lmao:

- Glad to see someone else feel that way!

- Happy to entertain! :haha:

:yes:

- I think she wanted to do something uptempo, and SUBG was the only song out of her options. The performance (and song) could've been better, but it was good to see her get out of her comfort zone.

- The judges were hilarious that night. The look on Katy's face when she told Noah he should Wikipedia her was priceless. :dead: It made wonder if Luke and Lionel were trolling her by picking those songs, that is assuming they knew who picked what. Speaking of Luke, I think he may have downed one or two margaritas before the show. :lmao: Oh, so I take it she and Taylor squashed their beef.

- Yeah, she made up for her previous efforts with this performance. :yes:

- It sure was. :lmao: It's just that the song seemed boring. However, he did this thing.

No kidding, especially considering how hard that floor appears to be. They would have to get a crane to get me off the floor if I did that, yet he bounced back up with no problem.

We'll see soon. :shiftywave:

Crisis · April 28, 2022

2 hours ago, jarmon said:

Me when “traitor” is my favorite performance from Lady K

1 hour ago, erik g said:

Lmao same

tenor.gif?itemid=4119778&f=1&nofb=1

miss denise · April 29, 2022

On 4/28/2022 at 5:45 AM, Crisis said:

It looks as if you did. I'll try to post my review either tonight after work or tomorrow. I most likely will take her up on her offer. However, that means I'll have to relisten to her music because I haven't listened to Carrie in a while.

I am so looking forward to this whenever it comes.

It does feel like a thing regardless who's sitting at the judges' table. Some people don't think so.

- I wanted to curse Adam and that Subway for having that song stuck in my head for that long.

- Sorry, I was just giving my honest opinion.

- Funny she leaves when she gave my favorite performance of hers. Yes, that was a funny Ryan moment. One of my favorite moments is when he danced and beatboxed with Blake after the latter's Time of the Season performance.

- I think she wanted to do something uptempo, and SUBG was the only song out of her options. The performance (and song) could've been better, but it was good to see her get out of her comfort zone.

- The judges were hilarious that night. The look on Katy's face when she told Noah he should Wikipedia her was priceless. It made wonder if Luke and Lionel were trolling her by picking those songs, that is assuming they knew who picked what. Speaking of Luke, I think he may have downed one or two margaritas before the show. Oh, so I take it she and Taylor squashed their beef.

No kidding, especially considering how hard that floor appears to be. They would have to get a crane to get me off the floor if I did that, yet he bounced back up with no problem.

We'll see soon.

I did! I forgot to check out Pia's after I read your review, but I'll be sure to do that soon. Ahhh as you should! I haven't seen Carrie live since... 2007, so about as long ago as you previously saw Kat. :haha: Not fair. :haha: She even has new music now with an album coming in June!

:giggle:

I agree. At least we can be right together. :yes: :giggle:

- Aww poor Adam and Subway. :lmao:

- I know, as you should.

Oooh I kind of remember this moment with Blake. Gosh, that was so long ago.

- I suppose but not sure that was the song to do, even if it was her only choice this week.

- Hahaha yes :giggle: Omg I hope not but that's an interesting thought. lol Luke was a little excited with all his songs being picked. Yeah, Katy was in one of Taylor's music videos a few years ago and they hugged (see gif). :haha: I haven't heard of any issues between them since.

OMG the crane comment! :dead: But seriously I don't know how he did it. I hope he's okay now. :ph34rwave:

:teeheebounce:

Crisis · April 30, 2022

6 hours ago, miss denise said:

I did! I forgot to check out Pia's after I read your review, but I'll be sure to do that soon. Ahhh as you should! I haven't seen Carrie live since... 2007, so about as long ago as you previously saw Kat. Not fair. She even has new music now with an album coming in June!

I agree. At least we can be right together.

- Aww poor Adam and Subway.

- I know, as you should.

Oooh I kind of remember this moment with Blake. Gosh, that was so long ago.

- I suppose but not sure that was the song to do, even if it was her only choice this week.

- Hahaha yes Omg I hope not but that's an interesting thought. lol Luke was a little excited with all his songs being picked. Yeah, Katy was in one of Taylor's music videos a few years ago and they hugged (see gif). I haven't heard of any issues between them since.

OMG the crane comment! But seriously I don't know how he did it. I hope he's okay now.

I decided to take my co-worker up on her offer and will go see Carrie in concert. :yes: The show isn't until near the end of May though. This gives me some time to reacquaint myself with her music. I listened to her first two albums at work today and remembered how much I loved I Know You Won't and how amused I was by The More Boys I Meet. :haha: Maybe after her next album drops she may tour in your neck of the woods. :yes:

This is probably one of the few things we can agree on this season. :giggle:

- Poor Adam and Subway? How about poor me for the torture they put me through.

-

Yeah, it does seem so long ago. The days when Ryan would stand up to Simon after the latter was harsh with the contestants. We won't be seeing much of that with this panel, although Luke has come close a couple of times. :haha:

- Fair enough

- Yeah, Luke was enjoying himself too much. He seemed to embrace being the "villain" so to speak. :haha: Oh, it's good to see the two patch things up although that video appears to be something. :haha:

Glad to provide amusement! It wouldn't surprise me if it's one of those instances in which he was so caught up in the moment in that he didn't feel anything immediately but did so once the adrenaline wore off. :haha:

ScarletDevilCCX · May 2, 2022

On 4/18/2022 at 2:46 AM, miss denise said:



We love it though.

I love Jimmie Allen. Just wanted to share. Now, would you consider it a spoiler (for lack of a better word) if when commenting on people, I say that I liked them from the auditions? It shouldn't affect your opinion, but I want to make sure before I say anything.

- I thought the same about Tristen tonight. How is he 17?!

- Also agree on Scarlet's song choice.

-

- LOL at the superhero comments. Yes, it's a stage name... I'm not fond of it except for the "Hunter" part. Oh and at the Rascal Flatts comment. I love them but this was not the song to sing on this show.

Jacob and Emyrson are two of the three I voted for this night, so we can agree there. I'm still trying to learn who most of these people are. I don't really know how I'd rank them, except I'd probably have Nicolina and Jay quite a bit higher.

Oh yeah, I consistently referred to Tristen as "the guy who doesn't look like he's only 17". As for the stage names, Hunter is her real first name and it is a traditionally male name so since her real last name is pretty unwieldy, she just goes by Huntergirl. I'm pretty sure Sir Blayke really is his given name, though.

miss denise · May 3, 2022

On 4/29/2022 at 8:32 PM, Crisis said:

I decided to take my co-worker up on her offer and will go see Carrie in concert. The show isn't until near the end of May though. This gives me some time to reacquaint myself with her music. I listened to her first two albums at work today and remembered how much I loved I Know You Won't and how amused I was by The More Boys I Meet. Maybe after her next album drops she may tour in your neck of the woods.

