S15.E14: Showcase #4: Judges Vote

[Tara Ariano]

The judges vote on the second showcase and the Top 14 are revealed. Included: fan-favorite Idols return to mentor and perform.

[Kromm]

NOT looking forward to some of these returnees vs. the last bunch. Constantstink?  Pickle? Cookie?  Jordin Sparks (where's her career at?)  Ugh.

 

Daughtry might be the only one I look forward to seeing. 

[rose711]

Wow this is a million times better than last night or last week.

[riverheightsnancy]

Kellie Pickler was so great with the people she worked with and very gracious. I really liked and enjoyed seeing her. 

[MollyZee]

Constantstink looks like he hasn't showered since we last saw him in 2005. Pickles was shockingly enjoyable and has grown a lot as a performer and a human being.

And I still say Haley Reinhart wuz robbed.

Edited February 19, 2016 by MollyZee

[rollerblade]

Why is Jenn trying so hard to out-slime Constantine? So gross.

[27bored]

Pickler and redhead chick: I remember Simon hated this song when she did on her season. It's still a cornpone ass song, but it was fun then, and it's fun now. I'll admit I've always liked Kellie and I've always found her to be the more authentic than Carrie. Kellie seems like she'll always get by on being likable and plucky, not unlike Dolly Parton. And I think she's done acting like Dippin Dots, so that's a plus. Remember the whole "what's a ballsy?" controversy from her season? And...it's funny her and Daughtry are back together. I remember those rumors too.

 

Haley and Cory: It was alright. I don't know that Bennie and the Jets was great on her season, but I love Haley and when you see Lauren and Scotty looking like the principles in a countryfied version of Grease, Haley looks great. So yeah.

 

Lee and DAUGHTRY: Aww, Lee seems like a nice kid, but no. I like Chris because 1) he's basically the same weight he was ten years ago, and 2) still flat and boring as all hell. "Home" is an alright song (it's kinda played out), but Lee sounded alright. He sounded like...a little kid.

 

Cook and what's his name: It was nice seeing David Cook again, but...whatever. David was up against a small Mormon kid. And Harry's observation that he plays a lot of gigs, but it was a little...loosey-goosey. AI rewards tight, dynamic performances.

 

Jordin and Stefauxno Langone: Their voices didn't meld well, but Jordin is fine as hell. You may not have any air, but I've got something you may, you know, like instead, Jordin. Love and stuff. Jordin's big ass looks like Mrs. Robinson next to lil toot toot. It's funny when Ryan is casually taller than other dudes.

 

Constantine and Jenn: Remember Constantine? Remember his scary bandmate Hamboussi with the track marks? I'm so fucking tired of "My Funny Valentine" but I like Jenn's voice. Constantine sounds like the musical theater geek that he is. Out of all of the returnees, he probably finished earliest and sounds...like it. But Jenn's got a nice little quirky voice. Maybe a slightly tighter vocalist than Joey from last season. Aww, and it was sweet that her dad kissed her mom.

 

Tristan and Kellie: I don't know how I feel about girls named Tristan, but this chick has a decent voice. She sounds...like someone. This song is kinda ass, though. Even Pickler's twang got a little garbled and twisted in the song. Tristan's too good for that song.

 

Olivia and Cook: Did homegirl just go Mariah on America's ass? Whoa. I like "Light On", too, though. She's a little stiff, but she has a great voice.

 

Haley and what's-his-blow: Once again, just let Haley sing. She is cute, and I feel like she'll cut a bitch if you take her to that place. Love Haley. She plays the role of a heartbreaker very well. Dude has an okay voice, too. He looked a little uncomfortable.

 

Dalton and Chris: In the pre-song package, Dalton's kinda annoying. And he's wearing guyliner? Ugh. He looks like a runaway mutant on X-Men. Like Pyro or some shit. This was...whatever. I remember when Daughtry did this song on his season. He got the pimp spot and the judges praised him for being so original. They didn't realize that he was doing RHCP's version. And Lee needs to stop acting like Chris' mentee from the Big Brother Big Sister program. Did Sprinkles start Miley Cyrusing? No, Ryan, no. It's like watching your dad do things.

 

Jordin and Trent: Eh. It was alright. Their voices did well together. Trent might need to stop being so affected. I feel like at some point he's going to do "Bridge Over Troubled Water", if he hasn't already.

