S19.E19: Grand Finale

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

The 3-hour Season Finale.

Airs May 23rd.

[TheGreenKnight]

Worst winner of the Revival series by far. When Grace went third, I was hoping at least Willie might win so maybe out of this dud of a season the second Black guy of the series might be crowned if nothing else, but nope, WGWG for us. Hopefully they cut another one of the live shows next year for there to be a 5-person finale if that’s what it takes to deliver a good winner from this show.

[Diana Berry]

Grace was my favorite but she seemed out of sorts- nerves?  All by myself - the lower register was not her friend. 

I’ll give it to Willie he brought it tonight.  He would benefit more from winning.

Chase.  He’s ok.  He had number one single so guess the country fans like him.

[Annber03]

Well, that was an interesting finale...at least, what my mom and I could see of it-for some reason, our local affiliate kept going out every so often throughout the show. 

Not surprised that Chayce won, but I am a bit surprised that Grace wasn't among the final two. Given how popular she was, I thought she'd be one of the last remaining competitors. But I'm glad that Willie got to be among the final two, and his last song was a great way to go out. Congrats to him and Chayce for making it as far as they did, and congrats to Grace for making it to the final three. That's no easy feat. 

I'm pretty certain the finale itself didn't need to be three hours long, but I tend to think that about most of these kinds of finales in general. A rather strange assortment of musical guests (Lindsey Buckingham?), but eh, well, still made for an entertaining show. I also liked the judges trying to finish each other's songs-I laughed at Katy inserting random lyrics from the "Macarena" when trying to fill in the blanks on one of Luke's songs :p. 

Here's to next season, then! 20 years next year, so it'll be fun to see what they will do with that. 

[Quickbeam]

I couldn’t watch after I heard multiple people say “All By Myself by Celine Dion”. She covered it, she didn’t write it. Eric Carmen, is that so hard to say? 
 

No big surprise at the finish. 

[Blissfool]

I enjoyed the finale so much and I was so happy in the order of the eliminations. Yay, Chayse!

I love me a WGWG.

[LennieBriscoe]

Sorry, Willie; with this show, a change ain't gonna come. 

[JMarie99]

Once Caleb dropped out, I knew Chayce would win. Grace could sing her heart out, and it wouldn’t matter. Chayce was not only a WGWG (which I personally have no problem with), but he would get the country vote once Caleb was gone. I would have been upset if Willie had won, but I do understand Chayce winning. Hopefully he will have more success than Laine Hardy. 
Lindsey Buckingham was one of my crushes back in the day. Sad to hear him looking and sounding so old. A fitting end to a lackluster season. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I think Casey going out 4th actually sealed the deal for Chayce. If Grace had gone out fourth (I'm guessing that last week's order was Chayce, Willie, Grace, & Casey), I believe there would've been a chance that her fans would've rallied behind Willie and Chayce/Casey would've had at least a portion of vote splitting and that might, might've have tipped it in Willie's favor. When Casey went out...I think her fans probably went towards Chayce in bigger numbers than the other two, and you still probably had Willie/Grace splitting some votes that they had split all season long.

I only watched off and on, I thought Luke and Casey sounded pretty good together whereas Cassandra & LB absolutely did not sound good together at all. I wish Chayce would've done Eleanor Rigby (but Blackbird was pretty well done for a finale performance)

I wonder if maybe Luke Combs had originally been booked to perform with Caleb..and then had to be switched to Chayce in the last week. And maybe Chayce was originally supposed to sing with Sheryl Crow..

[LexieLily]

1 hour ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Sorry, Willie; with this show, a change ain't gonna come. 

The best version of that song on Idol ever, Luke? Willie was very, very good, but that distinction belongs to Adam Lambert.

[Blissfool]

Not that I wanted him there..just wondering..where in the world was Arthur Gunn?

[karenc3]

3 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

And maybe Chayce was originally supposed to sing with Sheryl Crow..

Arthur Gunn was supposed to sing with Sheryl Crow. The official Instagram even had a picture of them together earlier in the day.  They haven't said what happened. 

