The Buzz with CCX - Season 20 Episode 11

[ScarletDevilCCX]

No alcohol tonight, just cold medicine. Though frankly I don't think the variety I'm taking is strong enough to get me buzzed. Given how little it's done for my symptoms, though, maybe I should try something stronger. Tonight's mentor is Bebe Rexha. Cadence Baker is leading off tonight, singing "Something's Got A Hold On Me" by Etta James. Bebe's afraid we're only seeing 80% of Cadence, building on something Katy said at the final judgment. Okay, the numbers are continuing from last night, so 13-24 rather than 1-12 again. Not surprising given we're not sure how long it'll be until they merge the groups. Luke says it might be the best she's done since her audition...I'm not sure I agree. It felt a little...hollow, somehow? I'll give it a 45. I'm sad; I liked her a lot in Hollywood. Here's hoping that it's just my cold and that all of my ratings are depressed tonight. Oh, and my other favorite for tonight going in is up second, Sir Blayke, singing "Break Even" by The Script. Bebe asks if he has anyone he's singing it for, and he looks directly at the camera, confirms that that's the camera recording him, and says "You know who you are"; Bebe likes this answer, saying "Kiss but don't tell". Well, so much for my ratings being down across the board tonight; this is a solid 90. He caught Katy by surprise. Luke says he's glad that Sir was the one they chose, putting him up against other contestants.

 

Up third is Allegra Miles, singing Harry Styles' "Adore You". She's going without the instruments, and singing her own arrangement. Bebe has tips on her stage presence. I don't think they took. This performance is not bad, but it felt...I don't know. 68 I guess; there really wasn't anything wrong with it, I just wasn't...feeling it. Lionel clearly is, though, as he says there are singers and there are stylists, and she has a definite style. Katy compares her to Bonnie Raitt. Up next are Kenedi Anderson covering Christina Perri and Lady K covering a fan-favorite Idol alum; Ryan challenges us to guess who. As long as it's not "I Believe" or "Breakaway".

 

Kenedi's singing "Human". That's a song with high potential. Let's see her justify her producers' favorite status...and yeah now she's getting a surprise video call from Christina Perri herself. Please, producers, just stop! I know that due to the gap year, Season 8 was 13 years ago, but she's plenty capable of winning on her own; don't risk the backlash from blatant favoritism. 88. ...Oh. Well, so much for that. Ryan draws attention to the fact that there wasn't actually any voting information on the screen during Kenedi's performance, and confirms that the Aulani shows were in fact prerecorded...and Kenedi has in fact withdrawn from the competition for personal reasons. Lady K sings "Collard Greens and Corn Bread" by Fantasia in her session with Bebe, but Bebe also wants to hear her other choice, "Before He Cheats". She's kind of 50-50, and Bebe advises she leave which one she'll choose as a surprise. She goes with "Before He Cheats", and holy crap. My first 100 of the year.

 

On the commercial break, I look into Kenedi's withdrawal, and there was speculation; furthermore, she's reportedly been in contact with Benson Boone, who dropped out after being selected to last year's Top 24, though in his case he withdrew quickly enough to be replaced in the Top 24. According to MJ's Big Blog, however, if she went to Hawaii and taped her Top 24 performance, which she did, she can't sign with another entity for a certain length of time. ...Another entity...could they have skipped the American voting process and signed her right on the spot?

 

Ava Maybee is singing Chaka Khan's "Tell Me Something Good" because she had a dream that she'd sing a Chaka Khan song on Idol. It's beyond adequate; I give it a 76. Ryan again says that two singers from tonight are going home...even though Kenedi's withdrawn? Are we going to 19 contestants now? ...Okay, I guess there's no real good way to do it. If you take 10 from each night, it becomes easier if you were in the group of 11. I don't know what I think; it's not like America got a chance to vote on Kenedi.

 

Bebe Rexha performance. Or not; Ryan again says next week's the Top 20, and up next is Noah Thompson, who has a nine-month-old son, Walker. He's doing The Steeldrivers' "Blue Side of the Mountain". It's...a song that was sung. 50. Ryan says that the Top 20 show next week will be three hours long. Leah Marlene will be covering Blondie when we come back.

 

Everyone saying how grateful they are to be able to go to this island paradise. Leah's doing her own version of "Call Me"...interesting, one of the most well-known "quirky contestants" of the ABC era did this song. Which means that despite being a very unique contestant, she's inviting comparisons. Or perhaps not, because this is very different. I'm having trouble coming to a snap judgment. ...Wait, it's still going, and now I'm getting something. 85; she's a talented stage artist. Serendipitously, her cell phone falls out of her pocket right as she finishes. Lionel complements her on her style before continuing to complement her on her singing.

 

Cameron Whitcomb is doing CCR's "Bad Moon Rising". He's still backflipping. Bebe gives him advice on how to channel his energy on stage. It doesn't work; his energy's just too much. Also, it consistently sounds like he's saying "man" instead of "moon". 31. Katy says he's still too much and suggests bathing in lavender oil. Luke says we could tell him not to move around so much on the stage and it would be wasted breath. ADHD, maybe? I tend to walk around when I'm really trying to make a point. Christian Guardino and Fritz Hager are both coming up after the next break.

 

Christian's singing "Leave the Door Open" by Silk Sonic. Never heard of the artist, but the song sounds kind of familiar. I think this was good, but I'm not sure, so 56. And, uh...what happened to Fritz Hager? We're going to break, and after the break, it's Katyrah Love. Which kind of makes sense because we're 20 minutes from the end with, theoretically, only two contestants left...after all, Kenedi was still here for Aulani, right? Too late for them to bring in a replacement like they did when Benson withdrew.

 

Katyrah's singing "Blame It on the Boogie" by The Jacksons. It's about a 70, I think; as often happens near the end of episodes, I'm starting to check out.

 

Fritz is finishing the night; Ryan repeatedly mentions that he's a "singer-songwriter" so I wondered if he was doing an original, but he's doing "Waves" by Dean Lewis. It's very good; I give it an 87.