 

Constantine and Shelby: Low budget Rebel Wilson. She sounded alright, but this was a bad song choice. Pickler also did this song. It's one of those songs that is a better record than hearing a bunch of sucks vamp their way through it. And why is her face like that? She looks like if Rosie Worthington said fuck it and let herself go. Constantine needs to cut his hair. The judges were right, but they're dinging her on a BS song choice.

 

I'm cool with most of the people who got through, but they should've left Lee up on stage. Or even back at his hometown.

[mojoween]

Jason Castro was hands down my favorite season 7 contestant, no contest but I do admit that I liked David Cook's post-Idol stuff. And he should really be the only person to sing "Light On." Olivia's voice hurts me. But they obviously love her so she's not going anywhere soon. Damn it.

Pickles and Constantine, whatever, hated them then, hate them now. Constantine and Jenn was a perfect vortex of suck that I didn't think I could ever escape from and then he came out with Shelbie and I wondered what I had done wrong to deserve this treatment.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was such a huge moment for me on this show! I got all the way to sixth place woo!

I never liked Haley either and "Bennie and the Jets" was just awful. I can't even talk about "Can't Help Falling in Love." And if I remember correctly, Jennifer, you were NOT a fan of Haley and kept trying to get rid of her. Stop trying to rewrite history.

I used to love Daughtry, have his first three CD's and saw him in concert but because of a heinous hosebeast of a former friend I can no longer stand the guy. But "Home" still makes me nostalgic and he really overwhelmed Lee on that song.

I felt like the formers really didn't play well with this year's contestants more than last week other than Jordin and Manny, but that is because they picked a duet anyways. I am also fond of Jordin because Philippi Sparks was good in the secondary for the NY Giants.

I liked Trent better tonight than last night, up to the end, but Clay Aiken's "To Love Somebody" is ALWAYS going to be one of my favorite Idol performances ever.

[AshleyLyn]

I never watched the early seasons so don't know much about a couple of the alumni but I found Kellie Pickled to be sweet and I like how Constantine sang and I felt bad for him being paired with Jenn Blosil.

Adam and Hailey's was very sweet but he looked kind of uncomfortable/stiff.

The other duets pale when we got to Dalton and Chris. I loved it. Once again another soundbite (Vomit in my brain but in a good way????? What the heck Dalton???) But his duet with Chris was very much a performance and it was infectious and fun to watch and enjoy. Once again he stole the show.

Yes. Trent makes funny faces when he sings but a lot of people do. I enjoyed his duet with Jordin. Very well done but wished it hadn't come right after Dalton.

Lee Jean was a mismatch with Chris just like Jenn was with Constantine.

And then...crap. Shelbie. No. No. No. I enjoyed Constantine's part a lot better than hers.

In all some of the duets were better than last nights performances.

First person through: Lee. *sigh* Then it's Olivia and I'm meh. Then its Jenn and crap. I'll be fast forwarding through her performances.

Woohoo! Dalton's in! Thank you!

Meh on Manny. Figures on Tristan. Nooooo surprise there. Whatever.

And Trent through! Good. My two favorites are through.

Bye bye Shelbie. Thank you. Kind of wished they took Amelia she didn't annoy me.

So at least my guys are in. Hope Dalton and Trent continue to do well.

[rose711]

I don't think they put through the people who had the best performances tonight. I thought Kelly and Jordan were good mentors. And they were all better than the train wreck of last week. Seems like production stepped up their game too.

[peach]

Okay, I watched it tonight, because I was sort of morbidly curious about the alums, and I wanted to give crowd favorite Dalton a second chance.  He was pretty good, but I did LOL that we went from Billy Idol to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and "Sir Psycho Sexual" Anthony Kiedis.  When I started dating my husband, we listened to Mother's Milk all.the.time.  But since Dalton made it fun and energetic, and not sad and tortured, I will give him a thumbs up.  (Flea was the best part of that song, anyway.  ha)  Also because everyone else was pretty boring.  Olivia's not bad.  I could see a final between those two.

[Mr. R0b0t]

Thought it was pretty universally understood that Haley has some of the more iconic performances and specifically Bennie and the Jets often cited in the top 10.  She was robbed in her season and kudos to whoever pointed out that JLo was trying to revise history.  JLo was so witchy towards her during her season.  

[rollerblade]

Thought it was pretty universally understood that Haley has some of the more iconic performances and specifically Bennie and the Jets often cited in the top 10.  She was robbed in her season and kudos to whoever pointed out that JLo was trying to revise history.  JLo was so witchy towards her during her season.  