[waving feather]

I hope Arthur is OK. He didn't look that joyful to be performing on AI for the past few weeks. It is his choice to come back but I bet he wasn't prepared for the negative reactions for the returnee. It's putting the contestants in a difficult spot too.

I could guess Chayce is winning since the Coldplay songs episode. Congrats to him! At least he is doing well on the charts, so that is something.

Edited May 24, 2021 by waving feather

[KWalkerInc]

I was in the next room for a minute, but after Chayce's second performance when Luke offered to take him fishing, I think Ryan made a joke about how there would be beer involved?  That seemed a little odd given Chayce's story and the fact that his single is all about him getting sober.  I know the joke was referring to Luke, but it was a weird slip-up for Ryan.

I voted for Grace (though not surprised by results) but I recorded the show and watched it later.  I was glad that Chaka Khan sounded pretty good because some of her performances the past few years haven't been so good and have gotten a lot of criticism.

[JayDub1987]

6 hours ago, Blissfool said:

Not that I wanted him there..just wondering..where in the world was Arthur Gunn?

I kept wondering if he was gonna pop up after a commercial break. I was so pleased to be wrong every single time. 

2 hours ago, waving feather said:

I hope Arthur is OK. He didn't look that joyful to be performing on AI for the past few weeks. It is his choice to come back but I bet he wasn't prepared for the negative reactions for the returnee. It's putting the contestants in a difficult spot too.

I could guess Chayce is winning since the Coldplay songs episode. Congrats to him! At least he is doing well on the charts, so that is something.

I'm not sure if he was getting blasted for being the returnee or because his performances were so damn terrible. Either way, he was a wasted spot.

2 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

I was in the next room for a minute, but after Chayce's second performance when Luke offered to take him fishing, I think Ryan made a joke about how there would be beer involved?  That seemed a little odd given Chayce's story and the fact that his single is all about him getting sober.  I know the joke was referring to Luke, but it was a weird slip-up for Ryan.

I voted for Grace (though not surprised by results) but I recorded the show and watched it later.  I was glad that Chaka Khan sounded pretty good because some of her performances the past few years haven't been so good and have gotten a lot of criticism.

It was SUCH an awkward moment when Ryan made a crack about them drinking together. I think it was a totally offhanded joke about drinking beer and country music, but it was so bad. 

 

My thoughts on the finale:

The best overall artists won IMO. Grace could stand in one spot and hit every note on the register, but she's roughly as entertaining as growing grass. Willie would've been a good champion, but he's not really the total package (singer, songwriter, musician, etc...). Willie will still land a record deal and will probably have moderate success. I hope he loses some weight for his own health and for the fact that he will sound much better when he has better lung capacity.

I really liked Cassandra during the season, but that performance with Buckingham was abysmal. Holy hell, who paired them? She never did anything remotely rock-ish during the season and they put that together? Would've much rather heard her with Sheryl Crow than DeFranco. 

Luke and Casey did pretty good on Livin' On a Prayer. Not an easy song by any stretch of the imagination. As a Bon Jovi fan, I usually cringe when people try to cover it, but it was better than I expected. 

Luke Combs and Chayce-That sounded like two pros singing together at a country music awards show. Somebody, give me a Luke Combs headlining tour with Chayce Beckham opening. I'll buy tickets today and you can tell me where to be and when to be there.

Crow and Defranco-From what I've read, that was supposed to be Arthur Gunn. Thank God it wasn't. Jesus, he was a pain to watch for the few episodes he was back. These two weren't great together, but apparently it was very last minute. Who cares? I didn't have to deal with Gunn again. 

 

 

[thesupremediva1]

Well, I saw that outcome being inevitable. I enjoyed the finale. 

Grace was exceptional last night. It truly is near-impossible for women to win these shows anymore.

I love Willie, and I think he will be signed by a label.

Chayce is someone I could see having real success, and I'm happy for him. 

Overall I enjoyed this season. Ryan looked quite dapper last night. 

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, Blissfool said:

I love me a WGWG.

Same lol. The fact that the type of singers I actually want to listen to are always prominent on AI is why I still watch tbh. 

I'm really wondering about Arthur now that someone said he was supposed to sing with Sheryl Crow. I hope we find out more about that. I love Arthur but he just seemed so out of place this season and that was sad to watch.

