Tonight, Jane Lynch drops by to teach the remaining 9 contenders all about fearlessness! The homework assignment is “Now That We Found Love” by Heavy D and the Boys.

“Hit me With The Best Shot/One Way or Another” mash up is the music video.

The Bottom 3

Charlie – “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones
Aylin – ‘Take a Bow” by Rihanna
Nellie – “If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce

Not Called Back: Charlie

When casting director, and mentor, Robert Ulrich announces the week’s theme is “Fearlessness” the kids are super excited and decidedly not full of fear. Aylin thinks she’s truly fearless because she’s a flirtatious Muslim girl from a conservative family. She’s not afraid to defy her parental units!

This week’s homework assignment is the 90s rap classic, “Now That We Found Love” by Heavy D and the boys.   Most of them don’t rap, so this could get very interesting. They divvy up the lines.  Nellie continues to feel insecure and is developing a defeatist attitude.  Michael is DETERMINED not to overthink this one.

Robert introduces Jane Lynch, this week’s mentor, who comes strolling into the room with a megaphone screaming about “sloppy babies,” and how she’ll give them something to be afraid of. THE KIDS LOVE IT!  Jane easily wins the OMG freak out reaction of all the Glee star mentors.

Jane tells the kids how she learned to embrace fear after becoming an improviser. “Anything you feel fear about,” says Jane, “Turn out to be the best moments of your life.”

“Keep in mind I will be judging you harshly,” says Jane before the kids perform. NO NO NO! She’s only kidding! “I will be judging you from my heart. I want you to succeed, so do a great job. Have fun.”

The performance of the Heavy D song is predictably ridiculous, with a lot of wiggling butts. Abraham declared he couldn’t rap, but he is actually pretty good!  Nellie stumbles over her words, which does not help her declining confidence.

Jane calls the performance amazing before she delivers a few notes. She LOVED Aylin and felt she told the story well.  She loved Lily too. She urges Nellie and Michael not to hold back.

The winner of the homework assignment was a tossup between Lily and Aylin, but Jane ultimately settles on Lily.  Aylin makes an epic BITCHFACE when Lily is declared the winner. These two are totally being set up as rivals.

Next, Jane reveals that the big group number is a mash up of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “One Way Or Another.” The music video will involve a slushie fight. This news inexplicably causes fits of joy in the group. “You’ve obviously never been hit with a slushie,” observes Jane.  BUT WE’RE NOT DONE. The action will take place at a high school swimming pool.  Lily, a big girl, feels no shame at the prospect of wearing a bathing suit. Goo d for her!

There will be no choreography. In other words, there will be no Zach Woodlee making snarky asides about his hapless charges this week. SADZ.  Nellie is 100 percent not excited about wearing swimwear because she’s not comfortable with her body. She drops a few tears thinking about it, while her fellow contenders try to cheer her up.

tgp2-fear-home by mjsbigblog

So, remember that whole moratorium on the Showmance Aylin and Charlie declared last week? It didn’t last.  And hey y’all…it’s REALLY REALLY REAL. Aylin thinks Charlie  MAY be her boyfriend.

tgp2-fear-justfriends by mjsbigblog

Vocals with Nikki Anders is next.  Showing an extreme amount of confidence can overcome fear, she says. And for the most part, the kids do great in the booth, except for Charlie who is having trouble paying attention (again), and Michael who is back to overthinking.

tgp2-fear-vocal by mjsbigblog

The kids assemble, in their swim wear, at a swimming pool for the video shoot with Erik White. Aylin is the first to be slushied. “It sticks everywhere,” she says.  “It’s so cold that it burns.” Or, as Chris Colfer has said, “It’s like getting bitch slapped by an iceberg.”

Aylin is so freaked out by her slushie facial, that she begins laughing inappropriately.  Charlie is having trouble lip syncing. Nellie hates all the sexy stuff she’s asked to do for the shoot.   Lily feels all the more confident after talking to Jane, who tells her to prepare, but then throw it all away. ‘You remind me of a young Jane Lynch,” she says, much to Lily’s delight.

Ali, who is confined to a wheelchair, panics after she’s hit by several slushies while she’s propped up on a bench, pretty much defenseless. When it’s obvious she’s in distress, crew members pick her up and set her beside the pool in order to catch her breath. After, she dives into the pool by herself to clean off, to a round of applause. “Fearless,” says Robert.  The video shoot wraps and Robert laments that it’s not getting any easier to pick the bottom 3.

tgp2-fear-shoot by mjsbigblog

The video is non-stop swimming and slushie throwing. Lily, who earned a stand out moment in the shoot is hit with a surprise bucket of the sticky stuff by her fellow contenders. I really don’t think she saw it coming.

It’s time for Robert, Zach and Nikki to choose the bottom 3.  Charlie makes Aylin promise to not miss him if he leaves. Boo hoo showmance.

The kids gather in the auditorium. The MVP of the week is Lily, who “owned”  the video this week. Ali is second for the way she overcame her fears without ever making excuses. The two are both on the call back list. Ali feels like she can do ANYTHING in this competition now. “Bring it,” she says.