 

Nobody was beating Scotty in S10, just like nobody was beating Phillip in S11. Haley should have been 2nd over Alaina though, but I didn't care for her marble mouth that was so prominent during her competition. She's pretty good on the Elvis song, and I notice there wasn't as much marble mouth action going on tonight.

 

JLo is lucky most of the Idol performances on youtube do not include judges comments haha.

[Kromm]

Pickler and redhead chick: I remember Simon hated this song when she did on her season. It's still a cornpone ass song, but it was fun then, and it's fun now. I'll admit I've always liked Kellie and I've always found her to be the more authentic than Carrie. Kellie seems like she'll always get by on being likable and plucky, not unlike Dolly Parton. 

Have you seen Dolly perform? She's likable and plucky, sure, but she's not coasting on that. Her style of music may not be everyone's cup of tea, but she's a serious musical badass IN her style.

 

Or sometimes even outside of it. Other than of course, Led Zeppelin and Heart/The Wilson Sisters, she's the only performer I've ever seen kick the ass of Stairway to Heaven.

 

[queenanne]

Were Dalton and Chris the only people tonight who weren't off key?  David C. was closest out of the remaining batch but that's not saying much.  Kellie and Amelia seemed to be singing in a different key than the band.  Or maybe it's my ears...?

[ShutUpFlanders]

The only ones who deserved to advance were Olivia, Dalton, Trent, and sort of Kory.

 

Having said that, I can't believe they actually made all their cuts based on prior screen time basically. This is why I don't watch The Voice. It's so obvious and cynical to the viewers. Let America vote FFS.

 

After tonight's "results", I'm kind of glad the show's ending this year.

Edited February 19, 2016 by ShutUpFlanders

[rollerblade]

I don't think they put through the people who had the best performances tonight.

 

My tin foil hat says the actual performances didn't matter because they people they wanted in Lives are predetermined.

[TheGreenKnight]

Yes, JLO was being shady as hell with regards to Haley. "We thought she was going to win." Yeah, I can believe it, since you and Randy basically threw a house on top of her to make sure she was eliminated after she outsang Scotty and Lauren Alaina--not that that was hard to do. She probably hated her being there tonight.

 

Jordin looked gorgeous, sounded great, and nearly all of the duets were pretty nice, surprisingly. The contestants were so awful yesterday that I thought for sure the returning contestants would annihilate them. Haley sounded fantastic, too. Loved seeing Kellie Pickler, too. David looked taken aback when that one girl gave him a bracelet.

[Sparkling Beth]

Last year Adam Lambert gave an abbreviated performance of Bohemian Rhapsody for Harry and Jennifer when he was filling in for Keith as a judge.  That small snippet was a thousand times more impressive than the loud, disjointed, cacophonous, over-the-top-and-down-the-other-side mess that Constantine and Shelbie foisted off on us tonight.  Ugh.  Ugh.  Ugh.

 

I like Trent's voice but I can't get it out of my head that I'm looking at Gary Busey's son.  I also can't stop thinking that Jenn is related to Drew Barrymore.  And Kory looks like Ralphie from A Christmas Story all growed up.  I'm still trying to figure out who Olivia reminds me of--I almost get it, it's on the tip of my brain, but I can't seem to bring it forth. 

[areca]

I thought Constantine and Cook were the best duet partners.  They were both clearly used to singing with others probably due to the theater backgrounds.  Loved Cook/Cory and Constantine/Jenn.

 

Loved Jordin and Haley, not as duet partners, but as themselves.

 

That Olivia Rox chick?  Has a much better voice than I thought she did.

 

All in all, this show was a hundred times better than last week's.

[peach]

I'm still trying to figure out who Olivia reminds me of--I almost get it, it's on the tip of my brain, but I can't seem to bring it forth.

 

Elle Fanning?

[Blissfool]

Elle Fanning?

Omigosh! I was about to post this!

Edited February 19, 2016 by Little Spoon

[Oholibamah]

Amelia wuz robbed. That is all.

This season is off to a zzzzzzzzz start.

[Rick Kitchen]

I'm glad Harry dressed for the show.

 

Never liked Kellie Pickler.  Ever. But I like Amelia.

 

There's a Kory? That was good, though.

 

Lee Jean is very good, but he's also very immature.  I hope pressure doesn't do him in.

