S15.E24: Winner Chosen

[greyhorse]

Dunkleman! I can go to bed now.

 

I must have missed this.  What a difference in fortunes.  Seacrest goes on to become a megastar now worth millions and Dunkelman is probably doing stand up comedy somewhere...

 

Edited: And here's Josh's reason for declining to appear.

Gosh, how ungrateful.  It didn't stop all the other also-rans from coming on the show.  You get to sing your own material if you are a star.  As in Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.  Josh Gracin?  I didn't even remember the name until somebody posted it here.

 

There's no doubt that Carrie Underwood has a great voice, but I get tired of the nonstop blasting she does like she performed on the last song. Can't there ever be a little nuance? Also, she must always display her admittedly great legs, even in a long dress.( Yes, I'm jealous.) She got the pimp spot  and got to promote her tour, so she and her manager know what they're doing.

 

Was her song about holy water? I know it was religious, but I didn't quite get the message. Was she rained on, then saw the light?

Carrie Underwood is smoking hot.  If I had legs like that, I'd flaunt them any chance I got.  Wasn't it Simon who in the middle of her season predicted that she would sell more albums than any other Idol contestant in the history of the show?  Her song is about baptism.

 

Interesting to read all the comments here and note that most of them are about past performers with very little said about the winner.   I haven't watched Idol in years, so I only tuned in tonight to watch all the past contestants.  What a show, I got nostalgic and sad that a television era is over.

[GreyBunny]

Bucky! Elliott! George!  I was looking for Rickey Smith and John Stevens but they weren't there. Bummer.

 

I was wondering what Kitty Forman was doing there and then I realized it was Diana DeGarmo.

 

When the Pants On the Ground guy came out I couldn't help but think, "What's next, William Hung?"  Lo and behold...

 

Trent wins!  Hahaha!  The look on the judges' faces was priceless.  JLo looked thoroughly put out that LaPorsha lost. 

Edited April 8, 2016 by GreyBunny

[Simon Boccanegra]

Honestly, I didn't enjoy most of the final episode. It was medley after medley, and while some of the pairings and groupings were obvious, others were weird and random. The show was chaotic. Maybe there was no way to make it otherwise, with this many people jammed in.   

 

But then at the end when Trent was announced the winner and he literally fell on the stage, and he got up so excited and overwhelmed, muttering into La'Porsha's voluminous hair...that's what it was all about. It doesn't have anything to do with liking or not liking Trent. I wish him well but I didn't find anyone in this season riveting the way my past favorites have been. Still, it was moments like that that made this show compelling and kept it going, more than the composition of the judging panel. It was the realness that cut through the contrivance even in the bad seasons. AI has been a part of television for so long, and our world is so different now from what it was in 2002. It's just sinking in for me that this era has concluded now. It is still too early to talk of missing it, but I'm sure I will eventually. 

[waving feather]

A tight race makes for good television. That's why I never really get myself invested in the Voice contestants. There is literally no point because the winners for the past couple of seasons of the Voice have been evident since the blinds and that makes for a very boring viewing, television-wise. Even Jordan Smith did not look surprised that he won. He was like.. Oh wow, thanks! 180 degrees different from Trent's reaction.

 

I have always preferred Idol's format to other singing shows. The magic of Idol and getting people invested was mostly due to the format, IMO. Viewers feel like they are part of the journey. Of course, Idol screwed it up by bringing in unnecessary deals blatant pimping / manipulation and like that horrible chair with lights a year before and this year, double eliminations. When this batch of top 4 contestants went back for to their Hometowns, I was afraid only a handful would show up to support them, because there really isn't much time for people to get attached to a contestant when they are moving through at such a fast pace.

 

One thing I'm thankful for this season is there wasn't anyone who was pimped to the skies. La'Porsha was but compared to the pimping of the past seasons, it was nothing. And there weren't obvious bus-ing of contestants, which I appreciate as well.

