And since the girls are tonight, I should be doing their power list. Heh. The boys are pretty close, whereas the girls are a bit more spread out. There are some clear frontrunners, and some dark horses, and a few who just aren’t going to make the cut.
10) Tenna Torres- Let’s face it. She doesn’t deserve her top 10 spot. Even if you thought she deserved to beat Isabelle and Shubha, there’s at least one girl from the second week you could swap for her. Whether its Rachel or Jett or Cristabel or Juliana, you could swap someone for her and make a stronger top 10. I don’t think there’s anything she can do to make the top 10, so I’m going to move on to the next contestant.
9) Aubrey Cleland- A pretty girl with a good voice is about to get lost among the front runners of the season. Reaction to her performance was good, not great. Nothing against her, I just think there are better singers, more compelling singers, and Aubrey is going to get lost in the crowd. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Close the show.
8) Adriana Latonio- I’ve been told not to count out our filipino contestant. It’s hard not to when there are just so many compelling girls. Adriana isn’t as strong as a vocalist, and would sadly be relying on her background to pull her through. I just think there are stronger girls. If she was a guy, she’d probably have a better chance. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Close the show. Remind America she’s filipino.
7) Amber Holcomb- Now, remember those “dark horses” I talked about? Just because she’s in 7th, doesn’t mean she can’t make the top 5. Amber just isn’t quite the front runner yet, but if someone in my top 5 messes up this week (I think at least one will) her or Breanna could steal their spot. Amber just needs to deliver another strong vocal, and she’s still in the game. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: America just met her, and we need to feel compelled to vote for her. Either a fun song that shows off her personality, or a ballad that’s vulnerable could pull voters in.
6) Breanna Steer- Not the best singer, but her aggressive personality and ability to choose songs that really fit her style could differentiate Breanna from the rest of her competition. Breanna still has 5 “front runners” to contend with, and she needs someone to bore America to death next week to seal her spot. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Stay current, stay urban, and stay aggressive. Mary J Blige perhaps?
5) Janelle Arthur- She didn’t get any new fans last week, lets be honest. She’s most in danger of losing her spot, despite having the benefit of now being the only country girl in the competition (technically). Kree isn’t billing herself that way (yet). I hope Janelle pulls through, as I am a fan, but I can see her pulling a Baylie Brown and missing out on her shot this year. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Song choice has never been more important. I would almost suggest doing something by Carrie Underwood to draw that comparison. She needs a strong performance, not just a good performance, to keep her top 5 girl spot.
4) Zoanette Johnson- There’s a chance that America will revolt, or that she’ll just be boring and awful, but I’m betting she’s actually earned herself a Top 10 spot on her wild journey on American Idol. The funny part is, she’s not the worst girl in the top 10, nor does it feel like she stole her spot from someone more deserving. It’s almost as if she deserves to be here. I won’t even bother mentioning the VFTW effect, as I think Zoanette would make it through even without their support. If they wanted to actually get the worst girl into the top 5, they’d pick Tenna, as Zoanette doesn’t really need them anymore. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Keep it interesting. That’s what her fans want.
3) Candice Glover- I think the introduction of Zoanette into the equation, as well as Breanna and Amber pulling votes, keeps Candice from being the top pick. Surely, she’ll kill her vocal this week. And even if America slighted her, I can’t see a world in which she’s not wildcarded. Even if the judges have to add another wildcard just for her. There’s no way Candice doesn’t make the top 10/12/13/etc. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Avoid overdone songs. Natural Woman played it too safe. Surprise your fanbase with something they haven’t heard on the show before. Rally their support.
2) Angela Miller- Right now, she still seems to be riding high from he pre season pimping. I would say she’s still in danger of being “too safe”, and could pick another boring song. But if any front runner loses this week, it’s Janelle. Worst case scenario? Angela is the 5th girl in voting. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Get back behind that piano.
1) Kree Harrison- She is “the” frontrunner right now, in the entire competition. It’s hers to lose, as of this moment. She’s not attractive enough to scare the frauen, and she’s unassuming enough to feel like a dark horse (ala Phillip Philips) right now. But trust me, this girl is in it for the long haul (bet you thought I was about to go Randy Jackson on you). Plus, she’s crazy talented. If she sang an original this week, it could throw her way ahead of the pack. WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO: Just build on last week. She doesn’t have to do much to get through, just not screw up.
Again, just to be clear, i think our top 5 will consist of some combination of the top 7 in my rankings. I fully think it will come down to performance for many of these girls, with Breanna and Amber poised to knock out any frontrunners who falter.