 

What did CJ do in the middle of his performance, like he looked back at the musicians and stepped away from the mike?  He also looked like he missed a couple of lines. So Jen didn't like CJ's performance because it was a different kind of song than the previous ones?  You can't judge a performance on its own?  Not very smart, are you?

 

Manny talking about "crusin' in my whip with my boys".  Go away.

 

Ugh.  Constantine.  Just, ugh.  And that performance was not only wtf?  But just horrible.  Both of them. And Keith stands up?  What the hell was he listening to?

 

David Cook has a platinum selling hit?

 

Yes, Haley's hit song.  That's a great recording. And she looked great in that red dress.

 

Dalton and Daughtry killed it.

 

Ugh, all of the calling for Ryan to sing was annoying.

 

Trent threw his vibrato early, even though Jordyn told him to wait.  But still, he sounded soooo good.  My favorite of the night. Though I could have done without the squatting and the hunched shoulders. Jordyn looks so good.

 

Constantine stomped all over Bohemian Rhapsody and Shelbie Z.  And yes, Shelbie got lost in it.

 

Ugh, they put Jen through?  ugh ugh ugh.

 

Daughtry was sure happy that Dalton was put through.  LOL

 

I'm disappointed Amelia wasn't put through.  She's a million times better than Jen.

[bluepiano]

Yes, JLO was being shady as hell with regards to Haley. "We thought she was going to win." Yeah, I can believe it, since you and Randy basically threw a house on top of her to make sure she was eliminated after she outsang Scotty and Lauren Alaina--not that that was hard to do. She probably hated her being there tonight.

 

Haley was my second favorite AI contestant ever (after Adam Lambert) but I didn't need to hear "Bennie and the Jets" again. They should let some of the classic Idol performances rest in peace, instead of resurrecting the same songs over and over. Especially "Bohemian Rhapsody," because Adam was the only one on this show who ever did it justice. I hated Constantine's mugging to the audience in the middle of the song. "Hey look at me folks, ain't I great." I started watching after his season. Was he always that much of a tool?

 

Did we need to hear "Can't Help Falling In Love With You," for the second time this season? If you only knew music from watching Idol you'd think there were about 30 songs ever written.

 

As for the judging, again, zero surprises. All the chosen ones sailed through. The three "old white dudes" were always fodder. Manny may have been cynically picked for a bit of diversity, but he's definitely on his last legs now. As for Jenn. I guess you can go pretty far in this "singing competition" while rarely singing in key. But I guess they decided her quirkiness added a little more entertainment value than Shelbie Z's squatting. Or maybe every season needs its token indie girl. (From the little we saw, wish that had been Kayla Mickelson),

Edited February 19, 2016 by bluepiano

[peach]

Did we need to hear "Can't Help Falling In Love With You," for the second time this season? If you only knew music from watching Idol you'd think there were about 30 songs ever written.

 

Boy is that the truth.  That's one of the reasons I began losing interest/ watching sporadically.  Last week, I just rolled my eyes when they trotted out Man In The Mirror for the hundredth time.  How long before LaPorsha sings Midnight Train To Georgia?  Or did that already happen once or twice?

[bluepiano]

Followed by "Feelin' Good" and "I Feel the Earth Move."

Edited February 19, 2016 by bluepiano

[Kromm]

Ugh.  Constantine.  Just, ugh.  And that performance was not only wtf?  But just horrible.  Both of them. And Keith stands up?  What the hell was he listening to?

So we can safely say that Constantstink Constantstank?

 

It's what he does!

 

David Cook has a platinum selling hit?

Can't say I believe it either!

 

Ugh, they put Jen through?  ugh ugh ugh.

Somewhere some virgins got sacrificed to some Dark God (and that's probably the sound we heard coming out of her mouth on Wednesday during her performance).

[UsernameFatigue]

I don't remember the red headed girl's name but how embarassing when she was about to leave the stage after talking to Ryan and she held out her hand to fist bump his - he totally ignored her. Ouch.

 

I really wish Jordin Sparks hadn't felt the need to wear ski high heels and dwarf both of the guys she sang with. It really took me out of their performances when they were singing to her chest.

 

I like Tristin but I felt her song with Kellie was basically just a screaming match. Glad she made it through though.

 

I loved Chris Daughtry running around backstage after both Lee and Dalton were saved. Very cute. I wonder what David Cook thought of Jennifer saying Chris was the best male to come out of AI. It is true of course but I am surprised she said it with an actual winner there tonight.

