S09.E02: ABBA Night

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Two new characters enter the competition; two are unmasked.

 

[MrsEVH]

Not happy that Debbie Gibson got cut.  It seems like Medusa might be the winner or close. to Same kind of singer as last season's winner. I'm seeing a pattern here for the last 2 or 3 seasons.  JMHO.

[blackwing]

Why couldn't they have rung the bell for the amazing Debbie Gibson, one of the original 80s pop princesses?  The judges had nothing but praise for Night Owl and Ken said "well we don't know who's coming up" as justification for not ringing it.  I've wanted Debbie Gibson to be on the show for years, she flies out with one day's notice to appear, and they cut her after just one night?  Is there a limit to how many times the bell can be rung?  I get that certain performers only want to be on the show for a certain number of episodes, but she was so good and seemed like she was having so much fun.

I wish she had sung either "Only in My Dreams" or her signature song "Lost in Your Eyes" for her exit song.

I think Medusa is Fergie.  Sounds like Fergie, body like Fergie, moves like Fergie.  She appeared on the Superbowl with the Black Eyed Peas.  The Buckingham Palace clue seems to me to be a reference to her similarly named counterpart, Sarah the Duchess of York.

[Taeolas]

I suspect Debbie only had time for one show, since she was apparently an emergency sub in the first place. So the judges were told not to bell her, even though she certainly warranted it. Funny there didn't seem to be much discussion about using the bell once they got back from the break and had to actually decide. 

[SweePea59]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

Is there a limit to how many times the bell can be rung?

There is a limit on how many times the bell can be rung. When they first showed it there was a convoluted explanation that I think meant each judge gets one ring for the season. I just figured they'd explain it again, so I didn't concern myself about what Nick said. Now, considering that Debbie Gibson was a last minute sub, the use of the bell probably had not been scripted for use on her performance.

[funnygirl]

Ugh, so basically Medusa

Spoiler

aka Willow Smith or "fergalicious" Fergie

is on the fast track to the finale. 

Probably the only way she'd compete on the show. 

Her voice does nothing for me. YMMV 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by funnygirl
added my second prediction for Medusa. either/or

[realdancemom]

36 minutes ago, funnygirl said:

Ugh, so basically Medusa

  Reveal spoiler

aka Willow Smith

is on the fast track to the finale. 

Probably the only way she'd compete on the show. 

Her voice does nothing for me. YMMV 

 

 

I didn't watch this episode yet.  However, last week, I thought that Sara Evans had the better sounding voice or tone that I prefer.  Medusa is the better performer. Debbie Gibson has a wonderful voice so I probably would have wanted her to win on this episode. After reading comments where she was a last minute sub, maybe she did only want to be on one show.

[roughing it]

Medusa sounded like shit.  She was out of breath and off key (and way too screechy).  I hope there are better performers coming up to dethrone her.  Because that was awful.

Edited February 23, 2023 by roughing it

[Rickster]

I would have kept Sara Evans or Debbie Gibson over Medusa. I agree that as a substitute planning to go on tour, Gibson probably did not want to do more than one show.

[milkyaqua]

Eh, I didn't think either were good with the Abba songs.  I think Debbie and Medusa at points struggled with the songs but I would have given the edge to Debbie Gibson.

[MrsEVH]

51 minutes ago, milkyaqua said:

Eh, I didn't think either were good with the Abba songs.  I think Debbie and Medusa at points struggled with the songs but I would have given the edge to Debbie Gibson.

I saw Debbie in concert last June 2022 and she can sing! 

[P2C2E]

I know she's got heels on, but Medusa seems way too tall for all their guesses.

[MMLEsq]

I love Debbie Gibson and it was clear from just about the first note she sang that it was her.  I think she tried to change up her voice a little on the 2nd song, but I didn't even need the clues before her first song to know it was her right away.  I'm pretty sure she screwed up the lyrics during the first song, but that can probably be chalked up to finding out the day before she was going to be on the show and not having much time to prepare.

I roll my eyes a bit when it's totally clear who someone is, but the panel make ridiculous guesses.  I get it's the way the show works, the way it has to work, I suppose, but it's annoying.  Belinda Carlisle -- really?  Belinda's voice is very distinctive and, to me, doesn't sound at all like Debbie's.

Also, fairly casual viewer here.  I don't know if it's ever been explained how the songs get chosen, but I thought "Dancing Queen" was a fantastic choice and "Fernando" was a terrible choice....it put Debbie at a disadvantage before she even sang a note.  Of all the ABBA songs, someone (the show? Debbie herself?) picked that one?

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by MMLEsq

[blackwing]

2 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

I love Debbie Gibson and it was clear from just about the first note she sang that it was her.  I think she tried to change up her voice a little on the 2nd song, but I didn't even need the clues before her first song to know it was her right away.  I'm pretty sure she screwed up the lyrics during the first song, but that can probably be chalked up to finding out the day before she was going to be on the show and not having much time to prepare.

I roll my eyes a bit when it's totally clear who someone is, but the panel make ridiculous guesses.  I get it's the way the show works, the way it has to work, I suppose, but it's annoying.  Belinda Carlisle -- really?  Belinda's voice is very distinctive and, to me, doesn't sound at all like Debbie's.

Also, fairly casual viewer her.  I don't know if it's ever been explained how the songs get chosen, but I thought "Dancing Queen" was a fantastic choice and "Fernando" was a terrible choice....it put Debbie at a disadvantage before she even sang a note.  Of all the ABBA songs, someone (the show? Debbie herself?) picked that one?

