S19.E07: Hollywood Duets Challenge

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

The hopefuls of the season are challenged with Hollywood duets as they continue to compete for their chance to make it through to the next round, coming one step closer to become America's next superstar.

Airs March 22nd.

The show will now be airing on Sunday and Monday night.

[DietCokeJunkie]

Thank god Claudia Conway is gone. 

[Annber03]

That was a great duet to end the night on. Dang. Also particularly liked Willie and Kya and DeShawn and Madison (I like that Rihanna song, and their version was the best). I liked Chase and Christina, too-I agree he was a little stronger than her on that song, but they sounded nice together and I'm sad for her that she didn't go through. 

This episode was my introduction to actually hearing "Watermelon Sugar". I'd certainly heard of it, but I somehow hadn't actually heard it until now. Tonight sure clued me in quick. I laughed at Lionel referring to the song as "Watermelon High" at one point and Katy correcting him :p.

Again, some very unique and interesting takes on some of these songs tonight. Some worked better than others. 

Poor Funke. Collapsing on stage is scary enough, but then it gets broadcast to so many. I'm glad she'll be okay. I'm also glad Althea's baby will be okay. I do wonder how some of these people will continue to fare going forward, because some of the stress back home they're struggling with is clearly, and understandably, making it hard for some of them to focus on this. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

This episode is so good.  I'm definitely going to watch it again tomorrow.

I love all the songs.  

The entire Murphy piece made me cry.

I was surprised, and pretty sad, about some of the cuts.

------ Oh I remembered one - Catie's boyfriend's partner.  She really really outsang him and I thought she'd go through.  

I hated seeing that woman fall.  They didn't have to show her head slam into the floor.  They could have shown a warning.  That poor woman.  I know that Lionel called her performance a trainwreck and Katy wanted to cut her, but damn, I really liked that duet.  

Adding more as I'm still watching (typically).

Katy making a great performance all about her and Taylor, good lord!

I love how they played Paula Abdul's song "Opposites Attract" that was adorrrrrrable.

This is why I have to watch again tomorrow.  I don't know how I felt about everything and some singers that I really liked got cut.  Lots of good performances in there, including from people that got cut.  

Edited March 23, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

57 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

That was a great duet to end the night on. Dang. Also particularly liked Willie and Kya and DeShawn and Madison (I like that Rihanna song, and their version was the best). I liked Chase and Christina, too-I agree he was a little stronger than her on that song, but they sounded nice together and I'm sad for her that she didn't go through. 

I felt bad about Christina too.

57 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

This episode was my introduction to actually hearing "Watermelon Sugar". I'd certainly heard of it, but I somehow hadn't actually heard it until now. Tonight sure clued me in quick. I laughed at Lionel referring to the song as "Watermelon High" at one point and Katy correcting him :p.

There were 2 Harry Styles songs, Watermelon Sugar and "Sign of the Times" sung by Claudia and Hannah.  I'd also really recommend "Lights Up".  I love all 3 of those songs.  I think Harry's super talented.

Lionel's mistake is easy to make because the lyrics are Watermelon sugar - HIGH over and over again.

I love how the kids didn't know who Ryan Phillippe was.

Edited March 23, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

58 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Poor Funke. Collapsing on stage is scary enough, but then it gets broadcast to so many. I'm glad she'll be okay. I'm also glad Althea's baby will be okay. I do wonder how some of these people will continue to fare going forward, because some of the stress back home they're struggling with is clearly, and understandably, making it hard for some of them to focus on this. 

I've been watching cooking shows for the past year (I never ever did before) and it reminds me of that world.  Those chefs have rough lives that make them get into cooking (nobody looking after them, have to fend for themselves) or have parents who will actually kick them out of the house for certain reasons (I'm sure you can guess) or parents who are angry with them for having a passion for cooking instead of like law or medicine.  Life's tough all over!  

[Real4real]

Don’t know names yet, sorry, but what song was the fainting girl pair singing?  I thought it was so pretty, then Lionel was so hard on them!  