This is probably one of the few things we can agree on this season.

- Poor Adam and Subway? How about poor me for the torture they put me through.

Yeah, it does seem so long ago. The days when Ryan would stand up to Simon after the latter was harsh with the contestants. We won't be seeing much of that with this panel, although Luke has come close a couple of times.

- Yeah, Luke was enjoying himself too much. He seemed to embrace being the "villain" so to speak. Oh, it's good to see the two patch things up although that video appears to be something.

Glad to provide amusement! It wouldn't surprise me if it's one of those instances in which he was so caught up in the moment in that he didn't feel anything immediately but did so once the adrenaline wore off.

Oh yay! Yes, you do have some time to do that. :yes: Awww I loved those albums and those songs really take me back too. :haha: Ooh maybe! The David Archuleta concert I bought tickets to in 2019 was postponed about four times before ultimately being cancelled... but because of him rupturing a vocal cord, not COVID. It was such a journey with that one. :haha:

I hope there's more than this.

:lmao: Oops. You did say it was a serious earworm though, so I didn't think that was torture. :giggle:

Aww I loved that too. True!

I suppose so. :lmao: lol yes!

Me too. :giggle: Yeahh, that's exactly what I was thinking. :haha:

Crisis · May 3, 2022

2 hours ago, miss denise said:

Oh yay! Yes, you do have some time to do that. Awww I loved those albums and those songs really take me back too. Ooh maybe! The David Archuleta concert I bought tickets to in 2019 was postponed about four times before ultimately being cancelled... but because of him rupturing a vocal cord, not COVID. It was such a journey with that one.

I hope there's more than this.

Oops. You did say it was a serious earworm though, so I didn't think that was torture.

Aww I loved that too. True!

Me too. Yeahh, that's exactly what I was thinking.

I'm making progress in that. I've listened to everything up to Blown Away. We're going to will this into existence! Oof, that's rough about the Archie concert. From the looks of it, he won't be touring any time soon either.

I'm about to post my Disney Night review, so we'll see...

Yeah, one I couldn't get rid of and caught myself singing at the most inappropriate times. :lmao:

I guess in a way it's a good thing because at great as it was at times, their banter detracted from the contestants as well.

:haha: at these last two sentences.

Crisis · May 3, 2022

10 to 7: Disney Night

Ah yes, Disney. An Idol staple ever since the show resurrected on ABC.

First, I am still living for the We Don’t Talk About Bruno group number. I was kind of joking when I said I’d hope we get that for Disney Night. :haha: I expected it to be a complete train wreck, especially with all the intricate parts and complex rhythms. However, that was very good. It was cool to see two of the voice actors from the movie sing with them on stage. The part that surprised me the most was the end when everyone sang their own lines because that is the most complex part. Either they rehearsed well, or it was lip synced; I’m hoping it’s the former.

As for the rest of the night, although it was one of the better Disney Nights, it was still a disappointment in a way. The main reason is the song choices. Outside of two songs, these have been done before and not only that, nothing new was brought to most of them. At least they were sung well for the most part. Next, what was with Derek Hough being the mentor? I thought Ben Platt was supposed to mentor the contestants. Well, at least I have a feeling someone was happy to see him (I’m not talking about Huntergirl). :giggle: Finally, Katy’s Ariel costume was ridiculous. Her costumes in the past were fun, but this was just bad. Why didn’t she get a red wig or dye her hair red instead of putting that…whatever it was on her head? Also, the fins, while thoughtful, were more of a hindrance. She could’ve had a skirt flared out to look like fins so she could at least walk.

The Contestants:

Noah Thompson – You’ve Got a Friend in Me

The most predictable song choice of the night goes to…Noah! I knew it would be this or something from Cars. Anyway, this is the most upbeat song Noah has sung this season. He sounded like he usually does, competent but nothing earth shattering (I feel like I’m saying this about him every week, lol). One difference, however, is showed some personality. He was smiling and looking like he was enjoying himself on stage, which is a far cry from him looking like he’s in pain in his previous performances. :haha:

Huntergirl – I See the Light

OK, now I see why she goes by a stage name. :haha: That last name must be a pain to pronounce and spell. :haha: As for her performance, for the first time this season she didn’t come across as a karaoke bar performer in some fashion. This was her best performance from a vocal standpoint, plus her stage presence was solid despite little movement. The key change towards the end was handled really well and although there are still some things in her voice, I’m not too fond of, she sounded strong throughout. Finally, there was some connection in the song although it’s still something she needs to work on (with this said, she’s not anywhere near as bad as Christian in this department). Easily my favorite performance of hers so far. Oh, and her fangirling over Derek Hough was cute. :haha:

Jay Copeland – Remember Me

While it would’ve been nice for him to sing something uptempo after his previous two performances and I’m tired of hearing Remember Me in these settings, he made the right song choice between this and I 2 I, as the latter isn’t really fit for a singing competition (ask Uché). He is on an impressive three song streak of reining in his voice and interpreting songs. With that said, this was the weakest of the three. He sounded OK until the ending when he overdid the falsetto. If he used the softer falsetto at the end instead of the higher pitched one at the beginning of the segment, the performance would’ve been better off. Still, it wasn’t terrible by any means. With that said, Michelle Sussett still has my favorite version of the song on Idol. One thing that’s interesting is how long he is lasting after being a WC pick. If only this happened for Jurnee…

Leah Marlene – When She Loved Me

Here is another song I’m bored of hearing. Anyway, Leah was smart not to be at the piano for this performance. She didn’t look comfortable with the idea in the pre-performance video; I say don’t go with something if you’re not fully confident with it. When She Loved Me is normally a sad song, but I liked her approach to it. She struck a delicate balance between remembering the good times and being sad it’s all over. Finally, she had her usual strong vocals. This is my favorite rendition of the song on Idol, although I hope it’s retired at some point.