I loved the finale. Lots of really great and fun performances.

[ForReal]

10 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Grace was my favorite but she seemed out of sorts- nerves?  All by myself - the lower register was not her friend. 

I’ll give it to Willie he brought it tonight.  He would benefit more from winning.

Chase.  He’s ok.  He had number one single so guess the country fans like him.

I thought she seemed kind of nervous, too. She sang well, but she didn't seem to be enjoying herself.

10 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I couldn’t watch after I heard multiple people say “All By Myself by Celine Dion”. She covered it, she didn’t write it. Eric Carmen, is that so hard to say? 

I personally didn't know she ever covered it, and I was wracking my brain to recall whose voice I was hearing in my head. I googled it and yep, Eric Carmen. That's the only version I know or care to know.

10 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Well, that was an interesting finale...I'm pretty certain the finale itself didn't need to be three hours long.

It was too long for me, for sure. We recorded and then watched, and even with FF it was long. I was a Grace fan all along, but I wanted Willie to win because I thought it would mean the most to his life. I think Chayce will be fine no matter what.

[SnarkAttack]

I hope the contestants know that American Idol is about who can sell the most albums (producers influenced) and a popularity contest (voter influenced).  It's not a singing contest; the best singers aren't necessarily left standing at the end.

[TheGreenKnight]

3 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Grace was exceptional last night. It truly is near-impossible for women to win these shows anymore.

I think I only had hope because the Revival has had a perfect streak so far with the right one winning every season. Well, I would've picked Jeremiah to win season 2, but if a woman and a Black guy can't make it on this show, you know a gay guy never will--and Laine was the next best, imo. It's funny when you've been watching this show for as long as I have that you hear the same comments about the women year after year. The name may change, but the double standards stay the same. Like Chayce ever moved around the stage on this show. Unlike him, Willie and Grace didn't have a prop to hide behind while they performed.

The beginning of the WGWG streak on FOX was that series' death knell. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end for the ABC version. If so, I'd rather it have ended here, but next season is the 20th season, and that's a better number to end on. If it is the end, hopefully they pull out all the stop to prevent another WGWG.

2 hours ago, ForReal said:

I thought she seemed kind of nervous, too. She sang well, but she didn't seem to be enjoying herself.

Probably from the judges picking Celine for her. I can't remember if the Whitney song was her choice, but she probably went for it since they the judges put her in the diva box anyway. I wonder if she would've had a better chance if Katy hadn't pushed her into singing nothing but big power ballads after her "Happy" performance.

2 hours ago, SnarkAttack said:

I hope the contestants know that American Idol is about who can sell the most albums (producers influenced) and a popularity contest (voter influenced).  It's not a singing contest; the best singers aren't necessarily left standing at the end.

That's why the contestant who would sell the best rarely wins, because the voters and the producers are never in sync. I'd be very surprised if Chayce does *anything*. Trent Harmon and especially Laine Hardy had better chances than he did, and neither went anywhere.

[Jillybean]

Another WGWG who will fade into post-Idol oblivion.

[escape]

WGWG bland and forgettable Chayce floated a sob story.  He also had the Cougar voters.  It's not a good look for Idol to keep having the same type of winners. 

But in the last several years, non-winners have made more of a name for themselves.  Alejandro, Gabby Barrett, Jax, Daniel Seavey, Catie Turner, Laci Booth, Dillon James were all signed to major labels without winning.

Edited May 24, 2021 by escape

[Koalagirl]

6 hours ago, karenc3 said:

Arthur Gunn was supposed to sing with Sheryl Crow. The official Instagram even had a picture of them together earlier in the day.  They haven't said what happened. 

I’ve been combing the internet but there’s no explanation.  All that was said is that Graham was pulled from the audience at the last minute and was asked to do it and that the judges had no idea either.

Did anyone find it a bit odd that last year’s winner didn’t make an appearance, not even by video?  They usually do on the finale.  

 

 

3 minutes ago, escape said:

WGWG bland and forgettable Chayce floated a sob story.  He also had the so-called heart robe status with the Cougar voters.  It's not a good look for Idol to keep having the same type of winners. 