[Kromm]

Who let Kara DiGaurdio onto that stage to embarass herself?  And then the parade of other people besides Kara and Dunkleman who mostly haven't worked for years.... (who in general did much better than Kara). Pants on the Ground guy too?  Good lord.  You know who impressed me in that grouping? Those two background singers who had to keep flipping from song to song whenever they changed the ex-contestant. And we even ended Pia Toscana--probably the contestant with the best voice who got tossed off the show early.
 

No Kelly, eh?  I wonder if Kelly HADN'T been about to drop a baby, if they'd have played the Seacrest/Dunkleman thing further and introduced Simon, Randy and Paula as the judges, and then dragged out Kelly and Justin?
 

re: that recording of Kelly. That was impressive. I didn't think it was possible to mash up all of those songs. It must have a hell of a lot of arranging and re-arranging (and a shitload of practice on Kelly's part).
 

re: Rockers segment. Man Bo Bice got old. Meatloaf Junior and Constantstink look the same, as does Daughtry. I barely remember James Durbin though, so I can't compare him to his younger self.
 

Carrie Round 1: Geez, sometimes I forget how hot Carrie is. This was a real reminder.  We definitely saw panties with that skirt too.

 

Ugh. Glad that audience shot of Sanjaya is all we got of that creep.
 

Country Crooner Segment: Skyler Laine? Who the fuck is that?  And Kree Harrison, what happened to your voice?  It used to be pretty good. Not now.  At least Diana Degarmo sounds pretty much the same.  And a bunch of interchangable "Country guys" follow, who the world can go back to forgetting about tomorrow.  I wonder if Pickle resents being paired with Lauren Alaina though. I'd say Pickler's career has been bigger.  And bringing it home we get McCreepy.  Do the rest of them like being basically his back-up singers/intro acts?
 

"Big Voices" (isn't that how Harry introduced them?) segment: Kat McPhee and the group they had follow were great. Clay, Ruben, Jessica Sanchez (who killed it), and yes, some randoms.

 

J. Lo getting to sing?  It's never clear with her either how much is live. She's on mike for a lot of talky bits, but there's double tracking over her prerecorded self too. Also, we're just ASSUMING that wasn't done earlier in the night too.
 

Divas + Extended Soul Patrol: Ah. The season 3 Diva Trio. Idol's biggest triumphs and voting tragedies all in one package. What's LaToya London doing with her life these days anyway?  Apparently she's just an appendage of first the Diva Trio, then later The Soul Patrol.
 

Then a bunch of Guy Randoms of the Soul variety.  Well I knew half of them.  Then back to more Divas. Never any doubt that Fantasia is live on mike, is there?  All that extemporaneous gasping is still her style, isn't it?
 

Joshau Ledet still needs a chill pill, doesn't he?  Oh hi Candace Glover. Who are you again? Yes, I know you won the show. But who are you again? 
 

White Guys With Guitar Pretend To Care About Bowie Segment:  Holy Lawsuit!  P-Squared is there. How'd that happen? Actually ALL the WGWGs in one row. It's like a deliberate joke having them all lined up like that with their guit-boxes, stinking up David Bowie. It was very uninpsired and shows the real pit the show dived into for years.

 

Bye Bye Ryan Segment: I knew 100% Simon would be there, BTW. There was no way he wouldn't want to not be there to claim credit. Again, I bet if Kelly had been there live they would have done this as part of the skit with Dunkleman at the beginning.  Oh, and good thing they left Sanjaya in the audience. I actually prefer William Hung.
 

Carrie Round 2: that was NOT a good song to demonstrate her talents

 

The End: So will the White Mississippian beat the Black one? Ugh. Unfortunately. Way to stink it up at the end. I mean I liked him, and he's got a great voice, but he's not going to be a star.

 

Dim the lights, Kieran. But don't let Simon Fuller turn them back on again in another few years, like apparently he's already hinted he wants to.

Carrie Underwood is smoking hot.  If I had legs like that, I'd flaunt them any chance I got.

