American Idol Top 13 Revealed!
American Idol Season 10 (Wednesdays & Thursdays at 8PM on FOX)
Okay, so the spoilers from Joesplace about the Wild Cards was almost completely wrong... I'm sorrry about that. But I'm actually really happy they were. We got America's Top 10 last night, the judges chose 6 of the rejected to perform again, and then they picked 3 from that group to join the Top 10.
Leaving us with a Top 13 I almost totally agree with. If you read my rankings posts, MY Top 5 guys all made it to the Top 10, so I was super-stoked that America got it right with them. Then I was even more stoked that my # 6 was the only guy to gain a Wild Card Spot in the Top 13. Double bonus.
But as for the girls, I was a bit more spotty. I'm just not feeling some of America's choices. I got only 2 out of the 5 correct of the Top 10. 1 of my Top 5 got a Wild Card spot though, and my # 6 recieved another Wild Card spot, making me really 4 for 7.
What makes me sad is I really think one of the ladies should be switched for another... but we'll get to that in a minute.
So after a montage clip of all the performances, we got our first results.
SCOTTY MCCREERY vs. ROBBIE ROSEN
Scott is in the Top 10!! (I ranked him # 5)
Robbie is NOT in the Top 10... (I ranked him # 9)
CLINT JUN GAMBOA vs. JORDAN DORSEY vs. JOVANY BARRETO
Clint seemed to crumble with anxiety up on the stage while Ryan went through his thing... Jordan said he would have sang a completely different song and Jovany was just happy to be there...
Clint & Jordan are NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked them # 7 & # 12 respectively)
Jovany is NOT in the Top 10 either... (I ranked him # 11)
(they totally faked me out with the separation...)
After a commerical break and the girls montage. By the way, I don't believe for one second that the girls are as close as the guys this season. Ashthon's pageant answer and then their awkward forced hugs of sympathy/congratulation were incredibly odd compared to the very emotion-driven stuff happen over on the guys side.
LAUREN ALAINA vs. PIA TOSCANO
Lauren is in the Top 10!! (I ranked her # 8 ... I just think she's over-rated)
Pia is ALSO in the Top 10!! (I ranked her # 1)
TA-TYNISA WILSON vs. JULIE ZORILLA vs. KENDRA CHANTELLE
Ta-Tynisa is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked # 10)
Julie is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked # 12)
And Kendra is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked # 5)
ASHTHON JONES vs. KAREN RODRIGUEZ
Ashthon is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked her # 6)
Karen is in the Top 10!! (I ranked her # 7)
JACOB LUSK vs. CASEY ABRAMS vs. TIM HALPERIN
Jacob is in the Top 10!! (I ranked him # 1)
Ryan tells Casey & Tim, one is in and the other is not...
Casey is in the Top 10!! (I ranked him # 2)
Tim is NOT in the Top 10!! (I ranked him # 10)
NAIMA ADEDAPO vs. THIA MEGIA vs. LAUREN TURNER
Naima is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked her # 4)
Then Ryan tells Thia and Lauren only one will make it through...
Thia is in the Top 10!! (I ranked her # 3)
Lauren Turner is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked her # 2)
BRETT LOEWENSTERN vs. PAUL McDONALD
Ryan tells them, only one will get a spot.
Paul is in the Top 10!! (I ranked him # 3)
Brett is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked him # 8)
Brett goes and hugs the judges before returning to the stools...
HALEY REINHART vs. RACHEL ZEVITA
There's one spot left for the girls...
Haley is in the Top 10!! (I ranked her # 9) - REALLY AMERICA, REALLY!?
Rachel is NOT in the Top 10. (I ranked her # 11)
JAMES DURBIN vs. STEFANO LANGONE
The new besties and roommates have to fight for 1 spot left for they guys...