Nicolina Bozzo – Poor Unfortunate Souls

tenor.gif&f=1&nofb=1

I’ve waited for someone to sing this song ever since Disney Night has become a staple! This is what is wished Ada sang instead of Circle of Life. I hope other Disney villain songs such as Be Prepared and/or Hellfire are performed in future seasons should there be any. Nicolina was on point both vocally and her outfit. The performance was theatrical, but it was perfect for a song of this nature. With this said, as unpopular as this may be, I wanted more from her. I would’ve liked her to move on stage more. She didn’t have to dance or anything, but she could’ve really owned the stage if she walked around a bit and showed off a bigger than life presence, especially after starting the performance with her singing on screen before coming on stage. Outside of that tidbit, this was a strong performance from her. Oh yeah, Katy getting into character and acting terrified during the performance was funny. :haha:

Christian Guardino – Circle of Life

Speaking of Circle of Life, here is yet another song that has been done to death. I won’t say much about this because it was a typical Christian performance; one in which he sings the song by blasting his way through it with zero connection to what he’s singing. It was easy to see this would happen once I saw the song choice because it allows him to do so.

Fritz Hager – Go the Distance

Go the Distance is one of my favorite Disney songs. However, I did not care for Fritz’s rendition. Like Wonderwall, he completely made the song different from the original to where it was unrecognizable. However, this performance did not grow on me unlike Wonderwall; in fact, I liked it even less the second time around. The arrangement sucked the essence out of the song, and Fritz pretty much did the same thing vocally. This was hands down my least favorite performance of his and for an unpopular opinion, I prefer Cassandra Coleman’s version to his as messy as hers was.

Eliminated:

Emyrson Flora – Carried Me with You

I don’t believe Onward is one of Disney’s most well-known movies and by extension Carried Me with You one of their known songs. Still, it was cool to see someone pick something out of the box. It was also cool to see her sing something more uptempo after doing ballads all season. She sounded fine and it appeared she had more fun on stage. While it wasn’t her best performance, it wasn’t too bad. She’s still growing into her voice and needs to understand where her strengths are. Her upper register is the weakest part of her voice, and she was in that range more than she needed to be. She stumbled in the middle, but at least she went out with two above average showings.

Lady K – How Far I’ll Go

And the award for the biggest glow up of the season goes to Lady K. She looked stunning in both the We Don’t Talk About Bruno and her solo performances. For the latter, while it was better than traitor, it still wasn’t very strong all things considered. It looked like she had some timing issues at the beginning, for it appeared she didn’t know what her next line was a couple of times. The rest of the song was better, but it wasn’t enough. She was intriguing in both personality and voice, but she was way too inconsistent to have a chance to go any further. Barring a showstopper, her time was eventually up after having to be saved the week before.

Mike Parker – You’ll Be in My Heart

Another overdone song. I would’ve loved for him to sing It’s All Right or anything from Soul for that matter. The thing with Mike is that his performances grew on me upon rewatching them, and this was no different. With this said, this was not one of his best efforts. The verses were fine; however, the choruses – especially the last one with the key change – left something to be desired. Nonetheless, with him out, I have a confession: Mike’s voice was my favorite this season (note I said he has my favorite voice, not that he’s my favorite contestant – there is a difference). The problem was the show forcing him into the country box when he comes across more as an R&B singer. I don’t know what he’ll do now, but if he decides to continue to go the country route, I hope he’s authentic and serious about it and wish him the best of luck. Best of luck to Emyrson and Lady K as well.

Personal Rankings:

1. Leah

2. Nicolina

3. Huntergirl

4. Noah

5. Jay

6. Emyrson

7. Mike

8. Lady K

9. Christian

10. Fritz (bring on the confusion and flames)

I'll post my thoughts on the reunion episode some time tomorrow at the earliest.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Crisis

Crisis · May 4, 2022

The Great American Idol Reunion

I normally write my thoughts in Word or Google Docs before posting them. However, I'm going to free write for this episode because there aren't any performances or eliminations to review. First, we can have a three hour episode of the Top 20 performing yet only one hour to celebrate some of the past Idol alums? If any episode deserved three hours, it's this one. Second, what's with the show not acknowledging the alums who sat in the lounge? They were paid dust compared to the ones who performed. Last, the judges's critiquing the duets weren't necessary. They're not competing for anything, so a few words of how well they've come along should have sufficed. Now for the episode...

Ryan's monotone announcement of Kelly's win still cracks me up to this day. :dead: While on the subject, no they didn't skip Ryan announcing Fantasia's win. They really went from Ruben to Carrie. :dead: Who did Fantasia offend for them to gloss over her like that? :dead:

I was :dead: at them putting the "Previously Recorded" disclaimer under Laine. They really wanted to let everyone know they don't condone what's going with Laine and that this was recorded before his legal issues (speaking of such, yikes). :haha: With that said, I'm glad they aired the duet because it wouldn't have been fair to punish Laci because of her partner's transgressions. While on the subject of Laci, I always thought she was pretty; however, she looked really beautiful that night. It helped she didn't have that orange spray tan all over her. Plus, she sounded really nice in the duet.

Ruben and Jordin were a lot of fun to watch. They worked really well together just like they did in the S6 Finale, and both of them look good. I loved that clip of Lionel being a guest judge during S2. He really has aged since then. On the other hand, Paula virtually looks the same as she did then. Either she's had some good surgery or she's really been taken good care of herself. I watched Randy on Name That Tune, so I knew he's been skinny for a while. However, he didn't look too hot there.

I'm going to say it: the William Hung segment may have been my favorite part of the show. :haha: Him singing She Bangs will never get old. Also, it made me long for other bad auditioners such as Tamika Bush, Keith Beukalaer, Leroy Wells, Milo Turk, General Larry Platt, etc.

It seems Maddie has buried the hatchet with Idol for the time being if she agreed to appear in the reunion. The show shoving her aside and promoting Gabby is still one of the more unfortunate things to happen on Idol. Back to the reunion, I'm kind of digging her new look. Also, it's great to see she and Caleb are still together (speaking of Caleb, he's let himself go over the years; however, it doesn't look too bad on him). With that said, I've always felt their voices don't go well together, and their duet showed that. Regardless, it was good to see them.

They actually invited the fangirls who melted down after David Cook's win? That video still cracks me up to this day (apologies to any Arch Angels). Speaking of Archie, it was cool for them to meet him in person and see they're huge fans of his. The only thing that would've been better is if David Cook appeared and asked them if he was still a loser who doesn't shave. Archie had another surgery on his vocal cords? I don't know what's up, but him having recurring vocal issues has to be really concerning. Finally, he resembled Justin Bieber with the blonde hair.

On the subject of David Cook, his and Kris's duet was the most disappointing. Dreams is a great song, but their performance of it didn't wow me or anything.

