Even though this is the final season of American Idol and there’s been talking of wanting a bookend to Kelly Clarkson, history is not on that side when you look at the past several years — and it’s starting to prove true again as we saw during the Top 10 results.
All three spots in the Bottom 3 went to the girls. Even Lee Jean managed to escape the danger zone. Will this balance out more over the next few weeks or is this a sign that the female singers are doomed once again?
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There is no way that Olivia Rox deserved to even be in the Bottom 3, and then she was eliminated. Of course, Avalon Young did have the better performance between her, Olivia and Gianna Isabella. But Olivia shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place. Did performing first hurt her that much? If so, could that hurt the next person who sang first?
Lots of speculation here, but we won’t know for sure until Ryan Seacrest tells Kieran to dim the lights and reveals the results, but let’s predict which two singers are heading out the door next.
Definitely Safe
La’Porsha Renae: La’Porsha continues to knock it out of the park. While it’s hard to follow “Diamonds,” there’s nothing bad I can say about her most recent performance, “Halo,” which was powerful and beautiful. I really hope she doesn’t peak too soon because I would love to see her at the finale if she keeps this up.
Trent Harmon: “When a Man Loves a Woman” has been covered a lot on these singing competition shows. And Trent did not disappoint with his rendition, delivering one of the best performances of the night. Sometimes, Trent stays up in his higher register for quite a while, but by holding back somewhat this time, he was really able to impress us once he did belt out the falsettos.
MacKenzie Bourg: Song choice is always important, but it seems to be really important for MacKenzie. When he did his original song a few weeks ago, that was a highlight. Then “I See Fire” was more hit and miss. But with “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” MacKenzie is getting back on form. There’s no way he could have pulled off the original arrangement, so what he did was fit the song to his style and it paid off.
In the Middle
Tristan McIntosh: Tristan needed “Go Rest High on That Mountain.” She had lost a lot of steam in recent weeks and was heading towards a possible early elimination. Tristan sat at the piano and delivered a heartfelt and beautiful performance. Add in the fact that she dedicated it to her grandpa, who broke his back, in theory I can’t see her being eliminated. Obviously, if one of the below contestants did better than expected in the voting, maybe Tristan suffers, but I hope not.
Dalton Rapattoni: There’s a couple factors going against Dalton right now. First, his take on “Radioactive” was just not that good. Sure, he got better in the second half of the song, but by then, the damage had already been done. Then you add in the fact that he gave us a subpar performance in the first spot of the night and he’s not completely safe (though I don’t think he’s close to going home). We all thought Olivia Rox was safe and look what happened to her after singing first (with a better performance than Dalton’s “Radioactive,” I might add).
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In Danger
Avalon Young: Avalon was on the verge of being eliminated, until she whipped out “Earned It” and more than earned her spot in the Top 8. Will that strong performance and redemption be enough to keep her out of the Bottom 3? I don’t know, but she’s still too close to the bottom to be considered safe. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s in danger this time around again.
Elimination Predictions
Lee Jean: Lee should have been in the Bottom 3 last time, not Olivia. While Lee improved somewhat on “Use Somebody” over “Skinny Love” from the week before, it still wasn’t perfect. His days are numbered. If not now, when? Hopefully, sooner rather than later. I just don’t think we’re ever going to get a standout performance from Lee.
Sonika Vaid: Sonika’s “Bring Me to Life” was fantastic. And then came “Since U Been Gone.” As a huge Kelly Clarkson fan, I have high standards for when these contestants cover the Idol Queen’s music. Remember when Rayvon Owen did an acoustic arrangement of this song in season 14? That was brilliant. Sonika didn’t change it up like that. If she wanted to cover Kelly, she should have chosen a song that suited her style better. But since she did go with “Since U Been Gone,” the judges were right that she needed to commit more to the character. It’s a shame because “Bring Me to Life” should have been a great turning point that allowed her to continue along that path. Instead, she’s in danger of elimination.
Which two singers do you think will be eliminated next? After Avalon’s “Earned It” performance, is she safe or still in danger? And between, Lee and Sonika, who’s most in danger of going home? Take the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section.
American Idol airs 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.
