Last week on American Idol the judges advanced seven more contestants to the Top 14. Here’s how MJ & Mac rank the contestants. Plus we share a few thoughts on the singers who were eliminated, and more. The Top 14 will be whittled down to 8 contestants by the judges on Wednesday, then the remaining 6 will sing for viewer votes in order to nab one of the two remaining spots. Thursday the Top 10 sing live for viewer votes.
MJ:
- Dalton Rapattoni – Considering how front loaded the contestant pool has been with talented female singers throughout this competition, TPTB seem to want a girl winner. But if the inevitable happens, and a boy takes the crown? It seems pretty clear that Dalton is their guy. The judges lavishly praise his performances, while the producers make sure he receives maximum promotion. Also, placing him in the middle of the Daughtry presentation/Ryan Twerk Fest helped the performance go viral.
- Olivia Rox – Olivia hands down is the best of the teen singers. A lifetime of touring with her musician parents has made performing second nature to her at this point. We first saw Olivia ballading it up at the piano, but then surprise! We find out the girl can also rock the stage. Her vocal talents, versatility and seeming unflappability will take her very far in this competition.
- Trent Harmon – Trent is Dalton’s biggest competition right now for top male. He’s not as cute and boyish as Dalton, but his performances display a heartrending vulnerability that is already capturing viewers’ hearts. Watch out for this one.
- Tristan McIntosh – Tristan started the competition off impressively in her audition with an emotional performance of “Why Baby Why,” but she’s faltered since. She’s a talented vocalist who is best performing sweet ballads that are comfortably in her range. But anytime she’s tried to belt, or sing a song that’s too big for her, she’s had problems. She’s not comfortable working the stage. There is also that moment in Hollywood where she practically had a meltdown when she didn’t get the song that she wanted. The judges still seem to be firmly in her corner, however.
- Lee Jean – Another young singer who has had flashes of brilliance, but still has control and pitch issues at 15. The judges really overpraised both of his performances last week, to the point of where I wondered if we were watching the same show. Nevertheless, I think Lee is a good shot for the judges Top 8.
- Jenn Blosil – Jenn is following the typical “quirky girl” trajectory. She starts off impressing with unusual vocals, phrasing and personality only for those very qualities to eventually become the stuff that totally annoys people. She wasn’t a hit with viewers last week (she was with me, but I’m in the minority) and the judges have begun criticizing her. I’m thinking she won’t make this next cut.
- Manny Torres – If it were up to viewers, Manny would be gone already. His seemingly “over-confident” personality is not the type of vibe Idol viewers go for. If he were a superb vocalist, he might get away with it. But there are too many crush-worthy boys this season. If the judges do decide to advance him, he’ll be gone in the first week.
A few thoughts on the eliminated contestants: She hardly got any screen time, which is why I have a suspicion that Amelia Eisenhauer had more going on than we got to see. Her solo song choice, “Wake me Up” was unfortunate, however. Kory Wheeler, CJ Johnson and Adam Lasher were the last of the over 25s. I would have traded in at least one of them (Kory had the strongest performances) for one or more of the not-fully-baked teens, at least for the sake of adding mature performance skills to the stage.
I’m gonna take a stab at the Judges Top 8: Dalton Rapattoni, Olivia Rox, La’Porsha Renae, Tristan McIntosh, Trent Harmon, Sonika Vaid, Lee Jean, Avalon Young.
Fighting for the two wildcard spots on Thursday: Jeneve Rose Mitchell, Manny Torres, Jenn Blosil, Thomas Stringfellow, Gianna Isabelle, MacKenzie Bourg (I know. MacKenzie is a controversial choice, but I think they will frontload the Top 8 with girls and allow the fanbase to do their thing.)
Mac:
- Dalton Rapattoni– Dalton delivered a strong solo last week and an OK duet. The duets aren’t entirely the contestants fault, as they had no control over song choice or alum pairing. Dalton should continue to sail through to the top 10 next week. He’s a lock. He has the kind of pre-Idol stage experience that puts him light years ahead of some of the 15 year old wannabes.
- Olivia Rox– One of my favorite solos, for sure. She’s proven herself to be a contender this week.
- Trent Harmon – Points for song selection, but Trent really didn’t stand out to me last week as a contender. I think he definitely did enough to earn his spot (unlike a few others), but right now he feels like a 6th-8th place finisher. More unique song choices could change that.
- Tristan McIntosh – I thought she was awful last week. When did Tristan become country? I feel like it was a decision, and not a burning desire. I feel like if she went back to where she started, at the piano, she could find herself artistically. Country is just not working out. Not when Tristan stole Shelbie Z’s well earned Top 14 spot.
- Lee Jean – Are we really going to put Lee Jean into the Top 14? He’s not ready. I understand this was the last season of Idol, but he’s gotten all the experience he really deserves. We’re starting to lose more talented people in order to keep in Lee Jean, and that’s not cool. A tragically revealing duet with Daughtry showed how small he really is, both on stage physically, and vocally.
- Jenn Blosil– The judges gave her a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge pass last week. Look, going into last week, Jenn was easily in my top 3 performers. Even I would have sent her home. I thought both performances were a strike, and both showed me that while she’s unparalleled in the competition for her uniqueness, that often gets in the way of her pitch. She’s been given one more opportunity to show us that she can stay on pitch. If she’s off pitch again, I really hope she gets sent home.
- Manny Torres– Another singer I would have cut. His solo showed me nothing about who he thinks he is as an artist, and he failed to connect with Jordin on the duet (she was trying SO HARD to connect with him, and he kept looking out at the damn audience). I can’t see Manny in the top 10.
A few thoughts on the eliminated contestants: SHELBIE Z. WHAT THE HELL IDOL. Literally, there was a point in the solo night where Harry tipped his hat to Shelbie Z’s performance as deep in the night as Tristan’s critique. If she was one of the best over halfway through the night, then how the hell did she get the axe? I’m so mad about that. I thought she was easily in my top 3 for the night, and her duet was Top 5. I also wouldn’t have cut Kory Wheeler, whose solo was Top 5 for me, and whose duet was my favorite from that night. Both contestants were robbed. To a lesser extent, I think Amelia Eisenhauer probably outperformed some of the others that got to stay (Tristan, Lee, Jenn, Manny) and earned a second week as well, though I doubt I would have rallied for her to make the top 10. I’m sad to see CJ Johnson go, but I understand it. It’s all his fault, and I’m OK with that. Adam Lasher had poor song choice in solos, and his duet was just OK.
I’m gonna take a stab at the Judges Top 8: Dalton Rapattoni, Olivia Rox, La’Porsha Renae, Tristan McIntosh, Trent Harmon, Jenn Blosil, Mackenzie Bourg, Avalon Young.
Fighting for the two wildcard spots on Thursday: Jeneve Rose Mitchell, Manny Torres, Sonika Vaid, Thomas Stringfellow, Gianna Isabelle, Lee Jean– I don’t think the judges will force both Lee and Tristan into the top 8, which means that Tristan’s massive investment in screentime will pay off. I think the judges will end up putting through Jenn, because Jenn is probably going to show “artistry” and they won’t be able to say no. Same with Mackenzie, who will probably rearrange something and blow their minds. Thomas Stringfellow doesn’t really do that, but America will probably save him. As far as the other save, I’d guess maybe Sonika from my batch. I think this week should definitely be the end of the road for both Manny and Gianna.
OK We’ve sounded off. How about you? Take our poll. Vote for your favorite Top 14 contestant!