I'm going to look out my window and see if unicorns are flying because either that was a mirage or Willie finally did an uptempo song. :haha: Maybe the complaints can finally be put to rest. His and Grace's duet was kind of a mess, though. Oh, and Willie being invited to sing the National Anthem in front of the Queen has to have been a huge privilege for him. :omg:

Ryan coming out with the blond tips was a highlight. It would've been better if Justin came out with the curly afro in their segment. Speaking of which, I thought Brian Dunkleman was coming through the door. :haha: Justin was a natural in the brief segment he did. Maybe he could be a substitution should Ryan leave or take time off. He couldn't be any worse than Bobby Bones (who by the way has not appeared at all this season, not that I'm complaining).

I'm on record saying Scotty and Lauren are my least favorite Idol Top 2, and I still feel that way. However, there's no denying the two have great chemistry together and both have grown immensely since their time on Idol. Their duet was one of the better ones during the night. I wonder if there's still hope the two will get together some day (it won't be any time soon because Scotty is married). :haha:

Yes, we get a Seacrest out at the end of the show! Ryan needs to bring that back. :haha:

Overall, it was fine for what it was, but it could've been a lot better. I was disappointed Tamyra, Elliott, Brooke, and Pia didn't sing, mainly because those are four of my favorite Idol contestants (and ones I recognized immediately). I don't know how long Idol will last, but it would be cool if they did something like this on a yearly basis with different contestants. Now I'm wondering if they'll do something on a larger scale for the season finale. If they do, hopefully the S20 crew aren't completely ignored like the S15 cast was.

miss denise · May 4, 2022

22 hours ago, Crisis said:

I'm making progress in that. I've listened to everything up to Blown Away. We're going to will this into existence! Oof, that's rough about the Archie concert. From the looks of it, he won't be touring any time soon either.

Yeah, one I couldn't get rid of and caught myself singing at the most inappropriate times.

I guess in a way it's a good thing because at great as it was at times, their banter detracted from the contestants as well.

Oh, that's great! I also should have realized the first two albums are the most nostalgic to me since they were the only ones out when I went to her concert. :haha: Ah yeah, I didn't even know he still couldn't speak until the reunion last night! It's a shame, but I've thankful to have still seen and met him multiple times.

:giggle:

I suppose that's true.

22 hours ago, Crisis said:

10 to 7: Disney Night

Ah yes, Disney. An Idol staple ever since the show resurrected on ABC.

First, I am still living for the We Don’t Talk About Bruno group number. I was kind of joking when I said I’d hope we get that for Disney Night. I expected it to be a complete train wreck, especially with all the intricate parts and complex rhythms. However, that was very good. It was cool to see two of the voice actors from the movie sing with them on stage. The part that surprised me the most was the end when everyone sang their own lines because that is the most complex part. Either they rehearsed well, or it was lip synced; I’m hoping it’s the former.

As for the rest of the night, although it was one of the better Disney Nights, it was still a disappointment in a way. The main reason is the song choices. Outside of two songs, these have been done before and not only that, nothing new was brought to most of them. At least they were sung well for the most part. Next, what was with Derek Hough being the mentor? I thought Ben Platt was supposed to mentor the contestants. Well, at least I have a feeling someone was happy to see him (I’m not talking about Huntergirl). Finally, Katy’s Ariel costume was ridiculous. Her costumes in the past were fun, but this was just bad. Why didn’t she get a red wig or dye her hair red instead of putting that…whatever it was on her head? Also, the fins, while thoughtful, were more of a hindrance. She could’ve had a skirt flared out to look like fins so she could at least walk.

The Contestants:

Noah Thompson – You’ve Got a Friend in Me

The most predictable song choice of the night goes to…Noah! I knew it would be this or something from Cars. Anyway, this is the most upbeat song Noah has sung this season. He sounded like he usually does, competent but nothing earth shattering (I feel like I’m saying this about him every week, lol). One difference, however, is showed some personality. He was smiling and looking like he was enjoying himself on stage, which is a far cry from him looking like he’s in pain in his previous performances.

Huntergirl – I See the Light

OK, now I see why she goes by a stage name. That last name must be a pain to pronounce and spell. As for her performance, for the first time this season she didn’t come across as a karaoke bar performer in some fashion. This was her best performance from a vocal standpoint, plus her stage presence was solid despite little movement. The key change towards the end was handled really well and although there are still some things in her voice, I’m not too fond of, she sounded strong throughout. Finally, there was some connection in the song although it’s still something she needs to work on (with this said, she’s not anywhere near as bad as Christian in this department). Easily my favorite performance of hers so far. Oh, and her fangirling over Derek Hough was cute.

Leah Marlene – When She Loved Me

Here is another song I’m bored of hearing.

Nicolina Bozzo – Poor Unfortunate Souls

With this said, as unpopular as this may be, I wanted more from her. I would’ve liked her to move on stage more. She didn’t have to dance or anything

Christian Guardino – Circle of Life

Speaking of Circle of Life, here is yet another song that has been done to death. I won’t say much about this because it was a typical Christian performance; one in which he sings the song by blasting his way through it with zero connection to what he’s singing. It was easy to see this would happen once I saw the song choice because it allows him to do so.

Fritz Hager – Go the Distance

Go the Distance is one of my favorite Disney songs. However, I did not care for Fritz’s rendition. Like Wonderwall, he completely made the song different from the original to where it was unrecognizable. However, this performance did not grow on me unlike Wonderwall; in fact, I liked it even less the second time around. The arrangement sucked the essence out of the song, and Fritz pretty much did the same thing vocally. This was hands down my least favorite performance of his and for an unpopular opinion, I prefer Cassandra Coleman’s version to his as messy as hers was.

Eliminated:

Emyrson Flora – Carried Me with You

I don’t believe Onward is one of Disney’s most well-known movies and by extension Carried Me with You one of their known songs. Still, it was cool to see someone pick something out of the box.

Mike Parker – You’ll Be in My Heart

Another overdone song. I would’ve loved for him to sing It’s All Right or anything from Soul for that matter. The thing with Mike is that his performances grew on me upon rewatching them, and this was no different. With this said, this was not one of his best efforts. The verses were fine; however, the choruses – especially the last one with the key change – left something to be desired. Nonetheless, with him out, I have a confession: Mike’s voice was my favorite this season (note I said he has my favorite voice, not that he’s my favorite contestant – there is a difference). The problem was the show forcing him into the country box when he comes across more as an R&B singer. I don’t know what he’ll do now, but if he decides to continue to go the country route, I hope he’s authentic and serious about it and wish him the best of luck. Best of luck to Emyrson and Lady K as well.

Personal Rankings:

10. Fritz (bring on the confusion and flames)

It's easily the best thing about the reboot for me. :wub: :giggle:

lol I saw several people mention this last week and then of course the show opens this way. :haha: It was fun, especially with the voice actors joining in!

