The American Idol coast to coast voting format has its pluses and minuses. Broadcasting the episode live across the country as if it were an awards show is exciting. Everybody voting at the same time (or almost everybody. I’ll get to that in a minute.) Host Ryan Seacrest announcing the results at the end of the show is truly dramatic. It’s much better than dragging out results in an hour long edition.
However, there is a danger that the voting results can turn haphazard. On Sunday night’s Top 14 performance/Top 11 reveal show, the last singer, Nicolina Bozzo advanced to the Top 11. But her fans probably voted for her before she ended the show with “Hallelujah.” (Read our Recap). Stick a middling singer at the end, no matter how well they perform they could be done. While there is a nearly two hour gap between the first singer’s performance and the voting window closing after the last commercial break. For the last singer it’s only 5 minutes!
But the Coast to Coast format is still better than contestants preparing songs all week, and then waiting for Ryan Seacrest to declare them safe before they can take the stage. The contestants in that situation are really distracted and often don’t give their best performances.
What made the difference tonight wasn’t voting order, but the subtle way the show bolstered contestants. Adam Lambert cheering Tristan Grissette via video after his performance causing him to cry? That probably saved Tristan after a risky performance. However, Tristen will return to his regularly scheduled barely hanging on by a thread, and could leave the competition on Monday.
Eliminated contestants Ava Maybee and Dan Marshall both received somewhat negative feedback from the judges, while Allegra Miles was perhaps competing against too many indie artists to survive. The judges are clear who they like: Jay Copeland, HunterGirl, Fritz Hager, Leah Marlene, Nicolina Bozzo, Noah Thompson, Lady K. Also, Katy has a soft spot for Tristen. And HunterGirl. Great way to kill a singer’s momentum is for a judge to say out loud that they want them to win.
My favorites tonight were Fritz Hager, Leah Marlene, and Ava Maybee. Noah Thompson sang the right song at the right time! Even though he’s very similar to the reigning winner, Chayce Beckham, he could win it all.
Gabby Barrett mentored the contestants and did a great job. Her tips for singing and performing were specific and helpful. And she pulled no punches.
NOTE: A reader who lives in Washington State reported that his local affiliate opted to air local news rather than American Idol at 5 pm, waiting until 8 pm to broadcast it instead. Any west coasters run into the same issue? Affiliates have leeway over their own local program, sometimes opting not to air a network program.
Tomorrow night: While Leah Marlene told fans in a live Instagram reel that the show would eliminate two singers, leaving a Top 9, American Idol promos are saying “revealing a Top 10.” So, probably one is going home tomorrow, leaving a Top 10 for the following week’s Disney night.
UPDATE: Now, American Idol is teasing a “surprise twist” in a new promo and is deliberately not mentioning how many contestants will be left by the end of the night…
UPDATE: Luke Bryan tweeted that “The Top 9 8s up to you America.”
OK. Now it’s time to VOTE for your favorites below. Who was robbed?
VOTE VOTE VOTE
