I forgot how unwatchable these hour long performance shows were. Just like the season 14 Detroit semifinal telecasts–Twelve very short performances in 60 minutes, and I’m left reeling a little bit. But does it really matter? We watched the first batch of Top 24 contestants sing. We posted our opinions. But we don’t get to vote. What makes the situation even more frustrating, is the entire night of critiques felt scripted as if no matter how the contestants performed tonight, the fix was already in. Why else would they slam James VIII who turned in a warm, bluesy performance and praise Sonika Vaid, who was totally swallowed up by the room?
How do they expect to keep the audience invested? American Idol took off in 2002 precisely because, for the first time in the history of talent shows (and there had been many that came before) the home viewer had a real stake in the outcome.
Having said all that, despite being rushed, there were some good to great performances tonight, including James VIII, Avalon Young, Jenna Renae, La’Porsha Renae. The only real clunkers were from Jordan Sasser (for those 90 seconds I thought I’d entered an alternate universe of bad theatrical singing) and, sadly, Emily Brooke, who totally lost the plot tonight.
Since the Powers That Be won’t let us vote, let’s do it here. The first poll of the season!
Vote for Your Favorite Performance
Grade the Episode Overall