I thought it was a strong night overall, but am definitely over some of these songs always being picked. "What was with Derek Hough being the mentor?" lol. (!) I'm not sure what happened with Ben, but I was thrilled and shocked to see Derek. He can offer great advice. And yay, my subtle mention. :giggle: OMG I agree about Katy's costume, but I was more so annoyed with her antics trying to fit into her seat.

- "this or something from Cars" :lmao: But yes, he smiled! A lot! It almost felt rehearsed to me, although somehow genuine at the same time. I almost wanted to laugh. I don't know how to explain. :rofl:

- Wait, I totally missed anything about her actual last name. But I agree about this performance! And yay her representing me with Derek. :giggle:

- Same.

- LOL imagine what the dancing to this would be. :lmao:

- Ugh, I was so annoyed with this song choice. I felt like his voice was whiny on it.

- Ahhh I actually agree so much. Of course, I'm not really a fan to begin with, but yeah... I didn't like what he did with this song (which I also love).

- I admired Emyrson's out-of-the-box song choice, but also had a feeling it wouldn't do her any favors.

- Aww I love how you say Mike's voice was your favorite. I think he suits country well and I love that style on him... He's been one of my favorites, but this week wasn't so good for me. So not surprised he left after that performance, especially with three having to go.

"flames" :dead:

51 minutes ago, Crisis said:

The Great American Idol Reunion

I normally write my thoughts in Word or Google Docs before posting them. However, I'm going to free write for this episode because there aren't any performances or eliminations to review. First, we can have a three hour episode of the Top 20 performing yet only one hour to celebrate some of the past Idol alums? If any episode deserved three hours, it's this one. Second, what's with the show not acknowledging the alums who sat in the lounge? They were paid dust compared to the ones who performed. Last, the judges's critiquing the duets weren't necessary. They're not competing for anything, so a few words of how well they've come along should have sufficed. Now for the episode...

Ryan's monotone announcement of Kelly's win still cracks me up to this day. While on the subject, no they didn't skip Ryan announcing Fantasia's win. They really went from Ruben to Carrie. Who did Fantasia offend for them to gloss over her like that?

I'm going to say it: the William Hung segment may have been my favorite part of the show. Him singing She Bangs will never get old. Also, it made me long for other bad auditioners such as Tamika Bush, Keith Beukalaer, Leroy Wells, Milo Turk, General Larry Platt, etc.

It seems Maddie has buried the hatchet with Idol for the time being if she agreed to appear in the reunion. The show shoving her aside and promoting Gabby is still one of the more unfortunate things to happen on Idol. Back to the reunion, I'm kind of digging her new look. Also, it's great to see she and Caleb are still together (speaking of Caleb, he's let himself go over the years; however, it doesn't look too bad on him). With that said, I've always felt their voices don't go well together, and their duet showed that. Regardless, it was good to see them.

They actually invited the fangirls who melted down after David Cook's win? That video still cracks me up to this day (apologies to any Arch Angels). Speaking of Archie, it was cool for them to meet him in person and see they're huge fans of his. The only thing that would've been better is if David Cook appeared and asked them if he was still a loser who doesn't shave. Archie had another surgery on his vocal cords? I don't know what's up, but him having recurring vocal issues has to be really concerning. Finally, he resembled Justin Bieber with the blonde hair.

On the subject of David Cook, his and Kris's duet was the most disappointing. Dreams is a great song, but their performance of it didn't wow me or anything.

I'm going to look out my window and see if unicorns are flying because either that was a mirage or Willie finally did an uptempo song. Maybe the complaints can finally be put to rest. His and Grace's duet was kind of a mess, though. Oh, and Willie being invited to sing the National Anthem in front of the Queen has to have been a huge privilege for him.

Ryan coming out with the blond tips was a highlight. It would've been better if Justin came out with the curly afro in their segment. Speaking of which, I thought Brian Dunkleman was coming through the door. Justin was a natural in the brief segment he did. Maybe he could be a substitution should Ryan leave or take time off. He couldn't be any worse than Bobby Bones (who by the way has not appeared at all this season, not that I'm complaining).

I'm on record saying Scotty and Lauren are my least favorite Idol Top 2, and I still feel that way. However, there's no denying the two have great chemistry together and both have grown immensely since their time on Idol. Their duet was one of the better ones during the night. I wonder if there's still hope the two will get together some day (it won't be any time soon because Scotty is married).

Yes, we get a Seacrest out at the end of the show! Ryan needs to bring that back.

Overall, it was fine for what it was, but it could've been a lot better. I was disappointed Tamyra, Elliott, Brooke, and Pia didn't sing, mainly because those are four of my favorite Idol contestants (and ones I recognized immediately). I don't know how long Idol will last, but it would be cool if they did something like this on a yearly basis with different contestants. Now I'm wondering if they'll do something on a larger scale for the season finale. If they do, hopefully the S20 crew aren't completely ignored like the S15 cast was.

- Yesssss, three hours of this show would have been amazing! I was also sad not to get much of a good look at who was in the lounge. I could only pick out a few of them. Oh, did the judges actually critique anyone? I don't recall that. :unsure:

- Really about Fantasia? I didn't notice. :dead:

- I couldn't believe it when William Hung came out... except I could! :dead: I wish I got to watch this with my parents because my dad always cracked up at him, every single time.

- I hope so about Maddie. Gabby is definitely the most successful alum in a long time, so I'm not surprised she gets more focus... I feel both of them deserve it. I don't actually like Maddie's dark hair at all, but love that her and Caleb are happy. OMG yikes this comment on him... and the one on Lionel too, but this one hurts more. Aww I always loved these two singing together though.

- So hurtful. I did actually see David Cook tweet something about meeting the girls and apologizing. I couldn't help wondering how awkward it would be if these girls aren't still friends after all these years. :blushingwave: Not in a bad way, but just because people often grow apart from childhood to adulthood. But yay for Archie! I hope his voice will be okay again soon. omg the Bieber comparison!

- I have to agree. It was actually the only one I didn't really care for, which is such a shame... The song just did nothing.

- omg this about Willie and an uptempo song! :dead: Oh, but I really enjoyed this duet actually.

- Yesss! And I thought it was going to be Dunkleman too! :dead:

- Oh. :broken: This was the highlight for me because I loved them together sooo much and yes, shipped them back then. lol I'm not still imagining them getting together now, but I adore their friendship. They both have gone on to have amazing careers, so this was such a special moment. :wub:

- I love it!