[LennieBriscoe]

I heard three singers ready for the big-time: Willie; Grace; and Alyssa. They all brought me to tears. 

Country Caleb let me down for being content to glide by with his easy twang. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

57 minutes ago, Real4real said:

Don’t know names yet, sorry, but what song was the fainting girl pair singing?  I thought it was so pretty, then Lionel was so hard on them!  

"Tell Him" by Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand.

I agree, I loved it.  The singers are Ronda and Funke (the one who fell).  

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[bamlou]

I enjoyed a handful of the duets and always look forward to this night of Hollywood Week, but still wish they had an actual group round with groups of more than two people. Maybe it was COVID-mandated to keep this round to duos, but I recall them only doing duets last year as well and I was disappointed then too, because groups of 3+ have often made for more interesting performances - requiring more collaboration, learning how to really shine amongst others, more thought to choreography and how to use the stage etc. Plus none of the duets really chose upbeat songs, so I just missed the energy we've gotten with memorable past groups that had more fun with their performances.

But still lots of good singing tonight, and it was nice to see the judges giving the contestants some actual feedback and suggestions to push themselves, which seems to be given few and far between on Idol these days.

Edited March 23, 2021 by bamlouie

[KHenry14]

First, Willie Spence is in the finals, mark my word.

Alyssa and Grace just killed it. And I think Alyssa could join Willie in the finals. 

 

[peachmangosteen]

7 hours ago, KHenry14 said:

First, Willie Spence is in the finals, mark my word.

TPTB are certainly doing their best to make sure that happens lol.

I'll echo the love for this ep. There were a lot of great performances and I also really loved seeing most of the duet partners really come to like each other. So cute!

I'm surprised they haven't shown Alanis at all in these Hollywood eps. Doesn't bode well for her chances. It's too bad because I really liked her audition.

There were a couple people tonight that I don't remember seeing before. The only one I can remember right now is Camille, who sang with Althea. I liked her.

I'm trying to think of who they've shown in every single ep. Willie (duh lol), Althea, Grace, Chayce, and Beane for sure. I can't remember if there are any others. 

[leighdear]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I'm trying to think of who they've shown in every single ep. Willie (duh lol), Althea, Grace, Chayce, and Beane for sure. I can't remember if there are any others. 

I believe Wyatt-with-the-hat has been in every episode.

I think Murphy is my fave of all of them.  And I think his career is going to happen, regardless of how he does on Idol.  I don't see his uniqueness as an affectation or a put on.   

[sempervivum]

I'm so glad I watched this; after Sunday's boring outing, I was wondering if I even wanted (after 15 years of watching) to continue, as I wasn't moved by anybody. But this was a really good show and I definitely have some favorites now.

The standouts were all mentioned above, plus I want to give a shout out to the Althea and Camille performance of 'You Don't Own Me'. This wasn't necessarily pretty to listen to, but seemed to approach punk levels of defiance, which is in short supply on Idol these days.

Also, to touch back on the stupidity of making these singers declare a 'genre', both Grace and Alyssa would be fantastic rock singers (as demonstrated in that fiery performance of 'Grenade'). Grace, particularly, was channeling Ann Wilson.

[peachmangosteen]

9 minutes ago, leighdear said:

I believe Wyatt-with-the-hat has been in every episode.

Is he the old school country guy? If so, yes, he was definitely in every ep. I think Murphy might have also been. I can’t really remember him in the genre challenge ep though.

[sempervivum]

9 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Is he the old school country guy?

No, that's Alex (tall, pudgy, blond). Wyatt is the folk/indie guy (tall, skinny, long face, ranger-style hat).

[Ms Blue Jay]

46 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

The standouts were all mentioned above, plus I want to give a shout out to the Althea and Camille performance of 'You Don't Own Me'. This wasn't necessarily pretty to listen to, but seemed to approach punk levels of defiance, which is in short supply on Idol these days.

 I absolutely loved it!  

[Koalagirl]

17 hours ago, DietCokeJunkie said:

Thank god Claudia Conway is gone. 