But in the last several years, non-winners have made more of a name for themselves.  Alejandro, Gabby Barrett, Jax, Daniel Seavey, Catie Turner, Laci Booth, Dillon James were all signed to major labels without winning.

Josh Gad signed Murphy to do music for his projects on Apple TV.  

4 minutes ago, escape said:

WGWG bland and forgettable Chayce floated a sob story.  He also had the so-called heart robe status with the Cougar voters.  It's not a good look for Idol to keep having the same type of winners. 

But in the last several years, non-winners have made more of a name for themselves.  Alejandro, Gabby Barrett, Jax, Daniel Seavey, Catie Turner, Laci Booth, Dillon James were all signed to major labels without winning.

Josh Gad signed Murphy to do music for his projects on Apple TV.  

[Foghorn Leghorn]

As soon as I heard Grace start to sing a Whitney song I thought “you just lost!”  She seemed off in both songs tonight and she never shows emotion in anything she sings.  She is no Celine or Whitney and it is too bad they labelled her a diva.  The judges used to give constructive feedback and a lot of it was about song choice.   

I didn’t care which one of the three won tbh so wasn’t cheering anyone on.  

Chayce looked very confident tonight almost like he knew it was in the bag!  

Lindsey Buckingham singing with ? Forget her name....was horrible.  Her voice was barely audible most of the time although I did like her outfit for a change.  Was it just me or did she carry on singing when Lindsey and the band were wrapping it up?!  Was too lazy to rewind.  

 

[sempervivum]

Ryan kept saying 'it was very close', which I realize is just a way to get the audience to vote, but I suspect the close race was for second place -and it was between Willie and Grace. I don't think Chayce has been out of first place for weeks. I didn't vote for him, but his songs were the most interesting of the finalists; I surprised myself by really liking his 'Blackbird'.

Like Finneas, getting Luke Combs for the finale was a big deal. I think Chayce may be accepted in the country music world, if that's what he wants. He will also certainly be spared having to sing the national anthem at ball games😉

Edited May 24, 2021 by sempervivum

[waving feather]

As for women winning the show in the recent years, we did have Maddie Poppe, who was fantastic on the show. She is a white girl with a guitar and had a great run on the show. I still watch her performances back sometimes. She has a gorgeous voice, but not sure what she is up to now. To be fair, I don't really keep up.

I'm fine with WGWG winning if they are talented and compelling. I wasn't into Kris Allen (I know people loved him), Lee Dewyze, or Phillip Phillips though. I loved Trent Harmon, but he was barely a WGWG. He was more of a soul singer, which I loved, but then he went country after the show, which was weird.

For the finale, I liked Fall Out Boy's performance. Patrick Stump still has a big and beautiful voice. I didn't mind that I could barely hear the other guys. That song is a monster to sing, I rather they don't ruin it.

Loved Casey and Luke. It was surprisingly believable and well delivered.

Hunter and Katy sang beautifully. I wish the lighting wasn't so dark, though.

Glad they brought back Tom McGovern, the jingle master. That was delightful. I thought he should have made at least past the audition round.

[leighdear]

How bizarre is it that my first thought when the judges came out was "Damn, Luke looks GREAT in that pale pink satin blazer!"  *LOL*  He really did!

I'm great with Chayce winning.  My opinion has always been that Chayce is a concert headliner, where the others are just the opening acts. 

Simon Cowell proclaimed back in the day that the classic Whitney, Celine and Mariah songs would be judged the most harshly.  I think they should be, and have never cared for any of the covers done on this show.  This season is no different. 

 

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, JayDub1987 said:

.I really liked Cassandra during the season, but that performance with Buckingham was abysmal. Holy hell, who paired them? She never did anything remotely rock-ish during the season and they put that together? Would've much rather heard her with Sheryl Crow than DeFranco. 

Ooh, yeah, she and Sheryl would've been good together. 

I did think she sounded better than Lindsay, though. Mainly, I was just amused at how much she tried to look like Stevie Nicks with her outfit :p. 

[JayDub1987]

3 hours ago, escape said:

WGWG bland and forgettable Chayce floated a sob story.  He also had the Cougar voters.  It's not a good look for Idol to keep having the same type of winners. 

