Why Jay Lost

[CarmenSandiego]

Because of things that I have to do elsewhere online, I'm going to finish off my analysis of the people eliminated in the Top 7 tonight.  I already did Christian, so now it's time to look at Jay Copeland.  Jay began so well, getting a Platinum Ticket, but eventually struggled, barely making it into the Top 14 and finally being eliminated in the Top 7.  Why did this happen?  A good look at the rules that American idol Season 20 contestants should ideally follow will explain what Jay did right, what he did wrong (a lot), and why he lost.

 

Show Singing and Performing Talent

 

There's no doubt that Jay had the singing and performing talent needed to make the Top 24.  He got a Platinum Ticket, he should have had the necessary talent.  What he didn't always do is show that talent.  Like Christian, he had a bad habit of trying to do too much, both vocally and in terms of performance.  This began in the Top 24 and continued in the rest of his performances, with exceptions such as "Lilac Wine", which was widely regarded as his best performance.

 

So how did he do with his final two songs?  It was kind of a mixed bag, to be honest.  While the TooFab staff loved his rendition of "I Have Nothing", Crisis and I weren't so fond of it for reasons which I'll get into later.  The TooFab staff also liked his Mother's Day Song but put it in seventh for that round, while Crisis wasn't so fond of it, as he thought that the song was arranged in a weird way.  All in all, Jay sometimes showed his talent, so he sometimes followed this rule.

 

Song Choice Is Key

 

This was the biggest problem that Jay had.  When I saw that he was doing "I Have Nothing," I wasn't too happy.  If you don't have the voice, you should avoid Whitney at all costs.  Even if you can handle her songs, it's best not to do them in the voting rounds.  You're going to be compared to her and that's not a good thing, even if you're a guy singing her songs, as Jay was.  Thus Jay fouled up this rule.

 

Be Consistently Great or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week

 

This was another problem that Jay had.  Because of his habit of singing and performing too much, his performances were rather uneven.  He did great with "Lilac Wine", but "I Have Nothing" and "A Song For Mama" weren't so good.  Thus Jay screwed up on this role as well.

 

Stand Out By Being Unique or By Being Memorable For Positive Reasons

 

Jay had a mixed bag with this rule as well.  On the one hand, he was a Platinum Ticket holder, so he was memorable for a positive reason.  On the other hand, he was also memorable for doing too much in terms of vocal and performance ability, so he was memorable for a negative reason.  Still, he was somewhat successful, so I'll move on.

 

Remember, You Are a Package

 

This was another rule that Jay had problems with.  His package was being a overly showy vocalist and performer, which isn't a good package.  Like Christian, he probably would have done better in the seasons before Season 7.  Thus Jay missed the mark with this rule as well.

 

Never, Ever Argue With Any Of the Judges or Respond To Any Baiting From Ryan

 

At least Jay had no problems with this rule.  Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, so I'll move on.

 

Gather a Fan Base -- And Sustain It

 

This was the final rule that Jay failed to follow.  Jay had to get into the Top 14 by being a Judges' Wildcard, so that indicated that he had early problems in gathering a fan base.  He was able to do well enough afterwards to outlast Mike and Tristen, while was featured more than Allegra and thus outlasted her, but sooner or later his luck was going to run out, and it did.  Thus Jay failed this rule as well.

 

Like Christian, Jay was an old-school American Idol contestant, but he did have some positive things going for him.  After his needing to get the Wildcard to get into the Top 14, he was able to improve his performances, culminating in "Lilac Wine".  He was also more memorable than Allegra, largely due to his getting a Platinum Ticket while Allegra was barely featured in the early rounds.  But he still had a tendency to over sing and over perform, and the bad song choice of "I Have Nothing" spelled the end of his run, as his lack of a strong fan base caught up with him.  And that is why Jay lost.