The Top 6 finalists performed two songs each. While the first theme — the Songbook of Burt Bacharach and Hal David — ended up being pretty much a dud, the second round is where we witnessed some standout performances.
Last week, Lazaro Arbos recovered from his trainwreck enough to be in the Top 3. But this time around, he gave us one of the worst performances American Idol has ever seen. Will that finally send him home? Or will the judges be forced to use their Save?
American Idol Recap: Lazaro Arbos vs. the Girls >>>
DEFINITELY SAFE
Candice Glover: She is the only one who has a 100% guarantee of safety. Every season, there’s usually one performance that stands out above all the others (i.e. Carrie Underwood‘s “Alone,” Adam Lambert’s “Mad World,” etc.). Candice delivered The Moment of season 12 last night, hands down.
PRETTY SAFE/IN THE MIDDLE
To follow-up on what I said about Candice and her guarantee of safety, while it would be shocking it’s not completely out of the question if any of the other girls ended up in danger. That’s why I wouldn’t even consider Kree Harrison to be Definitely Safe, even though she performed with ease and made it look effortless last night. But considering she was in the Top 3 again last week, we shouldn’t worry too much about her.
Angie Miller had a forgettable first round, but she came back swinging with “Love Came Down.” How will that lopsided night play with voters?
BOTTOM 3 PREDICTIONS
While I’m assuming Idol will reveal the Bottom 3, they very well could change it up and only show us the Bottom 2. Either way, Janelle Arthur is in danger. Both of her performances were just okay. And as we know by now, sometimes it’s better to be the worst and stand out than to be in the middle and forgettable. And Janelle might be the latest to suffer from that.
When you’re competing against the likes of Candice and Kree, you could end up in the Bottom 3 as a matter of happenstance, not necessary because you deserve it. And while she was definitely better than Janelle last night, Amber Holcomb may be in the same situation.
And then there’s Lazaro Arbos. Lazaro, Lazaro, Lazaro. Why won’t you go away already? He was in the Top 3 last week, so at this point, I probably shouldn’t be shocked by whatever the results are. If you go back and watch his first performance of the night, you’ll notice that it looked like he’s pretty much given up; being on the show doesn’t seem fun for him anymore. The right thing for voters to do is put him out of his misery.
ELIMINATION PREDICTION
Lazaro Arbos: I kept going back and forth with my predictions. Initially, I went with Lazaro. Then I thought about it more analytically, and Janelle has a very good chance of leaving. We all know that if any girl has to sing for survival, the judges will use their Save. So it’s either Lazaro or no one going home. But I’m ultimately going with him because, well, just because. There’s a part of me that feels my prediction will be wrong just because it’s Lazaro we’re talking about, so who knows. If not him, then Janelle.
I’m pretty sure that in previous seasons, this is the last week the judges can use the Save. But if Lazaro is eliminated, there’s no way they’re using it on him. So if that happens, I bet Idol will tweak the rules slightly and extend the run until next week. That way, it’ll be super easy because only the girls will be left. (I’m also bringing this up because the Save has to be used at some point, otherwise the season will end a week earlier than FOX has scheduled it for and then everything will be off.)
Do you think it’s finally the end of the line for Lazaro? Or will the judges save one of the girls? Share your predictions in the comments below.
Want to add American Idol to your very own watch-list? Download BuddyTV Guide for free for your phone.
(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.