But in the last several years, non-winners have made more of a name for themselves.  Alejandro, Gabby Barrett, Jax, Daniel Seavey, Catie Turner, Laci Booth, Dillon James were all signed to major labels without winning.

So you think Idol should switch from a fan vote to letting the judges pick the winner? Genuinely asking how you would fix the perceived problem. 

2 hours ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

As soon as I heard Grace start to sing a Whitney song I thought “you just lost!”  She seemed off in both songs tonight and she never shows emotion in anything she sings.  She is no Celine or Whitney and it is too bad they labelled her a diva.  The judges used to give constructive feedback and a lot of it was about song choice.   

I didn’t care which one of the three won tbh so wasn’t cheering anyone on.  

Chayce looked very confident tonight almost like he knew it was in the bag!  

Lindsey Buckingham singing with ? Forget her name....was horrible.  Her voice was barely audible most of the time although I did like her outfit for a change.  Was it just me or did she carry on singing when Lindsey and the band were wrapping it up?!  Was too lazy to rewind.  

 

That was Cassandra. The duet was awful, and I really liked her during the season. There were multiple cases of both of them singing when they weren't supposed to. Lindsey kept singing at the beginning when they were alternating every couple lines in the opening verse. That entire performance was garbage.

58 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Ooh, yeah, she and Sheryl would've been good together. 

I did think she sounded better than Lindsay, though. Mainly, I was just amused at how much she tried to look like Stevie Nicks with her outfit :p. 

I'm not sure if she sounded better than Lindsey because I could barely hear her. From what I could hear, she seemed to be trying to put soft pop "flares" at the end of the words which doesn't work with that style of music at all. I did find it funny that they dressed her like Stevie Nicks but she looked like she was holding onto the hat as much as possible. I hated it because I was a big fan of hers during the season.

[waving feather]

I'm a big fan of Cassandra too but she seems really not ready for the big stage. In a more intimidate setting, she's such a gifted artist. She needs to get more experience in performing to gain the confidence. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, waving feather said:

Hunter and Katy sang beautifully. I wish the lighting wasn't so dark, though.

So good.

I loved the finale so much.  I wanted to comment but there is so much to comment.  Lindsey Buckingham, CHAKA KHAN, Sheryl Crow singing one of my allllllllll time favourite songs, FUCKING MURPHY!!!!!!!!

Now I feel like an idiot about always skipping the last few shows and I think i'm going to watch the last few finales if I can.

It was a great show.

By the end I really wanted Willie to win!  Chayce bores me to tears.  I actually like listening to Willie's performances.  

[howmanywords]

5 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Grace was exceptional last night. It truly is near-impossible for women to win these shows anymore.

A woman won last season..yep I nearly forgot about her too even though I voted for her.

I'm more than fine with Chayce winning. I can see him going on tour with a big name country act and doing very well. Since the first winner will be working under BMG (supposedly they actually want to develop who they sign) I think Chayce will be fine.

[After7Only]

4 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Did anyone find it a bit odd that last year’s winner didn’t make an appearance, not even by video?  They usually do on the finale.  

I was wondering the same.  Especially since she has never had a chance to perform on the Idol Stage.   That was one of the arguments in bringing back the returning contestants.   

[TheGreenKnight]

4 hours ago, howmanywords said:

A woman won last season..yep I nearly forgot about her too even though I voted for her.

Post-Jordin Sparks, only three women have won in 13 seasons (Candice, Maddie, Sam). And both Candice and Sam took a lot of work from production to get those female winners. Maddie was the real shocker, but she was against two country contestants who probably divided the vote in the finale.

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

By the end I really wanted Willie to win!  Chayce bores me to tears.  I actually like listening to Willie's performances.  

I like Chayce and I was not a Willie fan at first, but I actually found myself hoping Willie would win, too. I mean, I would never listen to his music outside the show but honestly I likely won't listen to Chayce's either lol. I would've been fine with anyone in the Top 12 (minus Caleb obviously) winning tbh.

6 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

I’ve been combing the internet but there’s no explanation.  All that was said is that Graham was pulled from the audience at the last minute and was asked to do it and that the judges had no idea either.

