Like with the Top 24 episodes a couple weeks ago, American Idol crammed 12 performances into only one hour on Wednesday night. It was very fast-paced, but we still got to see some stand-outs as the finalists reprised their audition songs.
Now that we know who this season’s Top 12 are, who will be the first one getting the boot? Will it be someone who should have been cut a long time ago? (I’m looking at you, Daniel Seavey.) Will one of the better singers leave instead? And with the show combining the performances and results now, will there even be a Bottom 3 anymore? Let’s take a look at the contestants’ chances of sticking around, and try and predict who will be eliminated.
Definitely Safe
Tyanna Jones: I always look forward to Tyanna’s performances because I know that she’ll put on a fun performance. Her Top 12 “Wings” reprise was no exception. Of course she’ll be here for at least another week, and hopefully many more.
Jax: Jax is one of my favorites this season. I absolutely loved her audition. And even though she stepped out from behind the piano this time during the latter half of the song, she still delivered a top-notch performance. She’s not going anywhere.
Clark Beckham: If you’ve read my previous predictions articles, you’ll know that I’ve said his performances have been uneven — there are moments when he’s fantastic and then at other times his voice isn’t quite on-point. But maybe it’s time for me to forget all that because his Top 12 rendition of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” was not only the best of the night, but one of the best performances that we’ve seen in recent weeks. I’ll always remember Joshua Ledet’s version back in season 11, and now Clark has come along and provided a stand-out set from start to finish as well.
Joey Cook: What I loved about Joey’s second “King of Spain” performance was that, because she left the accordion behind, her vocals were front and center — and she sounded better than she’s ever been. She’ll be safe, and I want more performances like this from her.
Quentin Alexander: During the semifinals, Quentin was always a question mark to me when it came to his chances of going far in the competition. But I have to hand it to him, “Royals” was his breakout moment on the show. His voice was the best it’s ever been and the emotion we saw from him at the end was very genuine. At first, I wasn’t happy that the judges chose him as a Wild Card, but this changed my mind.
In the Middle
Sarina-Joi Crowe: I can’t believe I’m putting Sarina in the ‘In the Middle’ category, but she delivered her weakest performance to date. I agree with the judges about her pitch — that’s what took her down a few pegs. But people still love her and I don’t anticipate her going home in a shocking elimination during the next episode.
Rayvon Owen: The contestants didn’t get to pick the songs this time since they had to reprise their audition songs, but I’m glad that Rayvon got to sing “Wide Awake” after that terrible song choice last time (“My Girl”). He sounded beautiful. Because he performed early on, I hope voters don’t forget him, especially since others like Clark and Jax left a huge impression on us.
Nick Fradiani: Nick is still one of the best male singers this season, but “In Your Eyes” was good though nothing special. On the plus side, he’s still showing how marketable he can be post-Idol.
Qaasim Middleton: It’ll be interesting to see how much longer the audience can take of Qaasim before they’re ready to get rid of him. There were aspects of “Sir Duke” that I liked, including that first high note — but I cringed a couple times during the song. Will he ever provide us with a perfect or even near-perfect performance? So far, he hasn’t proven that he can.
In Danger/Bottom 3 Predictions
Again, I have no idea if there will be a Bottom 3 since the format is different this season. Regardless, these three are most at risk of going home.
Daniel Seavey: Daniel’s performance of “Straight Up” was straight-up atrocious. He couldn’t hit one of the high notes and even forgot the words at one point; the rest of the song wasn’t good either.
Maddie Walker: If Maddie can keep improving each week, we might start seeing her really come into her own on Idol. Maddie’s Top 12 performance started her on that path, but I worry that voters will forget about her when they end up voting.
Adanna Duru: America rejected Adanna, but the judges for some reason thought she’s good enough to keep around. I don’t know why. While I liked the passion she had on display in her “You and I” performance, her voice needs to improve.
Elimination Prediction
Daniel Seavey: Remember how during the later years of Randy Jackson being on Idol we all knew he’d overstayed his welcome, and then just when we thought we’d gotten rid of him he came right back like a boomerang? Well, that’s like Daniel — we can’t figure out why he’s still here, and at every opportunity when he could be eliminated he just keeps sticking around. This trainwreck needs to end. Now.
Who do think is going home? Has Daniel’s Idol journey finally come to an end? Or is it someone else’s time to pack up and leave? Do you think there will be a Bottom 3? And will season 14 have a goodbye song? Share your predictions in the comments section below.
American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays 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.
