S09E14: Finale

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

The final two celebrity contestants each perform two all-new songs; both are revealed -- but only one takes home the trophy and is crowned the Season 9 winner.

 

[blackwing]

So predictable.  Second season in a row where the winner from the first episode goes on to win the season.  
 

I hated the Medusa.  Macaw’s tone was so much more pleasing.  He got robbed, again.

[Stats Queen]

These rigged shows are an insult to the viewers.

[Gemma Violet]

I've never heard of Bishop Briggs.  I feel so old.  Is she a known singer?

[HyeChaps]

Hey, crowd--It's Meh-dusa, not Mah-dusa!

[CountryGirl]

I’ve never heard of the winner who cannot sing unless shouting is considered singing. But I knew the fix was in weeks ago. Worst winner ever. 

David was robbed. 

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, Gemma Violet said:

I've never heard of Bishop Briggs.  I feel so old.  Is she a known singer?

 

15 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

I’ve never heard of the winner who cannot sing unless shouting is considered singing. But I knew the fix was in weeks ago. Worst winner ever  

David was robbed. 

I agree, I’ve never heard of her either.  And supposedly she had a multi platinum hit song called “River”?   I’ve never heard this song on the radio at all.

Worst winner ever.  She can’t sing at all. Is she connected with some Fox property, that’s why the show was rigged for her to win?

[pnina]

Well, I'm officially over the Masked Singer.  This was nothing short of rigged.   Who is Briggs Bishop?  She certainly isn't a singer by any means.    Glad I didn't waste a whole hour watching this drivel.  

[Ananayel]

I don't know who Bishop Briggs is. But I did like that she was gracious and acknowledged David's ability. I remember him from Idol, and I felt so bad for him because he had an absolutely horrible stage dad. I thought for sure his vocal superiority, coupled with his timely and relevant life story, would put him over the top. On the plus side for him, I liked him so much that I will seek out his music now. 

TMS is going to run into the same problem Idol did - if all your winners are a certain type, you'll have a hard time getting contestants who aren't that type. I know the contestant pool is vastly different, and we will have more one-and-dones with something to promote, but they will have a hard time getting serious male competitors if next season goes to a woman as well. 

Still my fave show, and I would just like to say, I hope one day I have someone to love me like Ken loves his wife. This isn't a new thing - I remember years ago on probably the MTV movie awards or something like that, much closer to his wife's cancer diagnosis, where he was also moved to tears talking about her. 

 

[Taeolas]

Well, I was wrong. I was sure after 3 women winners AND a male LGBTQ+ contestant, that the Macaw would win. And I still think he should have won. But oh well. 

I was surprised by Ken; he seemed very subdued this time compared to normal. His comments about David seemed very truthful and heartfelt. I get the feeling that he figured out who Macaw was early (in the ep) and that affected him deeper than he may have expected, (or the editing cut out some of his wilder antics after the fact). We only seemed to get the 'usual' Ken with him going back to guessing Susan for Medusa. (WTF sort of guess is that?)

Oh well, this one is done. Guess we'll have to wait and see how the next season goes. Hopefully a male singer can finally make it through. 

[blackwing]

I feel like the show is broken.  After nine seasons, it's getting stale.  The perception that the show is rigged has only increased over the years.  This is the first season where it seemed blatantly obvious.  The fact that Debbie Gibson was a replacement for someone who dropped out, and the script said that person had to be eliminated in her first appearance, says it all.  Because there's absolutely no way I can ever believe that the incredible Debbie Gibson, an original 80s pop princess, would lose to the awfulness that was the Medusa.

Of course Medusa was going to win, by putting her in the first week, the show made sure that she was going to be shoved down our throats for three weeks.  Then they had her lose to Pentatonix so they could bring her back in the second chance round.  I also found it suspicious that there were only two finalists this season (most seasons have a 3 person finale, although Season 8 did not).  That gave the show yet another week with Medusa.  I could not stand her screaming and shouting and frenetic hopping and jumping around.

I know we have a small sample here, but it seems nobody knows her.  And yet Nick Cannon calls her "multiplatinum", "award winning" and "iconic".  Who?

I no longer watch the show live, mostly because I find myself increasingly unable to tolerate the filler, Nick Cannon, and Ken Jeong.  I mostly fast forward through them.  Ken Jeong's schtick is beyond stale, and this season, it seems to me he amped up the ridiculousness of his guesses.  Jenny McCarthy is useless too, but at least she is attuned to pop culture.