- Aww I thought it was great and would have just liked it to go on longer. I noticed Laci was the only one to perform who didn't make the finals on his/her season, so I'm not surprised those you mentioned didn't perform. The matchups all seemed to make sense in some way too, with most of them obviously being from the same season. But yeah, it would be fun to see so many more alum perform. I have to imagine that Archie would have sang with Cook if he was able to, so then I wonder if Kris wouldn't have performed at all or they would have squeezed him in with someone else (and who?).

Crisis · May 5, 2022

On 5/3/2022 at 8:16 PM, miss denise said:

Oh, that's great! I also should have realized the first two albums are the most nostalgic to me since they were the only ones out when I went to her concert.   Ah yeah, I didn't even know he still couldn't speak until the reunion last night! It's a shame, but I've thankful to have still seen and met him multiple times.

It's easily the best thing about the reboot for me.

lol I saw several people mention this last week and then of course the show opens this way. It was fun, especially with the voice actors joining in!

I thought it was a strong night overall, but am definitely over some of these songs always being picked. "What was with Derek Hough being the mentor?" lol. I'm not sure what happened with Ben, but I was thrilled and shocked to see Derek. He can offer great advice. And yay, my subtle mention. OMG I agree about Katy's costume, but I was more so annoyed with her antics trying to fit into her seat.

- "this or something from Cars" But yes, he smiled! A lot! It almost felt rehearsed to me, although somehow genuine at the same time. I almost wanted to laugh. I don't know how to explain.

- Wait, I totally missed anything about her actual last name. But I agree about this performance! And yay her representing me with Derek.

- LOL imagine what the dancing to this would be.

- Ugh, I was so annoyed with this song choice. I felt like his voice was whiny on it.

- Ahhh I actually agree so much. Of course, I'm not really a fan to begin with, but yeah... I didn't like what he did with this song (which I also love).

- I admired Emyrson's out-of-the-box song choice, but also had a feeling it wouldn't do her any favors.

- Aww I love how you say Mike's voice was your favorite. I think he suits country well and I love that style on him... He's been one of my favorites, but this week wasn't so good for me. So not surprised he left after that performance, especially with three having to go.

"flames"

- Yesssss, three hours of this show would have been amazing! I was also sad not to get much of a good look at who was in the lounge. I could only pick out a few of them. Oh, did the judges actually critique anyone? I don't recall that.

- Really about Fantasia? I didn't notice.

- I couldn't believe it when William Hung came out... except I could! I wish I got to watch this with my parents because my dad always cracked up at him, every single time.

- I hope so about Maddie. Gabby is definitely the most successful alum in a long time, so I'm not surprised she gets more focus... I feel both of them deserve it. I don't actually like Maddie's dark hair at all, but love that her and Caleb are happy. OMG yikes this comment on him... and the one on Lionel too, but this one hurts more.  Aww I always loved these two singing together though.

- So hurtful.  I did actually see David Cook tweet something about meeting the girls and apologizing. I couldn't help wondering how awkward it would be if these girls aren't still friends after all these years. Not in a bad way, but just because people often grow apart from childhood to adulthood. But yay for Archie! I hope his voice will be okay again soon. omg the Bieber comparison!

- I have to agree. It was actually the only one I didn't really care for, which is such a shame... The song just did nothing.

- omg this about Willie and an uptempo song! Oh, but I really enjoyed this duet actually.

- Yesss! And I thought it was going to be Dunkleman too!

- Oh. This was the highlight for me because I loved them together sooo much and yes, shipped them back then.  lol I'm not still imagining them getting together now, but I adore their friendship. They both have gone on to have amazing careers, so this was such a special moment.

- I love it!

- Aww I thought it was great and would have just liked it to go on longer. I noticed Laci was the only one to perform who didn't make the finals on his/her season, so I'm not surprised those you mentioned didn't perform. The matchups all seemed to make sense in some way too, with most of them obviously being from the same season. But yeah, it would be fun to see so many more alum perform. I have to imagine that Archie would have sang with Cook if he was able to, so then I wonder if Kris wouldn't have performed at all or they would have squeezed him in with someone else (and who?).

Nice to see her first two albums are the most nostalgic for you. :yes: For Archie, at least you got to see and meet him multiple times, so the cancellation didn't seem to be too heartbreaking.

Seeing that Disney owns ABC, there's no chance this theme will go away in the reboot. :haha:

It would've been a missed opportunity if there was no group performance of it. :haha: Agree with the last sentence.

I completely agree about the same songs being picked. That was my major complaint about the night. I knew you would catch that subtle hint regarding Derek; it was just for you. Yeah, I rolled my eyes at the whole getting Katy into her seat and her falling out of her chair.

- I can see the point about his smile being rehearsed yet genuine at the same time. :haha:

- Her sister had a long and weird last name. I assumed her last name is the same. Glad you agree about the performance. I can only imagine the last sentence. :giggle:

- Maybe a bunch of dancers dressed like tentacles flailing about on stage. :haha:

- Agree here.

- At least one person agrees with me about his performance. :haha:

- Seeing she was one of the more vulnerable contestants, it was a bit risky picking an unfamiliar song. She went out on a somewhat good note at least.

- Can't say I disagree with this. He needed to have a strong performance to have a chance, but while not terrible he didn't quite have that.

Spending a lot of time in the Rankdowns subforum has helped me develop message board calluses. :dead: Now I'm at the point of being barely affected. :haha:

- Yes it was annoying not to get any good looks at who was in the lounge. They could've at least briefly introduced them. Well, they told everyone who performed how much of a star they were, which is pretty much all of their critiques are now. :haha:

- They played audio clips of Ryan announcing Kelly's and Ruben's wins but skipped Fantasia and went straight to Carrie. :haha: I caught it immediately.

- I shouldn't but I can't help but enjoy whenever he comes out and sings She Bangs. :lmao: Too bad about not being able to see it with your dad.

- It was just the way everything went down, especially with how Idol gave (and continues to give) Gabby the royal treatment even after all of the things she and her family said about the show. Regardless, it was good to see Maddie after it appeared she wanted to wash her hands of Idol. Too bad we disagree about her look. I did compliment Caleb even while saying that. I guess it's the songs they sing that don't highlight their voices the best.

- Sorry, but I couldn't resist. :haha: He actually tweeted that? :lmao: Good for him. I see your point about them still not being friends after being apart for so long. It was cool they got to meet Archie. Speaking of whom, hopefully he recovers well from his surgery too. :haha: at the last sentence.