James is in the Top 10!! (I ranked him # 4)
Stefano is NOT in the Top 10!! (I ranked him # 6)
SO, there you have it... the TOP 10... Scott McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Pia Toscano, Karen Rodriguez, Jacob Lusk, Casey Abrams, Thia Megia, Paul McDonald, Haley Reinhart and James Durbin.
Who joined them!? Well, the judges decided to have 6 of the left-over 14 contestants sing for their life for an undetermined amount of spots.
First pick to sing... ASHTHON JONES! She sings "And I Am Telling You" with full on DIVA attitude again, but for me the voice was lacking in a lot of places.
SIDE NOTE - Ashthon, that diva-attitude could possibly be why you didn't garner enough votes. Most AI-fans like to watch a superstar be born throughout the course of the season. We don't want to watch someone who already thinks she IS one, give just an okay-vocal performance week-after-week.
Next Wild Card contestant... STEFANO LANGONE! He sings "I Need You Now" it was emotional, connected and vocally fantastic in my opinion. He narrowly missed out of my Top 5 guy picks, so I wanted to see him nab a Wild Card.
The Next Wild Card contestant... KENDRA CHANTELLE! She sings "Georgia on my Mind" and I thought she hit a lot of great notes, but there were also times where I think she lost it a bit too.
The Next Wild Card contestant... JOVANY BARRETO! (Really?!) He sings "Angel" which had both Spanish and English lyrics. I think he did just okay with it...
The last female Wild Card contestant... NAIMA ADEDAPO! She sings "For All We Know", it was shaky in parts but the emotion and determination she brought to it were heart-wrenching (did you see the look S.Ty gave J.Lo at the end of it... love him.)
The last male Wild Card contestant... ROBBIE ROSEN! He sings "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word", I thought it was good, but I think he needs more time to feel comfortable on stage and build a stage personality.
That means we had to officially say good-bye to a bunch of people that just didn't make the right choices in the first round:
Ta-Tynisa Wilson (wrong song choice), Rachel Zevita (wrong first impression), Julie Zorilla (wrong song choice), Jordan Dorsey (wrong first impression), and Tim Halperin (wrong song choice)
As well as people we remember more for their on-screen personalities than their singing voices - Clint Jun Gamboa (mean to Jacee Badeaux) and Brett Loewenstern (the hippie-hugger)
And one very under-rated singer to ironically mop up her own tears when she returns to cleaning houses... Lauren Turner. I really think she has what it takes to be amazing, but this season underplayed her sarcastic wit and bluesy-soulful voice by barely featuring her in the early rounds.
That paired with her odd choice of first song, tanked her in comparison to the girls that have gotten all the screen time. I'm surprised the judges didn't pick her to sing for her life, because I think she could have wowed. She's the one I'm truly upset didn't make it in, especially when I'm going to have to suffer through Haley Reinhart growl her way awkwardly spinning for the camera again next week instead.
A commercial break and J.Lo's music video later... (For "On the Floor" a bopping club single featuring Pit Bull)
We got the judges' picks. Only 3 of the 6 would get spots.
Ashthon is in the Top 13!! (I ranked her # 6)
Stefano is in the Top 13!! (I ranked him # 6)
Naima is in the Top 13!! (I ranked her #4)
I'm happy with the Judges' Picks from the 6 Wild Card contestants.
I'm emotionally invested in Naima's back-story and am rooting for the underdog that designs her own clothes and wears flowers in her hair.
I think Stefano completely deserved a spot based on both of his Idol-dome performances, especially over the rest of the other guys and I'm glad that the Judges' recognized that.
And Ashthon... I see the diva in her and I think she could be a star. She's gorgeous, has the strut and enough vocal ability to be a recording star, I just wish she didn't know that yet.
The only one that I thought might have deserved the 14th spot would have been Kendra Chantelle, I think her two songs in the Idol-Dome were vocally worthy of going to the next round, but I think her lack of on-stage personality with Ryan/Judges and her lack of screen-time wouldn't have gotten her that much further.
DID YOUR FAVORITES MAKE IT!?
