The American Idol season 13 finale is six days away, but one singer won’t be there to compete. In the final Thursday results show of the season, we find out who will be the final 2 from Caleb Johnson, Alex Preston and Jena Irene.
Recap: The Top 3 Perform>>
This also marks a return to the hour-long results show format, but at least there’s a decent reason. We’ll get to extended clips of the hometown visits. However, all eyes are on the elimination, with Jeff Dodge predicting Alex and me predicting Caleb.
THIS…is American Idol!
Ryan Seacrest walks out with his adorable new puppy, Georgia. Why? Because he can. Harry Connick, Jr. continues his annoying trend of describing Jennifer Lopez’s outfits in hashtag form.
Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery is in the house to perform, so baby, lock them doors and turn the lights down low. I sincerely apologize for forcing that nonsense to get stuck in your head.
Dinner for 3: Caleb smashed the mic stand because he lost his voice and Alex had never sung and played drums at the same time before dress rehearsal. They all assume Harry will give his first and only standing ovations next week.
Jena Irene’s Hometown Visit to Farmington Hills, Michigan
Highlights include Jena kissing her dogs as soon as she lands, waiting tables at her old job with a flaming plate, her adorable, crying grandparents, her incredibly plain bedroom, watching her play her keyboard in her home, getting the key to the city and a glowstick-filled concert for her fellow high school seniors. When it’s done, Ryan gives her the fantastic news that, on the finale, she will be performing with Paramore. That’s a perfect duet.
Elliott Yamin and Danny Gokey are in the house. Gokey just released a new single, his wife is about to have a second baby and he started a charity to help get homelss people off the street. Yamin is working on his fourth album and is rocking a bear and sunglasses.
“Feelin’ It” by Scotty McCreery
It’s a fun, summertime anthem and he’s got a great look and that deep, distinctive voice. When you really think about it, a lot of the winners from American Idol are quite good. Unlike every other reality singing competition, this show really understands how to make stars/ J. Lo gives him a kiss that leaves lipstick marks, prompting this great exchange:
Ryan: “You know, Jennifer likes younger guys.”
J. Lo: “I’m not the only one.”
After 13 seasons and more than 500 episodes, “Ryan is gay” jokes still make me laugh.
Alex Preston’s Hometown Visit to Mt. Vernon, New Hampshire
Highlights include the quaint, smalltown feel of random people talking about Alex in a supermarket, reuniting with his high school band Undertow, an insane screaming kid who probably had too much sugar steals the show and the governor of the whole state stops by to declare it Alex Preston Day. On the finale, Alex will perform with Jason Mraz. That’s anticlimactic since the entire season has been about his budding bromance between Alex and his idol.
Caleb Johnson’s Hometown Visit to Asheville, North Carolina
Highlights include eating biscuits and gravy, visiting the Rock Academy, his blunt “little” brother Houston’s ponytail and having the mayor declare it Caleb Johnson Day. On the finale next week, Caleb will perform with Kiss. OK, that’s pretty cool, but it would be cooler if Houston also got to perform with them. Houston is awesome. But really, none of these hometown visits were particularly memorable or emotional.
THE RESULTS
After 53 minutes of filler, it’s time for the results.
The first singer in the finale is…Jena Irene!
Hooray! I knew “Creep” in the Pimp Spot would do it.
The second singer in the finale is…Caleb Johnson!
Alex Preston IS ELIMINATED!
I guess the sympathy vote helped Caleb and the fact that Alex waited until this week to do something different hurt him. He’ll be fine and have a career, but Alex just isn’t a huge star, so he never fit the Idol mold.
Like Jessica Meuse last week, at least he gets to go out singing his original song, “Fairytales,” live on national TV.
Now it’s time for a Jena vs. Caleb finale, which is something the show and producers have obviously been expecting for several weeks. Who will win? Watch the performance show Tuesday at 8pm and the two-hour finale Wednesday night at 8pm. And a note to everyone: Due to conflicts, I won’t be recapping Tuesday’s performance show, so Bill King will be back one last time this season to fill in.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