- Yeah

- I expected to see he and Grace sing a ballad, so it was surprising to hear the opening chords to Rather Be. Maybe he wanted to silence those who criticized him for not doing uptempo songs. :haha: At least you enjoyed the duet. :yes:

- I completely expected it to be Dunkleman and was somewhat disappointed it wasn't. :haha:

- Sorry. At least the two still are friends and have a number of people who support them.

- Yes! :lmao:

- Good point about Laci. Outside of Alejandro, the only other person who could've dueted with Laine if they followed the pattern of the other duets was Madison. Yeah, I could've definitely see Archie and Cook duet if not for the former's surgery. As for Kris, they probably would've paired him with Adam if he were to perform a duet.

miss denise · May 5, 2022

12 hours ago, Crisis said:

Nice to see her first two albums are the most nostalgic for you. For Archie, at least you got to see and meet him multiple times, so the cancellation didn't seem to be too heartbreaking.

I completely agree about the same songs being picked. That was my major complaint about the night. I knew you would catch that subtle hint regarding Derek; it was just for you. Yeah, I rolled my eyes at the whole getting Katy into her seat and her falling out of her chair.

- Her sister had a long and weird last name. I assumed her last name is the same. Glad you agree about the performance. I can only imagine the last sentence.

- Maybe a bunch of dancers dressed like tentacles flailing about on stage.

- Yes it was annoying not to get any good looks at who was in the lounge. They could've at least briefly introduced them. Well, they told everyone who performed how much of a star they were, which is pretty much all of their critiques are now.

- They played audio clips of Ryan announcing Kelly's and Ruben's wins but skipped Fantasia and went straight to Carrie. I caught it immediately.

- Sorry, but I couldn't resist. He actually tweeted that? Good for him.

- Good point about Laci. Outside of Alejandro, the only other person who could've dueted with Laine if they followed the pattern of the other duets was Madison. Yeah, I could've definitely see Archie and Cook duet if not for the former's surgery. As for Kris, they probably would've paired him with Adam if he were to perform a duet.

Yes, this is true. It was such a long period of postponing the show too that I guess I felt kind of numb it to it by the time it was cancelled, even though I'd love to see him again. My wallet was hurting though so the refund was welcome. :haha:

Thank you for my subtle hint. :wub: And glad it wasn't just me!

- Makes sense, I just wasn't paying attention to that. Now I need to see what it was. :haha: lol. :giggle:

- I'm not sure if I'd want to see that or not. :lmao:

- I agree. Ooooh. :lmao:

- Oh, now that you mention it... I do kind of remember. I was thinking "oh here we go" with the same few names they always mention. :dead: But if they continued on and named all the winners (which I don't remember), then that is weird.

- He did and here it is!

- I wonder if they weren't able to get Alejandro or Madison for some reason. I'm also thinking they weren't able to get Adam because I don't think there's any way they wouldn't have had him on the show if they could. So that's what makes me wonder who else Kris would have sung with.

Crisis · May 10, 2022

On 5/5/2022 at 10:00 AM, miss denise said:

Yes, this is true. It was such a long period of postponing the show too that I guess I felt kind of numb it to it by the time it was cancelled, even though I'd love to see him again. My wallet was hurting though so the refund was welcome.

Thank you for my subtle hint. And glad it wasn't just me!

- Makes sense, I just wasn't paying attention to that. Now I need to see what it was. lol.

- I'm not sure if I'd want to see that or not.

- Oh, now that you mention it... I do kind of remember. I was thinking "oh here we go" with the same few names they always mention. But if they continued on and named all the winners (which I don't remember), then that is weird.

- He did and here it is!

- I wonder if they weren't able to get Alejandro or Madison for some reason. I'm also thinking they weren't able to get Adam because I don't think there's any way they wouldn't have had him on the show if they could. So that's what makes me wonder who else Kris would have sung with.

That's one positive way to look at the cancellation! :haha:

- I need to go back and watch it myself. I remember it being long and looking difficult to pronounce.

- It's probably better not to see them. :haha:

- They didn't name all of the winners. I'm not sure, but I believed they skipped Taylor as well and went straight to Jordin and David after Carrie.

- OK that's hilarious! :dead: I wonder if they accepted his apology. :haha:

- Alejandro already appeared this season, so maybe they didn't get him for that reason. I'm not sure about Madison. Seeing how much the show talks about him and tries to bring him on at every opportunity, Adam probably had other requirements. My other guess for who Kris could have sung with is Allison.

Crisis · May 10, 2022

7 to 5: Viral TikTok and Mother's Day

Like Disney, Mother’s Day is a staple theme for ABC Idol so not much to say here. Viral TikTok Songs is an interesting theme to say the least. I’m not on TikTok, so I have no idea what’s popular there. It appears whatever song is used in a TikTok video is eligible.

Lastly, congratulations to Lionel for his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. I thought The Commodores were already in the hall, so colored me surprised to see they weren’t. However, as cool as the cake looked, the judges eating a slice after another made me squeamish. I don’t like eating after people anyway but seeing that emphasized everything especially with COVID still going on (even more so considering two contestants tested positive for it). Speaking of the contestants…

The Contestants:

Leah Marlene

Electric Love (TikTok)

I have never heard of this song before, so I listened to it before rewatching Leah’s rendition. Verdict: I can’t say I’m a fan. Leah tried to do as much as she could with it, but the song doesn’t really go anywhere. This was the first time Leah moved around on stage without a guitar, and she gave it a great effort. However, it wasn’t impressive vocally, but again that has to do more with the song than Leah’s abilities. This is my least favorite Leah performance by far.

Sanctuary (Mother's Day)

Now this is more like it! Leah looked and sounded absolutely angelic in this performance. The song is a bit on the boring side; however, that can be overlooked if the singer genuinely connects to it. Leah did exactly that here, especially on the chorus. Leah showed two different sides as an artist and although the results were mixed, it makes her interesting to watch and curious what she may do next.

Fritz Hager

All My Friends (Original) (TikTok)

First, get well soon. As for the performance, for an original this wasn’t too bad. It sounded like something one of the popular emo bands in the 2000s would write. The melodies were fine, and the lyrics were relatable. The main criticism is the band was too loud on the chorus (what else is new). I wonder how this would’ve sounded live and in front of a crowd. I do think this is one of the better originals that has been performed on Idol (for the record, Jessica Meuse’s Blue-Eyed Lie and Alex Preston’s Fairytales are my top two in this department).