 

The producers seem to pick the songs.  There's an interview on EW where she makes it clear they chose it.  "And "Fernando" came up as the song for me to sing, literally, I was on a plane heading from New York to Vegas, where I live, the day before."

Seemed really unfair, Medusa gets a very well known, upbeat song that is a fan favourite.  Debbie gets a slower song.  Even though there was the battle royale, when it comes to voting (assuming there even is audience voting and it's not rigged), the audience will remember being more entertained by the more upbeat song.

Patti LaBelle also suggested that contestants get some input on song choice but other times it is forced on them.  She was given "9 to 5".  She was also given "Eye of the Tiger" in the battle, which was her undoing, because that song is obviously all wrong for her style.

[Taeolas]

The "Judges" pick the winner of the battle royale, so audience voting doesn't matter (if it ever matters) at that stage. usually the 3rd singer is bad enough that the choice is obvious, though sometimes there's some obvious rigging going on as well. 

I'm not surprised that the song choices are producer picked. I would hope that there might be some options offered at least, but I doubt the singers could be given free reign to pick what they want. 

And once again the Battle Royale is 2 singers covering the same song, so there isn't really a choice to offer them there. I do wonder if all 3 know what the Royale song will be at least so they can prepare a bit.

[Rickster]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

The producers seem to pick the songs.  There's an interview on EW where she makes it clear they chose it.  "And "Fernando" came up as the song for me to sing, literally, I was on a plane heading from New York to Vegas, where I live, the day before."

Seemed really unfair, Medusa gets a very well known, upbeat song that is a fan favourite.  Debbie gets a slower song.  Even though there was the battle royale, when it comes to voting (assuming there even is audience voting and it's not rigged), the audience will remember being more entertained by the more upbeat song.

 

Not only is it a slower song, but it seemed to be taken at an unusually slow tempo. But any discussion of Debbie’s performances has to be tempered by the fact she was a last minute replacement. If she had more time to rehearse, she might have come across differently.

[Taeolas]

If there is a choice involved, the song may have been picked by the original singer too, and the show didn't have time to clear a backup song, so Debbie was stuck with that song, both for the music and for the choreography. 

[camom]

If the four judges choose the winner of the battle royale, why is there never a tie?  I'm sure that they aren't really voting and the producers make the decision.

[blackwing]

On 2/24/2023 at 8:34 PM, camom said:

If the four judges choose the winner of the battle royale, why is there never a tie?  I'm sure that they aren't really voting and the producers make the decision.

I have thought for years that the entire show is rigged.  I’m convinced that the audience votes are fake.  During the Covid seasons they asked for people to attend virtual tapings.  When the show aired, they had little circles of fans at home supposedly voting, but it seemed extremely fake to me.  I think the entire show is pre-mapped out by the producers. 

[P2C2E]

There's a possibility that the finals aren't rigged. But who gets to the finals is absolutely rigged. Especially with the new format it's very obvious that people contact for one or two shows, or to get to the finals. I think they contract X number of people to make it X far and then the finale is up for grabs. It seems unlikely that people would commit to all of the show but agree to lose. But I can see agreeing to be put through to the finals and then may the "best" performance "win".

[Taeolas]

On 2/24/2023 at 10:34 PM, camom said:

If the four judges choose the winner of the battle royale, why is there never a tie?  I'm sure that they aren't really voting and the producers make the decision.

 

They advertise the Battle Royale choice as the one the judges will decide on. As for why there are no ties, we are to assume that the majority of the deliberations are hidden by the commercial break they do, so the decision is made off camera. (In reality, the producers/schedulers have probably got it all decided and tell who is supposed to win each night anyways so there is no real choice). As there are no prizes for this show beyond token trophies, it doesn't need to be as robust as true competition shows. 

[Rickster]

10 hours ago, Taeolas said:

 

They advertise the Battle Royale choice as the one the judges will decide on. As for why there are no ties, we are to assume that the majority of the deliberations are hidden by the commercial break they do, so the decision is made off camera. (In reality, the producers/schedulers have probably got it all decided and tell who is supposed to win each night anyways so there is no real choice). As there are no prizes for this show beyond token trophies, it doesn't need to be as robust as true competition shows. 

Just want to point out that despite the way it's edited to look like a live show, it's not a live show. They could be taking an hour to sort out the judging after a performance.

[SweePea59]

I feel like the only part where the judges have any freedom, besides ad libbing jokes and banter, is when they are making guesses. It does seem like most of their guesses are scripted, but it also seems that they are allowed to throw out genuine guesses. Just this season Robin made an enthusiastic guess and then when it was Nicole's turn she had a scripted guess of the same celeb and she looked pissed when she was rattling off her scripted reasons for her "guess". Also consider how far off their guesses sometimes are when the celeb is fairly obvious, and has probably contracted to be on three or more episodes.

[realdancemom]

On 2/23/2023 at 12:45 PM, roughing it said:

Medusa sounded like shit.  She was out of breath and off key (and way too screechy).  I hope there are better performers coming up to dethrone her.  Because that was awful.

Finally got a chance to watch this episode.  I'm glad that I wasn't the only one that noticed how off key Medusa sounded.  Debbie Gibson wasn't at her best. It was probably because she had to come in at the last minute and the song was not good. But I thought she was better. Eh, like others mentioned, I suspect it was rigged.

I hope better singers come up. So far, it's following last season's pattern but Medusa is no Amber Riley.