The plot thickens! I really hope we get some gossip about this soon lol.

I also find it odd Just Sam didn't perform at all this season. I thought for sure she would. Is there bad blood between her and TPTB? Or maybe she just didn't wanna travel to LA. She's in New York, right?

[Vermicious Knid]

She is no longer signed and has removed all reference to AI from her social media, I believe. Can we get at least one singing talent show without country, dammit? This WaPost story details how Chayce's turn to country was a calculated and ultimately winning strategy. I hope Grace gets a deal and blows them all out of the water.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Keepin' it real (lol), but of all the recent non-winners who've had success post-Idol...there's Gaby Barrett>>>>>>>>>>>>Everyone else (including the show's golden child, Alejandro). Some of the other's listed upthread as getting record "deals" have done ZERO so far and there's still every chance that they will never even get a single released to radio let alone an entire EP or album. I'm still holding out faint hope for Sonika Vaid (who actually did  receive a little publicity on Disney a couple years back and had a duet song of her's played on Radio Disney) but the clock starts ticking the morning after the finale. And it starts ticking fast.

I hope Willie can accept signing with a Christian label (gospel or CCM)...if it happens. My fear is the judges panel blew so much smoke up his ass for an entire season that he legitimately thinks he's going to be Sam Smith or some other huge mainstream star. He won't be.

Probably figure we've seen the last of Grace, although I guess she could maybe be the voice of an electro-dance single. That was how Bebe Rexha got her start, anyway...

Don't really have a feel for what Chayce will be able to do if he truly commits to country (and Nashville).

Edited May 25, 2021 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Diana Berry]

Do you think the judges didn’t let Murphy go throughout because they knew Arthur was coming back?

Gabby Barrett has really surprised me.  I really didn’t think she would go anywhere after the show .  Shame on me.  Good for her.  Lauren Alayna is another one.  

Any more scoop on Just Sam and Arthur not showing up?

[Packerbrewerbadger]

I thought tonight’s Voice finalists ( especially the 4 male finalists) blew AI out the water IMO.  I was mesmerized tonight after being bored last night. 

[Koalagirl]

46 minutes ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

I thought tonight’s Voice finalists ( especially the 4 male finalists) blew AI out the water IMO.  I was mesmerized tonight after being bored last night. 

Cam’s performance of Glory tonight blew Willie’s rendition completely out of the water.

[TheGreenKnight]

7 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

She is no longer signed and has removed all reference to AI from her social media, I believe. Can we get at least one singing talent show without country, dammit? This WaPost story details how Chayce's turn to country was a calculated and ultimately winning strategy. I hope Grace gets a deal and blows them all out of the water.

Yes, it was calculated. I never took him as country at all this season. He was more rock... But I guess a white guy wouldn't get rejected by the audience for lack of authenticity like a woman would for, well, anything.

Idol parted ways with Hollywood Records this season. The new label said nothing is guaranteed for the winner at all unlike how it's been for past seasons, aside from one single (not an album). Instead they'll choose among the top 10 for who they're interested in--if anyone. I'd expect Casey and Hunter have the best chances, perhaps an outside chance for Grace because she has a pop sound that could be molded in any direction really. From what I read elsewhere--not sure if this is true though--the new label doesn't have a country division, so they may not have much interest in Chayce even if he was actually marketable to modern country.

[TheGreenKnight]

4 hours ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

I thought tonight’s Voice finalists ( especially the 4 male finalists) blew AI out the water IMO.  I was mesmerized tonight after being bored last night. 

I imagine it won't be hard for them to get a better winner than Idol did this year.

[howmanywords]

Imo I think BMG has been interested in Chayce since 23 reached #1 on iTunes. "23" has been in the Mediabase system a good 4 days which is usually a good sign a song is getting sent to radio soon. Not sure if it's accurate but yahoo says he's going to Nashville and will release music under BMG.

[Diana Berry]

5 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Cam’s performance of Glory tonight blew Willie’s rendition completely out of the water.

I thought just the opposite.  Willie’s version made me feel more although Cam’s version was also very good.jmo.

