In retrospect, how far would Benson/Kenedi had made it had they not dropped out of the Top 24?

[m1key]

Benson Boone has become a major success. "Beautiful Things" is one of the biggest songs of 2024, and his first album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200. It was released in early April, yet it was the 4th most streamed album of the day yesterday - only below mega stars such as Billie, Taylor, and Ari. Many people claim his success has nothing to do with Idol, but his audition did go viral and helped further build his platform. 

 

Unfortunately for Kenedi, she has not gained as much success and it seemingly may have been a smarter decision for her to stay in the competition. 

 

However, I feel like there has never been proper discourse or a thread dedicated to a discussion about these two. Interested to hear people's thoughts! 

Edited May 27 by m1key

[MalwareDie]

Benson probably would have made it to the Top 5 while Kenedi wouldn't have even made it to the Top 10.

[QueenKalie]

They both probably make the top 3 at least.

[m1key]

i think Benson would have been very pimped by producers. he was given a premiere slot and had a positive edit in his audition, on top of his superb vocal abilities and a marketable identity overall - from his looks to his artistry. my only worry is that he could have potentially come across as immature with all of the backflip shenanigans and such. though that could have easily set him up for a more powerful, serious moment later on in the competition. i think he's Top 5, and potentially takes Willie's spot in the Top 3. i don't think they would have pimped Willie as hard if Benson stayed in - Grace would continue to be pimped to prevent an all male finale.

 

Kenedi is interesting because she had one of the most viral auditions of the ABC era. she obviously had the vocals, artistry, and marketability - though i do wonder if she would have potentially flopped in lives since she didn’t have much performance experience iirc? her story reminds me of Abi’s in the sense that she was portrayed as a girl with a large family who keeps her grounded. however, she did have the added privilege element of her dad being in the NFL which could have hurt her. she was also extremely gorgeous in a way that was a little too far left from “girl next door” territory. i think she takes Nicolina’s spot in the Top 5 and leaves there.

[wildestinvegas]

i think kenedi had a real shot at winning. she managed to generate an iam-level viral and i remember that the videos from her performances posted outside of the american idol channel (that stopped posting her performances post audition since she had quit) were all quickly hitting the million mark. she had a lot of people invested on her. although i think she would oversing a lot during the live shows and potentially turn some people away from her. it’s hard to know.

[CarmenSandiego]

I think that Benson would have made the Top Five instead of Caleb the country guy, while Kenedi would have taken Leah’s spot or maybe Hunrergirl’s in the Top 3.

[Carrie_On]

Kenedi could’ve been the winner that Abi Carter turned out to be. I could’ve seen her winning, Noah getting second, and Huntergirl third. 
 

Hard to say with Benson. I think Chayce was winning that season no matter what, but Benson probably would’ve made the Top 5. 

[StarWalker1]

Benson couldve made top 7-5, Kennedi potentially top 5 as well

[nigelsimon]

Never heard of Benson until recently. I'm usually at least a yr behind in knowing who the hot rising star names are in the industry, especially the guys. His name popped up a number of times in Idol discussion on reddit so i've checked him out. I was quite impressed by his audition. The backstory of a good looking athletic/jock type growing up & all of the sudden falling in love w/ singing is not an uncommon one on American Idol type shows. They usually have nice pleasant voices, but nothing special so they get cut in Hollywood week. Benson definitely stands out from that lot. He does have a distinct voice & his phasing is quite unique. He really felt his audition song so I do believe he would've connected w/ the Idol audience easily. I would say in most Idol seasons he would come in no worse than 3rd & in at least half of Idol's history (of seasons), I could see him winning it all. Sometimes, in these types of shows, they don't stack "the best" talent in one season. So, if the judges/producers really believe they've found a star, they would "reserve" some singers for future seasons. The mature sounding, polished male country singer might be his biggest competitor.

 

Kennedi Anderson- I think her placement is not as clear cut as Benson. It will fluctuate quite a bit depending on the cast. Kennedi definitely has great qualities to appeal to the Idol public; Big voice, pretty, but not that model unapproachable type, nice smile, seems like a nice humble young girl. She definitely had potential to grow on the show, but from her Idol performances i've seen, it's not quite there in the connection department. Some of her body movements & facial expressions seem a bit planned. Mentor Bebe Rexha mention eye contact w/ Kennedi & I agree that definitely needed improvement. I remember Carrie had very good eye contract w/ the camera when she was on Idol a million yrs ago. With all that being said, if the judges/producers felt she was "IT" & they cast a good, but not great  group girls, then maybe 3rd at best. I just don't think she's polished enough to win. If the overall cast is stacked, anywhere between 7th-5th place is my guess.