I was surprised how well she handled being sent home. I expected a little brattiness but instead she was really supportive and a good sport to her duet partner who continued on. 

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, sempervivum said:

No, that's Alex (tall, pudgy, blond). Wyatt is the folk/indie guy (tall, skinny, long face, ranger-style hat).

OK, I have no idea who that is lol. I'll have to google him.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I'm a night late (due to March Madness), so here are my delayed snap thoughts and another wonderful list.

-If I was all the other contestants when Liahona got sent through, I would've just mentally marked her into the Top 24 then and there. If that performance wouldn't kill her, literally nothing will.

-the worst thing about Funke fainting was that you could feel it coming. The rocking forward, and then her eyes just completely losing focus..

Moving onto the Showstopper Round:

Liahona & Laila (Laila is feeling more and more like Top 24 material. She powered through despite Liahona's zombie-like effort)

Graham DeFranco (but not his duet partner, Cameron Allen)

Beane (but not his duet partner, Kari Erickson)

Anthony Guzman & Adriel Carrion (aww, Anthony got himself a mini-Viking in training. Adriel was giving some serious Danny Noriega vibes)

Madison Watkins & Deshawn Goncalves (new lovebirds gave us possibly the most overwrought duet of the night)

Hannah Everhardt (but not her partner and new free range chicken aficionado, Claudia Conway)

Alex Miller & Emisunshine (IMO, Emi was actually the surprise package here)

Murphy & Lizzy O'Very (Unique Souls Connection...minus socks)

Cassandra Coleman & Wyatt Pike (now that Christian is eliminated, Cassandra's battle w/ nerves is a more prominent storyline)

Ronda Felton & Funke Lagoke

Willie Spence & Kya Monee (If Willie isn't in the Top 24 at this point, something terrible has happened to him)

Ben Dodson & Henry Thomas (Floppy Haired WGWGs we are just now introduced to)

Jazzy Rose & Re'h (Also our first meeting with Jazzy, mildly surprised Re'h has made it through two Hollywood rounds)

Chayce Beckham (sadly not his duet partner, Christina Daughtery..definitely someone who can side-eye Liahona on her way out the door)

Althea Grace & Camille Lamb (First intro to Camille, a young Taylor Dane lookalike..)

Hunter Metts & Ava August (I'm sure Hunter was loving singing a love song to his 15 (going on 28) year old duet partner)

Grace Kinstler & Alyssa Wray (two big voiced divas shut down/closed down the show)

 

**So we saw exactly 30 contestants passed through to the Showstopper round. However, from the end of show previews it's pretty clear that others we've already been introduced to including Drake McCain, Mary Jo Young, Jason Warrior, Andrea Valles, & Ash Ruder (I think), also made it through the duets round. A few that we never saw a verdict on one way or the other included Casey Bishop, Alanis Sophia, Caleb Lowery, Cecil Ray, Colin Jamieson, & Amanda Mena..

 

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Diana Berry]

harry  styles performance of Watermelon Sugar on the Grammy’s was the only thing worth watching.  Check it out on you tube. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I like Liahona a whole damn lot and I don't care if she zombied her way through.  She was still really good.  I liked her brother too.  If her brother was white I think he'd make it through.  Is he so much worse of a singer than Shawn Mendes or Justin Bieber?  Honestly.

Something is very sexy about Camille.  

Edited March 24, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[sempervivum]

11 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Adriel was giving some serious Danny Noriega vibes)

I assume you mean his rather flamboyant performance style, because Danny's personality was the opposite of shy (which Adriel supposedly is, although I don't recall ever seeing him before). Remember when he got sassy with Simon Danny Snaps Simon?

12 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

So we saw exactly 30 contestants passed through to the Showstopper round

It's interesting that there has been absolutely zero mention by the show of the number of people sent to Hollywood, and how many are left at this point to be winnowed down to 20 next week. There are 7 remaining weeks of Sunday & Monday performances Idol Schedule 2021, as well as 2 single days (4/26 and 5/23), so 16 shows left now, which would mean a total of 23 shows total for the season. That's quite a bit more than S18 (16 shows total), S17 (19 shows total) and S16 (19 shows total). 