 

I am glad Trent was saved but he really did not look well - very pale and sweaty. Having had mono in my early 30s I can't imagine going through the rigors of AI at the same time. I was exhaused all the time for a good 4-6 weeks.

 

I am so surprised that Jenn went through after her horrid performance last night. I guess they had to fill that quirky spot.

 

And Olivia still looks like last year's JAX to me - they both scrunch up their faces in very unappealing ways.

Edited February 19, 2016 by UsernameFatigue

[Neet]

Why in God's name did they let Manny through over Kory? I thought Kory almost guaranteed himself a spot with his duet, to the point where I wanted Haley to stop singing entirely and let him take over. If they're just putting him through because he's a minority, his fans are probably in the minority of Idol viewers. (does anyone here passionately like him?) He'll be one of the first to leave next week, IMO. As for Manny singing "No Air" in his whip with the boys for years, he was 13 when that song came out, so I kind of doubt it unless his Mom drove them around. Even if that was true, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the contestant lines were fed to them. Dalton's first CD being Daughtry would be a huge coincidence, and everyone saying they hoped [person they were paired with] was who they were paired with was probably not true.

I always thought Kellie was annoying, and tonight didn't really change my mind. Tristan was terrible, it was like she was providing low, inaudible bass for Kellie the entire song. Constantine was good, Daughtry probably gave the most valuable advice, Jordin seemed to get the best duets out of who she was with (and hot damn, what a giantess), I didn't care about Haley for some reason, and I had to scroll up to remember that David Cook was even there.

Dalton was fairly disappointing for me, and I can see how some of the weird things he does/says will irritate me over time. I like him, it's just that I don't immediately love everything he does for the sole reason that it's Dalton. Lee did very well, I thought, and it's a bit surprising to see few people here agree. He was looking like a needy stray dog with Daughtry, though.

Will J Lo and Keith quit singing along to every fucking performance? We're treated to infinite shots of their lip syncing every week for no reason, as it's completely pointless to act like knowing the judges are familiar with songs legitimizes their critiques if they're probably not paying enough attention to the contestant and basically entertaining themselves. Also, that thing with everyone chanting at Ryan was such a waste of time. Every season, there's at least one moment where the crowd/judges form a mob and chant for something to happen, while J Lo screeches and the other two judges act all zany for attention. I know I probably sound whiny over nothing or "no fun allowed", but Idol/AGT both do this constantly and it's always pissed me off.

[karenc3]

 

 

David Cook has a platinum selling hit?

 

 

He has two platinum singles, and a gold one.  The platinum one was Light On, the song they did tonight, and Time of My Life, his coronation song. His first album  David Cook was also platinum. 

[rollerblade]

Wish they would have brought in Elliot Yamin instead of Constantine. And have him school these kids who dared to even attempt A Song For You. ;)

[Kromm]

He has two platinum singles, and a gold one.  The platinum one was Light On, the song they did tonight, and Time of My Life, his coronation song. His first album  David Cook was also platinum. 

Not that Cook is even near the worst this show has ever served up, but man I have trouble conceiving of people actually paying to see or hear him.

[AwesomO4000]

I can't say that I have ever seen him or would go to a concert of his, but "Light On" is a great song, in my opinion. Whenever I come across it on the radio, I turn it up loud and (try) to sing along.

[Kromm]

On another topic....

 

Why was Constantstink using The Royal We when talking about how it was to work with Jenn? He did it like three times.

 

I am so surprised that Jenn went through after her horrid performance last night. I guess they had to fill that quirky spot.

Not to mention that Keith had the gall to say (to her) "you are getting so consistent with your performances". His exact words. Like the song she sang where she sounded like a bag of cats being hit with a stick never happened. Edited February 19, 2016 by Kromm

[AshleyLyn]

Since I never saw Constantine's season don't understand the dislike. He seems pretty nice. Same with David Cook. I sort of watched his season but still don't get the dislike.

A highlight was seeing Chris's reaction to Dalton and Lee beinblg put through.

Trent probably hasn't fully recovered from mono. The other night he looked fine but while he sang well he didn't look greatest. He really needs a month or so of doing nothing to recover and I'm not sure he got enough time. He can have long term problems if he doesn't take care of himself.

[Kromm]

Since I never saw Constantine's season don't understand the dislike. He seems pretty nice.

It's not whether or not he's nice. It's whether or not he's really talented, or just some cheeseball poseur who eyefucks the camera,oversings, and overdramatizes everything. And it's not "hate", it's scorn.

