Tonight will determine the final three groups who will move on to the finals. Tonight is also the superstar medleys and judges’ choice, which was my least favorite episode last year. Tonights episode kicks off with a big, heavily sung group number. The lead singer from The Backbeats looks like a Fembot or some sort of sixties space fantasy. More on Backbeats fashion later, I’m sure! Jerry Lawson did “the scream” and everyone was pleased.
Before any of the performances, if I had to choose, I’d send On The Rocks and The Backbeats home tonight, but we’ll see how this plays out. Maybe everyone in Committed has the flu and can’t hear each other. In other news, Nicole Scherzinger is feeling warm and crazy tonight, bowing meditatively as Nick Lachey introduced her.
Superstar Medleys!
On The Rocks went to a bar to do “karaoke” and perform their Elton John medley. If you’re an acapella group, you don’t need a karaoke machine, though. Discrepancy! Their medley started out with “The Bitch is Back” and it seemed like it got away from them a little at the beginning and they were struggling to get it back. Once they transitioned to “Benny and the Jets,” it came back together, though. They closed strong with “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me.” One of you mentioned in the comments that Nicole should be limited to six words per comment and I wholeheartedly agree! Ben said the groove on “Bitch is Back” was too much, too complicated. I wish I could hang out with Ben Folds.
(Oh my gosh, Committed’s “Joy To the World.” Want it!)
Nick Lachey told us which superstar medleys were coming up and I’m pretty sure I can guess who’s doing what at this point. Sure enough, Committed is doing an Usher medley. I’ll take six helpings! They’ve shown a lot of diversity in their arrangements and abilities and their medley was another sexy, sexy performance. Bonus points for two hats and near-tasteful group fashion. Shawn liked that they kept the “bounce.”
Street Corner Symphony and a Beatles medley? Thank you, Santa! Santa also included a bonus gift: the way-too-long shot of that dog wearing sunglasses in the SCS clip package. Revelation: I actually like what they’re wearing! Of course, they sound great too. I love these guys because they’re easy to listen to, laid-back and fun. Their transitions weren’t as good as Committed’s, and I’m almost over “Hey Jude” (is that possible?) but all in all I thought it was classy. The judges liked it, despite Ben’s few hairs to split.
The Backbeats are going Gaga, which almost makes the Fembot outfits rational. They started with “Poker Face,” which was too fast again and almost derailed. “Papparazzi” was almost too slow but sounded better. They finished with “Just Dance,” which was just alright. Not my favorite Backbeats performance. Not nearly enough Kenton. I predict they’ll be leaving at the end of this round. Nicole said some vague comments about how difficult it is to re-create a dance hit with acapella and Shawn agreed. So basically it was good for what they were given.
Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town are doing this round slow-pitch, as they perform an Otis Redding medley. Easy. I would like to see them do Gaga (no, that would be a hot, weird mess). It’s classic Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town, with a great group sound and nice transitions. They also featured some new lead vocalists, and I really liked that. Ben Folds noted that “Respect” almost flew off the handle and they weren’t always dead-on with their pitch. Can you eliminate Jerry Lawson, though? Is it allowed?
Time for the first elimination. The first two groups to move forward are Committed and The Backbeats. Really? The Backbeats? I was so far off. Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town move on next. It comes down to Street Corner Symphony and On The Rocks. Street Corner Symphony moves on (well, yeah!) and On The Rocks is eliminated (*tear*). Their final comments involved references to all the judges and Nick Lachey and it was just plain masterful. Respect! I’ll miss them, they were really entertaining and had the best choreography. Their swan song (“Final Countdown”) was awesome.
The Judges’ Choice
The judges gave Committed, “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green. Oh yes. Good job, judges! And great job, Committed! It was so classy and hearty. Ready, set, let your heart melt. It was so good it melted Nicole’s brain.
Street Corner Symphony got CCR, of course. By the way, they performed “Auld Lang Syne” coming back from the break and when I heard the preview for it on iTunes I thought they had some kind of remix or something but it really is only their voices! Freaking out! Anyway, they’re singing “Down On The Corner” and their vocal percussion is just as good. They might be recycling Committed’s outfits from their rock hit last week, but the sound is all new and fresh! It sounded great, maybe my favorite performance of theirs so far. I hope it redeemed them enough to put them in the Top 3!
The judges chose “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac for The Backbeats. Oh, another ballad. They’re going with their ringer, Joanna. This definitely sounded better than their first two power ballads, though. They may have redeemed themselves (in my mind, apparently the judges loved their Gaga medley.) For once I agree with Nicole, everyone is at the top of the game and I almost wish it wasn’t a competition. It looks like The Backbeats will stay!
Now it’s up to Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town to be perfect. He’s a legend, though! They’re singing “House of the Rising Sun” just like, as a favor to everyone. It was as awesome as everyone expected it to be. You can’t touch Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town!
I wonder what song the judges picked for On The Rocks? Is it just me or is everything just going too well? I’ve secretly been wanting something to go horribly wrong, just for the drama of it. But no, I like all the groups who are left. The second elimination goes a little something like this:
Safe: Committed, Street Corner Symphony, then The Backbeats, and Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town
No one is eliminated!
This makes it even more difficult for America! Who will you vote for? It’s okay to vote and tell! And with the introduction of the celebrity guest stars next week, I remember that the finale is the show I like the least. Oh well!
(image courtesy of NBC)
Writer, BuddyTV
Originally from Seattle, Carla recently took a husband and moved to Austin, Texas, where she is finally using her television “problem” to her advantage. It’s sort of like Dexter, but boring and less murdering. Carla’s favorite shows include 30 Rock, The Amazing Race, Project Runway, Modern Family, anything with murder, and pretty much anything gross and weird (CSI, The Bachelor, Toddlers & Tiaras, etc.). Favorite canceled shows include: Arrested Development, Veronica Mars and Average Joe. In her spare time, Carla leads tours of downtown Austin on a Segway (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!), blogs about Netflix Instant, and visits elementary schools telling children they don’t need math to succeed (just kidding, stay in school, kids).