Things the show did right this year:  Better mix of cast, most of whom could actually sing.  The worst were Howie Mandel and George Wendt, but we didn't get any truly terrible people like Mama June and Honey Boo Boo.  I liked that we got a number of people who aren't primarily known for singing, like Olivia Culpo, Keenan Allen, Alicia Witt.

Things the show did wrong this year:  Medusa.  The stupid Save bell.  Ken Jeong.  Nick Cannon's lack of shirts.  

[blackwing]

I just noticed that Joel McHale didn't show up at all this season.  I remember thinking that as it was airing and that possibly he was a contestant.  But it's almost certainly because he was too busy filming "Animal Control".

I'm still advocating for Joel as a permanent replacement for Ken.  He's funnier than Ken and his guesses are sometimes observant.  And I wouldn't mind Niecy Nash as a permanent replacement for Nick.  I know she's on "The Rookie: Feds" which is in limbo right now, but even if it gets renewed, she could probably squeeze filming in somewhere.

[milkyaqua]

My mom asked me who Bishop Briggs was and I told her I didn't know...  That means nothing of course but I was hoping Macaw would win.  Oh, well.  I don't know why Medusa had to win but something definitely seems off.

It was nice to see while Nick was shirtless we didn't see all of his chest like when he usually pulls that.  Robin needed to button up a button.  And no Jenny, that was not NPH.

Edited May 18, 2023 by milkyaqua

[Taeolas]

Yeah, I was sure Macaw wasn't NPH from the get go. Aside from not sounding like him (I'm pretty sure they don't sound similar), I don't think their stories really lined up. Admittedly I haven't looked into NPH's history much (aside from being a fan/watcher of Doogie Howser back in the day), but I don't think his Coming Out story was as rough as Macaw's story was. At least NPH is a closer guess than Susan was for Medusa. 

[pezgirl7]

Although I agree that David should have won, I really didn't care, because it's just a silly singing competition show. But for such a silly show, it sure made me shed a few tears! David is so brave to share his story. I would consider Bishop Briggs to be a one-hit wonder, but I'm surprised so many of you hadn't heard River. I feel like it was all over the place about 5 years ago. And Jewel sang it on the show, so you would have at least heard it there. The song on the album definitely sounds better than it does when she sings it live. I think she tries to put too much emotion in the song, which makes her get shouty. When she was singing at the end of the show, I thought Jenny was "singing" along, which didn't sound good, but then I realized it was Bishop. She kept going in between a singing voice and shouty voice, and it just sounded bad. I wonder if she sounds like that on tour.

[milkyaqua]

1 hour ago, pezgirl7 said:

She kept going in between a singing voice and shouty voice, and it just sounded bad. I wonder if she sounds like that on tour.

That was the issue with her this whole season.  One moment she'd sound fine and then she'd go off the rails.  She was rarely, if ever, consistent in her tone and that was annoying.  It also seemed like she staid in the same lane song-wise and rarely got out of her comfort zone.  I get it's just a silly show but it just seems like TPTB gave up and decided that Medusa would be the anointed one regardless of who she went up against.

[desertflower]

I remembered the song River but didn’t know who sang it. When she sang normal to high it sounded like it could’ve been Fergie but the low notes and shouty parts didn’t. Oh well. It was nice seeing Dick Van Dyke this season! 

[GenerationX]

I had no idea who Bishop Briggs was/is, and I wasn't impressed with her singing at all.  I had never heard of her big hit River, either.  Both David Archuleta and Pentatonix are worlds better.

I have thought the show was rigged by the producers from season one.  As David Letterman used to say before Stupid Pet Tricks, "This is just an exhibition, not a competition.  Please, no wagering."  The heavy hand of the producers was even more evident this season than most.

I enjoy the show, and this season was entertaining.  Lou Diamond Phillips going out with La Bamba, for example, was a highlight.  I prefer the seasons where I've actually heard of the winners, though.  It makes for a more satisfying ending when someone like Jewel wins.

[peachmangosteen]

Medusa was my fave so I was happy to see her win. I mean, in general, I don't care who wins because the show has always been clearly scripted. I only watch the performances and don't even bother with the clues anymore let alone the awful judges. That's the way I watch Idol as well. It makes both shows much easier and more enjoyable to watch.