[WhineandCheez]

Amelia wuz robbed. That is all.

 

I wouldn't say she was robbed, she let herself be outsung by Kellie, she wore this unflattering brown lipstick but most importantly, when she was given a solo, she chose to play the violin/fiddle beautifully, but this is a singing contest.  She should have SUNG in that solo.

 

Shelbie Z Was tearing up when the judges critiqued her.  That hardened my stone cold heart.  I think that was the biggest WTF in song choice of the season.  I guess she had no say in it though? But Constantine reaaaally helped her and was careful not to showboat, and to give the stage to her in the song (GIANT SNERK--he was awful, just walked off the stage w/o wishing her luck, etc)  He does have a beautiful voice and man it has gotten better and better.

 

Does Jen purposely try to wear the most unflattering vintage clothes ever made?  Because thrift stores  and 60s-70s shops DO have nice clothes in them too.  She purposely tries to make herself look bigger it seems.

[waving feather]

It's not whether or not he's nice. It's whether or not he's really talented, or just some cheeseball poseur who eyefucks the camera,oversings, and overdramatizes everything. And it's not "hate", it's scorn.

Nailed it! I couldn't stand him during his season and I couldn't stand him this episode. He seems like a nice person but just... I can't with his stage persona. I pity the ones who were paired with him. Sorry Jenna and Shelbie. I would totally go FML if I were a contestant and I got him while others get HALEY REINHART. Life ain't fair, y'all.

 

Speaking of Haley, I'm sure she doesn't mean to out-shine the contestants and she wasn't even at her 100% but man, she just stole the show with her tone and her presence whenever she's on stage. Adam, bless his heart, sounded great (I love his deep tone) but looked like a wreck singing with her. I don't blame him because I can hear the audience going crazy whenever she sings a line. Kory sounded good as well but was more like her guitar player / back-up singer. So, I guess it is a blessing and a curse to get her as your duet partner.

 

David Cook saying he had to "keep up" with Olivia - really, dude? I get him trying to be complimentary but now he's just lying. Cook has one of the best voices in American Idol and Olivia's voice is thin and strained. Just, NO. I loved all his solo parts in "Light On" but once she sang, it was a different song and not a good one. And again, that robotic smile on every line.

 

Both Tristan and Olivia are so 15/16/17 and it's hella awkward to watch them on stage. Tall, slim, pretty girls but they are so not comfortable in their own skin and it shows.

 

Speaking of Tristan, wow, she sounds horrible. Full stop.

 

Trent gave two quite different styles of performances this week; his solo and his duet. But somehow, both of them are quite authentic and very Trent.

 

The people going through are so random. The judges didn't even need to justify the reason. It's ridiculous. And I felt sad for Kory and Adam, who were really good singers (better than Lee, Tristan, and Olivia for sure). At the end when they were about to call the last person, I got a kick out of Kory's resigned bitch face. Boy knew what was coming.

 

And can I just say, I LOVE how Chris Daughtry can never have a poker face. Whatever he is feeling is always written on his face.

Edited February 19, 2016 by waving feather

[Maya]

Constantine was on one of my favorite seasons of all time, so I really enjoyed seeing him again and I think his cheesiness is part of his charm! Ok I'll show myself out now...

[proserpina65]

I'll preface this by saying that I've never been a fan of Constantine, but that duet with Jenn sucked giant donkey balls.  They were both off-key the whole time, and whoever arranged it and completely ruined My Funny Valentine (a song I don't particularly like to begin with) should be shot.

 

David Cook completely blew away CJ, but Olivia more than held her own with him.  Same goes for Christ Daughtry vis-a-vis Lee and Dalton.  Haley outclassed both of her duet partners, but I did think both Kory and Adam did well nonetheless.  Pickles was miles ahead of both her partners, but Amelia was better than Tristan.  Jordan Sparks was definitely the best mentor and brought out a better performance from Manny than I would've thought possible, but he's still a waste of space.  Trent was terrific, though, even if he does need to dial back on the crazy Torgo faces.  Shelbie Z is gone; that is all that needs to be said.

 

I would've put through Adam and Kory instead of Manny and Jenn, and probably Amelia instead of Tristan.  But as long as Dalton and Olivia made it and Shelbie didn't, I'm good.

 

Oh, and even though I generally like J.Lo, she can suck it - not only did the judges not think Haley had a chance of winning her season, they actively bussed her every chance they got.