[LennieBriscoe]

I watched haphazardly. So that was Murphy, huh?! And Jingles Guy! Man, the show has gall bringing back for the FINALE  singers the judges rejected. Brings up the question: Why were the singers rejected?

Grace should have sung Kelly Clarkson, I tells ya.

I'm not so sure the WGWG is a thing because of the "cougar" vote so much as the enormous "Country music" fandom. 

How to "fix," not that TPTB  want to? One viewer, one vote. 

 

[LennieBriscoe]

5 hours ago, TheGreenKnight said:

Yes, it was calculated. I never took him as country at all this season. He was more rock... But I guess a white guy wouldn't get rejected by the audience for lack of authenticity like a woman would for, well, anything.

Idol parted ways with Hollywood Records this season. The new label said nothing is guaranteed for the winner at all unlike how it's been for past seasons, aside from one single (not an album). Instead they'll choose among the top 10 for who they're interested in--if anyone. I'd expect Casey and Hunter have the best chances, perhaps an outside chance for Grace because she has a pop sound that could be molded in any direction really. From what I read elsewhere--not sure if this is true though--the new label doesn't have a country division, so they may not have much interest in Chayce even if he was actually marketable to modern country.

American journalists are pathetic. Virtually every result of a search for what the winner receives says "a contract with Hollywood Records." Not acceptable in the instantaneous digital age!

So BMG and hence "American Idol" now guarantee almost nothing. Some prize. Even the winning dog groomer team of "Pooch Perfect" received $100,000! 

[JayDub1987]

16 hours ago, waving feather said:

I'm a big fan of Cassandra too but she seems really not ready for the big stage. In a more intimidate setting, she's such a gifted artist. She needs to get more experience in performing to gain the confidence. 

She's really not ready for the big stage, and that's OK. Truthfully, doing a weekly gig at the coffee shop that she manages might be her ceiling, and if so, that's OK! Nobody was ever gonna pay to buy a Cassandra Coleman ticket. I liked her a lot, but I wouldn't have paid to go to a concert. I probably wouldn't have downloaded an album. She can't handle performing at that level, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. If it was easy, we'd all do it.

10 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Do you think the judges didn’t let Murphy go throughout because they knew Arthur was coming back?

Gabby Barrett has really surprised me.  I really didn’t think she would go anywhere after the show .  Shame on me.  Good for her.  Lauren Alayna is another one.  

Any more scoop on Just Sam and Arthur not showing up?

If the judges held off on Murphy because of that little twitchy Gunn guy, this show is even more poorly run than I thought. Cutting Murphy was (IMO) the biggest eff up of the whole season. Singer-songwriters are in right now, and his lyrics actually came from somewhere inside. We all lost out by not getting to see Murphy perform a few more times during the season.

Gabby is a shocker. I never thought she'd turn into what she has when she was on AI. My wife and I are frequent concert goers, and Barrett puts on a really solid show. Seen her live 2-3 times now, and it's consistently good.

[Koalagirl]

4 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I thought just the opposite.  Willie’s version made me feel more although Cam’s version was also very good.jmo.

I see what you’re saying.  Willie has an exceptional voice, I won’t take that away from him.  Cam just has a different style and that’s what resonated with me. 

[peachmangosteen]

3 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

I'm not so sure the WGWG is a thing because of the "cougar" vote so much as the enormous "Country music" fandom. 

I'm neither a cougar nor a country music fan and I almost consistently like the WGWG most on this show lol. I think WGWG resonate with a whole lot of different people and that's probably why they have such a good track record here.

[TheGreenKnight]

6 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

I'm not so sure the WGWG is a thing because of the "cougar" vote so much as the enormous "Country music" fandom.

The streak started as the viewership dwindled, leaving old, White, Southern viewers as the dominant viewerbase. Like prefers like. *shrug*

5 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

So BMG and hence "American Idol" now guarantee almost nothing. Some prize. Even the winning dog groomer team of "Pooch Perfect" received $100,000! 

I can't really blame BMG for that decision now, considering the first winner they got saddled with. And labels from the past like Interscope and Big Machine had the unfortunate luck to be involved with the worst seasons of the series (10-15). I forgot to add Ava as another one among the top 10 that I think probably has a chance of garnering interest from them.