[Rickster]

What I’m puzzled by, is if the show is scripted (which I think it is to a considerable extent if not completely), why did the producers pick her to be the winner. I would have expected someone trying to revive their career, or some FOX tie-in, for example. Of course she might be well known in some audience segment but I had never heard of her.

[realdancemom]

I usually don't know a lot of celebrities even when they're revealed. However, I did know Bishop Briggs but only because both River and Champion are used in group fitness songs. Those are the only two songs that I know from her. It's enough that I'm used to how she sings.

For this episode, I actually thought that either one could have won. I would have even given Bishop the edge. Mostly, because I understand why David sang All By Myself but it's such an old song. He's young and could have chosen a more current song. 

That doesn't mean that I thought Bishop should have advanced in all her episodes. I thought she lost the battle last week. She was really off key in the episode with Debbie Gibbons. When it comes to tone, I like Sara Evans, Debbie, or David's voices more. Bishop is mostly a good and emotional performer.

The reveals and parting words for this season have been some of the best including this episode. I love Dick Van Dyke and Lou Diamond Philip's reveals because they were just happy and having fun. The finale was emotional. David made me cry and so did Ken. I think he mostly does dumb guesses like Susan Boyle when he doesn't know who the person is. David had such an impact on his family's life that he had to be serious. I'm glad that David feels free to be himself now and I hope he helped others with similar thoughts. Both Bishop and David were complimentary to each other. Overall, I enjoyed the finale.

[desertflower]

I suspect the show is partially scripted but perhaps not all the way. So some of the guests (Dick Van Dyke for example) are scheduled to just appear once. But it’s possible the ones who can commit to staying the whole time actually do compete based on votes. Some of them might make deals that they will appear a certain amount of episodes but not the whole thing. That seemed to be the case with Pentatonix, I feel like they came on for more exposure and to debut their Creep performance. 

[realdancemom]

1 hour ago, desertflower said:

I suspect the show is partially scripted but perhaps not all the way. So some of the guests (Dick Van Dyke for example) are scheduled to just appear once. But it’s possible the ones who can commit to staying the whole time actually do compete based on votes. Some of them might make deals that they will appear a certain amount of episodes but not the whole thing. That seemed to be the case with Pentatonix, I feel like they came on for more exposure and to debut their Creep performance. 

Yes, I think Pentatonic won the battle last week but I agree that they were probably scheduled to leave that week. Plus, they got a chance to do their whole Creep performance so the show was scheduled to give them time to do that.

Debbie Gibbons might have agreed to only do one show. I kind of suspected that Tori Kelly from Season 4 was going to go home right before the special Christmas episode. I seem to remember she debuted a song in that episode and it's better to advertise when your identity is revealed. Her album was coming out that week.

[blackwing]

It was speculated in that week's thread that the person Debbie Gibson replaced was only contracted/scripted to do one episode.  Which is why Debbie went home.  If that's true, then 1) what a crock since I thought she was eons better than Medusa, and 2) what a waste of Debbie Gibson, who clearly seems like she is a fan of the show, seems like she had a ton of fun, and should have been saved for Season 10 where she could be scripted to have a longer run.

I think the big emotional story would have been if David had won.  Especially after they kept repeatedly talking about his LGBTQ journey and how things were dark for him and how he wanted to feel like a winner.  Instead, they build all that up only to tell him "sorry, once again, you are the runner up".  Why repeatedly tell us he was second if he is just going to be second again?

However, I guess just wanting it is not enough?  One of the major reasons why I didn't want Peacock (Donny Osmond) and Flamingo (Adrienne Bailon) to win in their seasons was purely because of how they kept telling us that they were so unashamedly desperate to win.

[Katmai]

I knew who Bishop Briggs is, but can't stand her singing. Her "River" guaranteed me to always change my XM station to anything but! Yes, she can belt out BIG sounds but that's not always good. I've never watched AI or The Voice, whichever one David Archuleta was on, so I'd never heard his story, nor him sing, but I was aware of him. I thought he should've won, and his finale comments were so kind and supportive of Bishop, as hers were for him, too. That was a nice touch.

I do agree this show is stale and formulaic. I also don't waste time watching it live so I can fast-forward through Nick, Jenny, Ken and all the other bs. I would prefer Ken & Jenny get booted from the show. I'm not a fan of Joel McHale, even though I loved his snark on The Soup back in the day, so I don't know who I'd like to see in their seats. Nick can get fired anytime, he's overexposed on tv, and well, we all know what he does when he's not on our tv's...