With the first outfit she wore on the Finale, we actually saw panties.

[27bored]

I didn't entirely like that Carrie got the pimp spot, but...she's got the track record to show she deserves it. And Carrie is one of the few Idols who got more likable after she won. She wasn't all that interesting on her season, but she won and lost some weight and started slinging her hair and yelling all the time and it was like okay Carrie.

[Kromm]

I didn't entirely like that Carrie got the pimp spot, but...she's got the track record to show she deserves it. And Carrie is one of the few Idols who got more likable after she won. She wasn't all that interesting on her season, but she won and lost some weight and started slinging her hair and yelling all the time and it was like okay Carrie.

Kelly would have gotten it if she'd been there. Despite Carrie I believe outselling her, Kelly is still the first and would have gotten it.

Oh....the "for now" from Seacrest at the very end?  Acknowledgment of a sort that the hinting Simon Fuller has done recently about bringing the show back again isn't just talk. I bet they rest it for only two or three years, and then bring it back perhaps at the first sign that The Voice's ratings are flagging.

[TexasTiffany]

Suck it Idol. You pimped LP to high hell and it still didn't get her to the mountaintop.

 

Ok, now that I got that out of my system. I wanted this show to go on for 2 more hours. It was so good seeing David Cook, Melinda Doolittle, Carly Smithson et al.

 

Other than the absences from Adam, Haley Reinhart, Crystal Bowersox, and Blake Lewis.....was every other top 3 finisher in AI history there?

 

Some odd choices in the country extravaganza.....Ace and Constanine?? Really?

 

I remember David Archuleta, but didn't see him tonight. He was runner up to David Cook, iirc.

Edited April 8, 2016 by TexasTiffany

[Kromm]

Reinhart's been back before, so was there a specific reason she was absent?

 

Bowersox I imagine is just fed up with Idol. I could see her opting not to come back. 

 

Archuleta?  Not sure I'd recognize what he looks like as errr... an actual adult, but yeah... didn't see him.

 

Lambert's been back plenty of times, so I imagine his absence might have simply been because of work. I mean I doubt HE's having a baby too!

 

Oh, I don't know about the Top 3 for every season, so lets talk Top 2. Was Jena Irene there? Jena Who, you might be saying? Lets just say she was the one in the Season 13 finale who didn't look and sing like Meatloaf.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Kromm

[springtime]

Idol memories from my home:

1.One season while calling in to vote- we called 911 by accident- and that's what I told the police when they responded!

2.When I saw that my daughter was searching William Hung (online) I thought she was looking at porn! lol

 

Since Kelly announces pregnancies at the moment of conception- I  thought she already had her son!

[Kromm]

Dunkleman! I can go to bed now.

For those who know the reference... was Dunkelman supposed to be the stand-in for Ant or Dec?  I never figured that out.

[JenFromCincy]

WGWG: The Concert

I laughed so hard when they panned back on that.  All I could think of was VFTW.

 

Highlights for me:  Kelly's medley was tops. Amazing!  Rockers was second, although they could've done it minus Constantine's creepy camera stares and I would've been happier with it. 

 

If Bo Bice hadn't been tagged, I would never have recognized him.  He looks really great!

 

Very happy for Trent.  Didn't vote this year, but he would've been my pic.

[Kromm]

When the Pants On the Ground guy came out I couldn't help but think, "What's next, William Hung?"  Lo and behold...

The important and vital thing is that Sanjaya was left out. Oh happy day!  Hung and Pants on the Ground were always understood to be novelty acts. Whereas Sanjaya didn't even get up onto the stage and went more than halfway through a season. So Idol shot back at Vote For the Worst finally in this finale, by inviting the little creep, having Seacrest acknowledge him but keep walking, but then let the REAL acknowledged novelty acts actually get on stage. I thought that made them being included delicious, because it was a big fuck you to Sanjaya (and yes, the now departed VFTW as well).