[DietCokeJunkie]

3 hours ago, sempervivum said:

It's interesting that there has been absolutely zero mention by the show of the number of people sent to Hollywood, and how many are left at this point to be winnowed down to 20 next week. 

They’re cutting it down to 24 next week. In the previews, the judges mentioned they were looking for the “top 24.”  

[MarylandGirl]

I cried a bunch watching this episode today (catching up), not sure what that's all about. First episode I've seen of this season, and I agree about Willie--wow! And that was really unsettling with Funke...

ETA: OK, now Althea made me cry with the stuff with her child...

Edited March 24, 2021 by MarylandGirl
adding a comment

[ruffy666]

Luke has a very punchable face and I don't think anything can ever convince me otherwise.  Nonetheless, this episode convinced me that this set of judges really is the best we've had since the beginning on Fox.  They give actual criticism, legitimately useful feedback, and sometimes say things that are downright inspiring.  I don't always agree with who they cut and who they put through but I still enjoy listening to their commentary most of the time.

[LennieBriscoe]

Update for me: I just watched Alyssa and Grace 3 more times in succession. Tears every dang time. Their power, their synchronicity, their emotion, their fantastic voices---and their confidence.

That Grace had felt compelled to tell us of her massive weight loss and of her self-awareness of "not being" a typically-slender female artist---was beyond poignant to me. 

I would pay big money to see the Grace and Alyssa "Salt and Pepper Divas" Tour! (Or the Alyssa and Grace "Black and White and Heard All Over" Tour!)

To add: The panelists---as judges, as singers, and as humans---knew and felt they were in the presence of greatness. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by LennieBriscoe

[bamlou]

23 hours ago, ruffy666 said:

Nonetheless, this episode convinced me that this set of judges really is the best we've had since the beginning on Fox.  They give actual criticism, legitimately useful feedback, and sometimes say things that are downright inspiring.

I agree that the feedback the judges gave last episode was refreshing to see. The real test though (at least for me), is what they'll say once the live shows begin - this is usually when these judges' critiques suddenly become nothing but praise and minimal constructive feedback on this reboot, which has disappointed me because that's when the contestants need it most, so we can see them grow week to week. But with the faster contestant cuts and reduced number of live shows that Idol does now, I sense that these judges don't want to be too critical of them at that stage of the competition since it moves at such a quicker pace. I'll be optimistic and hope that they keep up this level of feedback, so we'll see.

Edited March 26, 2021 by bamlouie

[sempervivum]

Apparently there are 64 remaining singers: Remaining

[ForReal]

On 3/22/2021 at 11:33 PM, KHenry14 said:

First, Willie Spence is in the finals, mark my word.

Alyssa and Grace just killed it. And I think Alyssa could join Willie in the finals. 

 

Alyssa was the very last contestant in the initial try-outs, and I thought then that they gave her that slot for a reason. Then she sings last this round. Don't get me wrong, I think she's great, and I think and hope that she will be in the finals as well.

[LennieBriscoe]

CORRECTION: My above post says "Country Caleb," but I meant Alex Miller!

Edited March 26, 2021 by LennieBriscoe

[Blissfool]

I watched this a week late because I was waiting for someone to watch it with me. Well, apparently no one cares about Idol anymore in this household 😤 so I had to watch it by myself!

I love love love Hollywood Week and this episode did not disappoint. My emotions!

I really liked Lizzy O"very's falsetto. I watched her and Murphy's performance several times. I'm a fan of falsettos.

I was sad to see Claudia Conway go. She seems like a sweet girl (and she managed to win over her partner.)

Cheyse is so good looking. I'm glad he made it through.  Sad for his partner. She (and a few others) should have made it over Liahona. I think the judges really wanna have her in the top 10 for some reason. I have not like ANY of her performances so far.