 

I agree with Keith: Tristan sounded like she'd never heard that song before and had no idea what it was about.  It was just a series of notes to her.

Edited February 19, 2016 by proserpina65

[Primetimer]

This week's returning alums overlook casual fawning to actually teach some lessons in showmanship.

Read the story

[proserpina65]

Ugh.  Constantine.  Just, ugh.  And that performance was not only wtf?  But just horrible.  Both of them. And Keith stands up?  What the hell was he listening to?

 

I know the sound in person is quite different from what we hear in the television transmission, but that had to have been beamed in via Uranus for it to have sounded as bad as it did on my tv.

[perfectstorm]

The duets should have been about the contestants - not the alums.  It was the job of the mentor to bring out the best in the contestants.  So if an alum did indeed "blow their" duet partner away, they in effect, really weren't doing their jobs as mentors.

[proserpina65]

Not that Cook is even near the worst this show has ever served up, but man I have trouble conceiving of people actually paying to see or hear him.

If he ever played someplace near me, I would.  I've always really liked him.  For me, he's the best male winner on AI and miles better than Chris Daughtry.  (Heck, that season's winner, Taylor Hicks, is miles better than Daughtry to me.)

[Starla]

 I'm still trying to figure out who Olivia reminds me of--I almost get it, it's on the tip of my brain, but I can't seem to bring it forth. 

 

 

This drove me nuts for weeks and I finally figured it out tonight... she reminds me of Rose McGowan from Charmed. Same scrunched up pug nose when they smile.

[perfectstorm]

If he ever played someplace near me, I would.  I've always really liked him.  For me, he's the best male winner on AI and miles better than Chris Daughtry.  (Heck, that season's winner, Taylor Hicks, is miles better than Daughtry to me.)

But Cook never lived up to that potential after the show.  Part of it, he was never able to shake off the Idol stigma.  He's now doing crowd funding.   After Kelly and Carrie, Daughtry is the one of the most successful alums to come off the show.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Somewhere some virgins got sacrificed to some Dark God (and that's probably the sound we heard coming out of her mouth on Wednesday during her performance).

 

Tsaggy? Is that you? 

 

Oh, and also ... if it is at all humanly possible (and I have my doubts), Constantine is even more disgusting, reptilian, smarmy and overrated than he was in his own season. How and why they ended up with him as one of their "beloved alumni mentors" is beyond me unless it was to deliberately sabotage the two unfortunates he was paired with, and that clearly didn't work (well, it did but didn't). And the stories that came out about him and his escapades, shall we say, with fans afterwards didn't exactly improve my opinion of him.

 

JLo saying that they thought Haley was going to win does not mean they WANTED her to win ... just that they thought she was going to win, which may help explain why they drove the entire fleet of LA buses over her. I wasn't a Haley fan at that time, and I thought "Bennie and the Jets" was one of the most laughable and overrated performances in show history (though I hate the song to start with), but, as with Lauren Alaina who I couldn't stand either and quite liked last week, I liked Haley this time (except the hat. What's with the hat?). I would rather have seen Casey though. 

 

Finally? I love Lee. I may be alone in that opinion but I just love love love him. I hope he makes it through to voting rounds. Hopefully the lack of quality guys may help him there.

Edited February 19, 2016 by PamelaMaeSnap

[Ohwell]

The only reason I watched last night was to see Chris Daughtry and Constantine.  They're two of my favorite Idols.  I loved Chris jumping up and down when Lee's name was called.

[kili]

It was the job of the mentor to bring out the best in the contestants.  So if an alum did indeed "blow their" duet partner away, they in effect, really weren't doing their jobs as mentors.

I'll argue that the two aren't mutually exclusive. With the exception of Tristan  and Olivia last night, I think all of the mentors improved their mensees last night. Almost everybody was better, more interesting than on solo night.

 

But, some mentees had such a deficit that there was little the duet partner could do other than not sing at all in order to not blow their partner away. Jordan and Manny are a classic example. Jordan coached Manny to be much more present in the song and how to connect and one could see the improvement from the start of the process until the end, but he could only improve so much in a few short days so she still wiped the floor with him. Daughtry dialled back his energy to 40% and Lee was way more energetic than usual, but Daughtry still over-powered him. Kory was way less stiff than usual, but nowhere in Haley's league.

 

Quite a contrast to last week where many of the duets made the contestants look worse.