[TheFinalRose]

I liked the show. I'm glad they focused on the past .... I actually enjoyed not seeing this season's top ten.  And LaPorsha seemed downcast the entire show ... I think she sensed it didn't go her way.  I loved the One Voice opening as a throwback to the same performance in the Season Two finale, although it could have been longer and I would have liked seeing more of who was on the stage up close.  Worst decision of the night was having Kara DG come out and sing. I was so annoyed that the camera kept showing her when I was preoccupied trying to figure out who was the singer in that atrocious red wig. Tamyra and Kathrine Mc Phee were one and two for worst hair.  And it would have been nice to see Allison Irehata's face up close, camera man.  

 

I loved the Harry Connick segment with the little girl.  Can you imagine what that moment felt like to her? That was super classy of Connick.  

 

Wished that Blake Lewis had been there! He was one of the first 'make the song your own' people.  Not that he was any good, mind you.

 

I really loved when Simon came out.  There is something about his grin that cracks me up.

 

Very glad that Trent won. He blew everyone away with Chandelier and that is how one wins Idol -- having a moment at the right time.  The shortened season made it really difficult to attach to these contestants but who cares ... with no future Idol shows in the pipeline how will they ever get on tv again?

 

And that Josh Gracin article -- whew.  Sounded so bitter and entitled. Grow up or keep your comments to yourself.    

[sinycalone]

Adam, Haley and Crystal all had commitments elsewhere...either filming or touring.

 

Scotty McCreery was the centerpiece of the country group because he was the only one of them who actually won his season.  And he sounded great.

Edited April 8, 2016 by sinycalone

[MarkHB]

Reinhart's been back before, so was there a specific reason she was absent?

 

Bowersox I imagine is just fed up with Idol. I could see her opting not to come back. 

 

Archuleta?  Not sure I'd recognize what he looks like as errr... an actual adult, but yeah... didn't see him.

 

Lambert's been back plenty of times, so I imagine his absence might have simply been because of work. I mean I doubt HE's having a baby too!

 

Oh, I don't know about the Top 3 for every season, so lets talk Top 2. Was Jena Irene there? Jena Who, you might be saying? Lets just say she was the one in the Season 13 finale who didn't look and sing like Meatloaf.

 

I mentioned upthread, Haley Reinhart had been invited to participate, but she already had a concert booked in Denver (she probably thought they'd be having the finale in May when she set her schedule).  She made a point of flying down for Wednesday night to see her friends from S10.  I believe Archuleta was there on stage last night (per his social media) but was never recognized.  Adam's working on RHPS in Toronto.  Jena Marie's actually working in music in Detroit; I have no idea if she was invited for the finale (I don't see why she wouldn't have been) but I think she got burned out on Hollywood.

 

I didn't start watching this show until S5 and had never heard of Josh Gracin before this thread, so that may say something about something.

[Biggie B]

I'm sooo glad I DVR'd this, because there was just too much to take in - for example, I never saw David Archuleta or Elliot Yamin!

 

I ***LOOOOOVE*** KLo, and was thrilled to see her. I listen to her music all the time, and "Eighth World Wonder" is one of my all time fave songs.

 

Blake Lewis - not there. He was one of my favorites, and I even bought his CD after his season, but alas - I thought it was truly wretched, and I actually threw it out! Sorry, Blake...

 

I was pretty ticked off that so much time was used for JLo's performance. Now don't get me wrong: I was actually entertained by it, I was. It was indeed very, very Vegas, and I do like that "Let's Get Loud" song a lot! But...this night was supposed to be a retrospective...one last chance to see some dear old friends, relive some memories, and say farewell. All that time devoted to her number could have been much better spent, and that's a shame. Ditto for Kara performing - was there a point to that??

 

Was Casey Abrams there? I know they showed his judges' save on the American Dream show Tuesday, when he almost fainted - which was a classic moment - so if he wasn't there last night, it evens out.

