Looking at the singers left in the competition, overall American Idol season 14 has a pretty strong group of contestants right now. Sure, there’s one or two that we know will most likely be eliminated next, but even they have had their moments to shine.
So what happens now? Could we have a shocking elimination? Or will there be pretty standard cuts for the next several weeks? Let’s take a look at the remaining contestants and their chances of staying, being in danger and going home.
American Idol Recap: The Top 8 Tackle the Billboard Top 100 >>>
Definitely Safe
Tyanna Jones: Only one singer deserves to be Definitely Safe — and that’s Tyanna. Her cover of “Stay” was far and away the best performance of the night. No one else even comes close. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was worried that her best days were behind her after giving some good/average performances lately following “The Circle of Life.” This was a make-or-break week for her, and she delivered. The performance was both beautiful and emotional. She’s back in the game, for sure.
In the Middle
Joey Cook: Joey took me off guard a bit with her Billboard Hit performance because she pretty much sang “Wrecking Ball” as is, save for a couple vocal tweaks. And you know what? She was still great. I can’t say anything bad about her voice. The only reason why I don’t have her in the Definitely Safe category is because this won’t be considered a standout compared to some of her previous performances.
Jax: While Jax’s take on “Poker Face” wasn’t perfect — her lower register in the beginning was not the best start to the song — overall she delivered a really good performance. I’ve heard a couple different arrangements of this Lady Gaga hit before, including the one covered on Glee, but Jax’s sounds completely her own, which I like. Yes, I understand why the judges were critical of the performance, and I’m sure many viewers agree with them, but it wasn’t as bad as the critics have made it out to be. I still think she’ll be here to perform for another week, but it’s not so guaranteed that I would put her in the Definitely Safe category.
Clark Beckham: In a way, it doesn’t really matter that Clark had a hit-and-miss performance this time around because, barring some shocker, he’s not going anywhere. The problem here was the song itself. Like with Quentin’s choice, which I’ll mention later on, Clark’s “Make It Rain” was a mid-tempo number that left me feeling underwhelmed. But where he made up for it was in his voice, which was again fantastic, especially in the second half of the song.
In Danger
Quentin Alexander: There’s both good and bad things to say about Quentin’s Billboard Hits performance. On the positive side, outside of a few spots, his voice did sound great — those falsettos were amazing (definitely the best parts of the performance). As for the bad, though, he went with a mid-tempo song that did nothing to help him create a standout performance.
Nick Fradiani: Nick delivered a pretty good performance of “Teenage Dream,” infusing it with more grit than I’m used to with this Katy Perry song. He sang right after Jax, and comparing the two, I prefer Jax’s performance because it was more unique. I was so confused when Jennifer Lopez said she liked how he changed up the arrangement, which wasn’t the case at all. Frankly, I just don’t know what to make of his placement right now. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he lands in the Bottom 2 with Rayvon, but if he doesn’t, then maybe that will show me the strength of his fan base — for the time being, at least.
Rayvon Owen: Rayvon has been in the Bottom group so many times that not even his fantastic rendition of “Since U Been Gone” could keep him in the safety zone when the Top 7 were announced. So when he came out to sing “Set Fire to the Rain” and didn’t live up to his Kelly Clarkson performance, it became obvious that he’s in danger yet again.
Elimination Prediction
Rayvon Owen: Like I said, Rayvon’s been in this situation so many times now — and with Daniel and Qaasim out of the picture, it seems only natural that Rayvon should be the next to go. It’ll be interesting to see who he goes up against for the Twitter Save — he’s won it both times, but since he’ll likely be competing against a singer with a bigger fan base, his journey has come to an end.
Who do you predict will be eliminated? Has Rayvon’s time come to an end after constantly being in the Bottom 2 and Bottom 3? Or will it be someone else? Share your predictions in the comments section below?
American Idol airs Wednesdays at 8pm on FOX.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