Shanna, Blake and Abraham are also called back for next week.  Michael, Nellie, Aylin and Charlie remain.  Charlie still has problems disappearing in the group numbers. Aylin had trouble with focus, and she knows it.  Nellie was clearly intimidated this week. As the mentors critique her, she begins to cry. Zach notes that it took her more takes than the others to get her shots right in the video.  Micheal is once again told he needs to give more, and take less time in the vocal booth.

Charlie, Aylin and Nellie will be singing for Ryan, while Michael is sent out of the room. He’s called back.

Nikki assigns songs. Nellie will sing “If I Were A Boy” by Beyonce.  She  knows the song, but is, of course, intimidated.  “Well, it is fearlessness week, so that’s good!” says Nikki.

Aylin is assigned “Take a Bow” by Rihanna, and she could not be more excited!  Charlie will be singing “It’s Not Unusual,” by Tom Jones And…he’s never heard of it.  Erm. Season 3 premiere? Darren Criss as Blaine performing in the McKinley High courtyard? Do you actually watch Glee Charlie? Nikki thinks the performance will show Ryan yet another side of his talent.

“IT’S ON BITCHES! GET OFF THE STAGE,” says Zach (whom I love SO SO MUCH). The kids disperse to practice their numbers.

tgp2-fear-b3avi by mjsbigblog

Aylin isn’t finding pleasure in competing against Charlie. But, at the end of the day, it IS a competition, she says. “I want to be on Glee more than anything and I would never let a relationship get in the way of that.”  You go girl.

Charlie is a little more sentimental. “This is going to be one of the hardest last chance performances I’ve ever done,” he says. “Because I feel like I’ve got something amazing going on with Aylin, and I don’t know what I’d do if she went home.”  But, he adds, “I still want to be in this competition like crazy.”

Last chance performance for Ryan Murphy!  Ryan says that after watching the video, these three are the people he would have picked because they were all a little reticent and shy.

Aylin is first, strutting out in a red dress.  Her singing is confident and big voiced.  After asking “Where was this girl in the video this week,” Ryan lectures Aylin.  He’s never seen anyone in the history of the show get a slushie and laugh. “I didn’t root for you,” he says.  “A leading lady is both strong and vulnerable, and I’m not getting both of those things from you tonight.”

He further scolds that if she were to get on the show, thousands and thousands of girls would say for the first time “I am represented.”

“You’re a first”, he says, presumably referring to her Muslim religion.  “That’s a hard thing to carry on your shoulders, but I think it’s an important thing and I wish you would take that a little bit more seriously, because I think you are a game changer.”

Lecture finished, he moves on to Charlie, who delivers an audacious performance of “It’s Not Unusual,” where he changes the words in order to flirt shamelessly with Ryan and the mentors.  “It’s not unusual to say I could be on Glee. Although it’s been 4 weeks now in the bottom 3.”  Although he’s completely charmed, Ryan warns that Glee isn’t just a performance show.  Ryan worries that Charlie is unable to work in a scene with the other kids.  He’s given the contender the same note every week, but has not seen much change.  Marching to a different drummer may be a good thing in itself,  Ryan thinks, but maybe not for Glee.

Nellie is last. She performs and she ABSOLUTELY KILLS IT. KILLS IT DEAD. This girl is such an amazing singer, and she doesn’t even know it.  She brings Zach to tears.  Ryan sympathizes with Nellie’s body issues, but notes there were several girls in the video that, despite their discomfort, just went for it. Zach is done telling her how wonderful she is, because it doesn’t seem to be sinking in. “It’s like we’re asking you to be on Glee rather than you’re fighting to be on.” He says. “DING.” Adds Ryan.  Nellie concedes that she needs to “fake It until you make it.”

The bottom 2 seems to be Charlie and Nellie, but who will go home?

Robert announces that the list is posted. The trio goes out to discover their fates. Charlie wants everyone to stay. Aylin is sure she’s going home. But no, it’s her new boyfriend, Charlie, who will leave the competition.

tgp2-fear-last by mjsbigblog

By now, the remaining kids have been together for weeks. They are so close, that Charlie’s elimination is tearful. For his part, he doesn’t regret a thing. “This is the experience of a lifetime,” he says tearfully. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.  “Nothing less than your best,” he tells Aylin before tearfully kissing her goodbye.

tgp2-fear-bye by mjsbigblog

…And good call Ryan Murphy. I would have CUT YOU if you had sent Nellie home! Charlie has been a problem since day one. He’s fun and charming, but he doesn’t take direction well and has proven to be difficult to work with.  Yes, he has challenges, being on the autism spectrum,  but the crew still need to be able to work with him.

Nellie’s days are probably numbered. So far, she has had a difficult time coping with her insecurities, and I don’t think her issues are going to resolve soon. It’s really too bad, because she is truly talented.

I’m going to predict a final four right now: Aylin, Lily, Blake and Shanna.  There are only 3 boys left in the competition. I’m betting on a girl to take it this year.

Theatricality Trailer

tgp2-theat-promo by mjsbigblog