 

They never did do any group sings this season, did they? I didn't start watching this year until post-Hollywood, but I don't recall any group sings. I guess there just wasn't enough time. But seeing so many group sings last night made me miss them. Sometimes the singers sounded better together than separately.

 

I liked the 5 WGWG segment. I did, and I don't care! I have no bad feelings towards any of those guys, none at all. It's not their fault that they won. I can't sit here and slam Lee DeWyze for winning, he had no part in the voting outcome. All any of them did was get up there and sing. Whether we the viewers liked their singing is another story. Whether we'd ever spend a penny on their music is up to us. But I don't have it in me to say bad things about any of them. They are who they are. They do what they do. I wish them all well, and if nothing else, just seeing them evoked a lot of fun memories.

 

I thought Tamyra looked very unfortunate, but she's got great thighs.

 

Joshua Ledet seemed to be having a seizure. During his season, I got into some very heated debates about him with a friend of mine, who swore up, down, and sideways that Joshua was THE NEXT BIG THING and would storm the world with his popularity, that he'd be this generation's Michael Jackson. I maintained that he'd be forgotten as soon as the season ended. Now, I have no idea what Joshua's been doing since his stint on Idol, but I'm pretty sure he's not a world wide sensation.

 

The whole thing was definitely sensory overload - just so much to take in at once. It could have been four hours long and I wouldn't have minded. Additionally, it was during season two that I discovered TWoP and I think I will forever link Idol and TWoP. It got to the point where I couldn't even imagine watching Idol without the accompanying TWoP commentary. So many of the most iconic nicknames and phrases were borne of the Idol/TWoP connection: Spinkles; the seal; "...heat of a thousand nuns" (I think, right?); God is in the tub (I think). Well, you get the idea - Idol provided us with no lack of material and it's hard to imagine any other show doing so.

[howmanywords]

Blake and Archie were both there but didn't get a lot of facetime. They were on stage for the big opening number. Lots of pics from the both of them all over twitter.

[Biggie B]

Blake and Archie were both there but didn't get a lot of facetime.

 

My mistake about Blake - I thought someone else posted that he wasn't there last night. Will look for him. I assumed Archuleta would be there, I just missed him in that opening number crowd! Same with Elliot - just didn't see him. I'll watch again for sure.

[designing1]

 

And that Josh Gracin article -- whew.  Sounded so bitter and entitled. Grow up or keep your comments to yourself.

 

The hypocrisy is strong with Josh. He bitches about what a tough time he's having getting doors to open and that the Idol association is hurting, rather than helping him...yet he'd have been willing to reinforce that association on his own terms. Maybe he needs to face the fact that had his work been respected enough by his peers when he was having success, he'd probably still be getting support within the country community to make a comeback.

 

I loved JLo's performance, endless though it was. It was hilarious! I really enjoy lighthearted JLo and laugh in an entirely different way when she's trying to be Fierce! JLo. I enjoyed her performance more than the three-minute glory note that was Carrie's solo. Why was she yelling at us? The staging of Carrie's number was beautiful, though.

 

This show hit the jackpot with Kelly -- a real talent, an amazing and versatile voice, a relatable person -- as their first winner. Follow that up with the intense Ruben/Clay battle of season two and you have the foundation that helped make this show a juggernaut, even though quality of contestants faded over the seasons.

 

True story: I went to see Kelly and Clay when they toured together after season two. They performed separately, except for dueting on Open Arms for the finale. The sound engineer (or whatever you call the guy who sits in the middle of the audience with all the mixing boards) was standing with his arms crossed during their duet. A friend of mine asked him if everything was OK, and he said he was used to "adjusting" vocals for rock bands, but that with Kelly and Clay he didn't need to do anything because their vocals were dead on. I think many of the performances last night showed that while Idol gave us a ton of mediocrity, it also found many, many talented vocalists.

 

Edited for typos.