The Ocean (Original) (Mother's Day)

Not Fritz doing another original. :dead: Does he think he’s Alejandro or something? :dead: While the first original was more uptempo, this one is more subdued. It reminded me of Ed Sheeran stylistically. This one grew on me upon rewatch because I thought it was boring the first time around. I like the sentimental meaning behind it, as it’s obviously a song that means a lot to him. Fritz is difficult to assess because he didn’t perform any of his songs live (though no fault of his) and thus, it will be hard to rank him this week.

Huntergirl

you broke me first (TikTok)

Before getting to HG, I must say I am no fan of Tate McRae’s voice. I can’t stand the baby sounding vocals; it sounds so affected and makes me wonder how people think that sounds good. As for HG, this is a song I never expected her to pick. She didn’t do her usual smiling and tried to capture the mood of the song. Also, the key change at the end was rather interesting as it’s not in the original song. With all of this said, this was not very good vocally. There were some pitch issues and that suddenly line during the key change was really rough. As with Leah, the effort was there, but it didn’t come together overall.

Like My Mother Does (Mother's Day)

Ugh, I can’t stand this song, so Hunter is already behind on that front. She would’ve had to do something special to make me appreciate this performance. Unfortunately, she was unable to do so. The emotional connection was there, but it was shaky vocally. There were parts where she sounded like a goat. As someone who hasn’t been all that impressed with her vocally, I believe in this case her voice suffered because she was too emotional and tried too hard to convey the emotion. Regardless, I don’t think HG had a strong night overall.

Noah Thompson

Painted Blue (TikTok)

As with Fritz, here’s to a full and speedy recovery. As for his performance, despite being sick this is the best he’s sounded all season. It helped that it was just him and an acoustic guitar and the song suited the acoustic arrangement. I’ve pointed out how he looked in pain while singing in the past; however, it was appropriate in this case because of the song’s nature and subject matter. Well, it was either he connected with the song, or he was feeling the effects of COVID. Nonetheless, this was one of his strongest performances of the season.

Landslide (Mother's Day)

On the flip side, this was his weakest performance of the season. Landslide is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and one that requires a tender approach towards it. Noah’s approach, however, was too aggressive. His tone was too harsh, and it looked like he was trying to force the notes. In addition, the guitar arrangement was too loud and didn’t do him any favors. I appreciate the sentiment behind the song choice (dedicating it to his grandmother), but this was not a great performance by any means. All in all, a mixed night for Noah.

Nicolina Bozzo

Alone (TikTok)

Alone is one of Heart’s signature songs, not to mention one that has been done many times in the past with some performances having great results. Thus, Nicolina had some big shoes to fill taking on this song. She did OK for the most part. The verse was nice, and she did the smart thing by taking a softer approach with the chorus because it would’ve been disastrous if she tried to belt it out. However, this performance is like Katyrah’s Through the Fire in that it was sung fine but can’t help but be compared to the original. Ann Wilson has one of the great power rock voices, and it’s hard to think of this song without her belting out the chorus. Despite that, this was a solid performance.

Light in the Hallway (Mother's Day)

A Pentatonix song on Idol? The most fascinating part was seeing how the song would be arranged since Pentatonix is an a cappella group. I doubt the band had anyone who could match the harmonies, so the simple piano was the way to go. I’d say this was Nicolina’s best pure vocal of the season. While it may not have been the most dynamic performance, it was subtle, heartfelt, and on pitch, and sometimes that’s all that’s needed. Overall, I’d say Nicolina had a solid night.

The Eliminated:

Christian Guardino

Lonely (TikTok)

This was a performance of two halves. The beginning was nice, and I hoped either the performance stayed that way all the way through, or he’d gradually build it up to where the belting came across as more natural. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case as the chorus exploded like a soda can being opened after being shaken. With that said, this was the first time I really saw him trying to connect to the song instead of cramming in as many notes as possible.

Dear God (Mother's Day)

When I heard Smokie Norful, I expected I Need You Now. :haha: As for the actual Smokie song, I’ve been one who’s constantly complained about his oversinging. However, here it’s not a problem; furthermore, I’d say oversinging is encouraged in Gospel music. This was his best and most genuinely connected performance of the season. It was obvious this song meant a lot to him and his mother. He took what he tried to do with Lonely and improved tenfold on it. With that said, it was too little too late for him. Outside of his focus on showing off his vocal prowess over connecting to the songs, Christian’s biggest problem is that he was an old school Idol contestant. By that I mean Idol is more focused on originality and artistry over the pure singing and has been that way since S7, and while Christian has an impressive set of pipes, there was nothing much more to him. At least he went out on a strong note and gets to perform a duet with Michael Bublé at the finale (his reaction to the news was great).

Jay Copeland

I Have Nothing

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Sigh, there’s no escaping this song is there? The best part about it was the more modern arrangement. Vocally, Jay was over the place. The beginning was shaky as he didn’t sound sure of himself. He smoothed things out somewhat in the pre-chorus before sounding shaky again in the chorus. He ended it somewhat decent with the falsetto, but it didn’t make up for the vocals before it. In addition, like Nicolina’s Alone, it’s difficult to compare to the original version without hearing the power of the original singer, who in this case is the late Whitney Houston. Outside of the arrangement, the most memorable thing was him being the first male to sing this song.

A Song for Mama

I’m not the biggest Boyz II Men fan; however, I do like A Song for Mama. I can’t say I enjoyed Jay’s rendition unfortunately. The way the song was arranged was weird to say the least. The most jarring part was the omission of a few lines in the both the pre-chorus and chorus. In addition to this, I felt Jay could’ve connected to the song more. With that said, some of the things I did like were the improvisation during the last chorus and the way he sang the verse. As for Jay’s Idol run, he was someone who tried to do too much both vocally and performance wise, with Believer being his lowest point (this is a polarizing performance because it’s enjoyed by others; I just don’t happen to be one of them). Like Christian, he focused on showing off his voice more than connecting to songs. However, Just the Way You Are was the beginning of the turning point for him, and Lilac Wine was what appeared to be the performance that turned the page for him. Nonetheless, his performances after that were inconsistent and he never got back to the Lilac Wine level. Him making it as far as he did after being a WC when their odds have been slim at best during the ABC years is impressive. Good luck to him and Christian and will see them again at the finale.

Personal Ranking:

I've decided not to rank Fritz because his performances weren't live.

TikTok

1. Noah

2. Nicolina

3. Christian

4. Leah

5. Jay

6. Huntergirl

Mother's Day

1. Christian

2. Nicolina

3. Leah

4. Jay

5. Noah

6. Huntergirl

Overall

1. Nicolina

2. Christian

3. Noah

4. Leah

5. Jay

6. Huntergirl

Crisis' AI S20 Thought Box

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