Edited April 8, 2016 by designing1

[Craphole Island]

So I missed the first 20 minutes but were any of the following people there: Trenyce, Vonzell, Kim Caldwell, Nadia Turner? They were all pretty memorable (IMO) and I especially loved Vonzell.

Surprised Blake Lewis wasn't there.

[Biggie B]

Surprised Blake Lewis wasn't there.

 

Some say he was, others say he wasn't! He's like a phantom...

[Craphole Island]

Some say he was, others say he wasn't! He's like a phantom...

Ha! I'd think he would be in a medley.

Same with Archuleta. He was a big deal his season. Actually I loved that season: the two Davids, Brooke, Jason Castro, Carly, Michael Johns (RIP) and the perpetual bottom 3 person Syesha. I was a fan of all of them actually.

[lianau]

 

 

Archuleta?  Not sure I'd recognize what he looks like as errr... an actual adult, but yeah... didn't see him.

 

 

He looks like this today

[perfectstorm]

This season's contestants really got gyp. 

 

Carrie should have been showcased like Kelly, who has been a mentor with her songbook, a judge, performed several times including a medley of her songs.

 

They should have cut the judges and Kara Dioguardi individual performances.  That took up too much wasted time, especially J-Lo's.  Same with Brian Dunkleman and William Hung.

 

Scott Borchetta wants Trent to go Country.  Just Say No.  But at least La'Porsha is getting signed.

[Tosia]

Elliot Yamin was in the middle of a group of guys singing....i forget what. But he got to sing a line or two. Likable guy. Wonder how his mom is.

Awesome show. I plan to watch it again to see idols that I missed the first time. I was specifically looking for Bo! Totally missed him cuz I was lookingfor his hair! Loved him much more than Baby Meatloaf. Whipping Post!

So many special moments remembered when I saw certain idols....where I was, who I was with. ...

Diana DeGarmo? Always hated her cuz she seemed phony and pageanty....then I found out she MARRIED Ace Young--the cutest guy idol EVAH! Joke's on me. (But she did look old and her hair was 50's style, heheh.)

[Biggie B]

Wonder how his mom is.

 

Sadly, Elliot's mom passed away in 2008. His homecoming visit with her was one of the sweetest moments on Idol.

[CynicalGirl]

According to another site, Constantine had to fill in for Josh Gracin, which would explain how he ended up in the country medley.

 

Edited: And here's Josh's reason for declining to appear.

Thanks, I couldn't figure exactly why he was all over the place, especially when so many of the other also-rans were in and out like a flash. Josh Gracin should have jumped at the chance, IMO. Why so bitter, dude?

 

I hadn't thought of Connie in ages until I recently saw him on that LazyBoy commercial with Brooke Shields. And there he was, in all his cheesy glory, a featured player in the AI finale. lol

[Pepperminty]

loved pants on the ground guy and william hung

I did NOT need to see JLo's ass shaking. horrors.

 

Glad trent won. I didn't like him for a while but then I realized towards the end that he was quite good and had a unique voice.

LaPorsha will be very successful. I resented the show trying to make her into a sob story. She had a baby too early when she couldn't afford it. It's just bad life choices, people.

[perfectstorm]

I might have voted for one or more of these WGWGs, but they're an odd choice for the Bowie tribute considering other alums they could have picked. I wonder if Duncan Jones weighs in about this on Twitter, he even dissed Gaga's tribute at the Grammys and she's in a far more similar wheelhouse.

Good to hear Bad Day again!

Actually, the guys ended up getting really good reviews from critics.  This was Nigel Lythgoe's idea, who thinks if they tour together, they would sell-out.  Anyway, this turned out to be the only winner's performance of the night.

[MizArk]

I really enjoyed the finale. I haven't watched at all for the last three seasons but saw all the seasons before that and it was great seeing so many contestants I got to know back then. Season 7 will always be my favorite of all, and I got a little misty remembering Michael Johns, who was always underrated (even though I wanted David Cook to win that year and still buy his music). Hated JLo's PerformAss, which seemed jarring with the rest of the show, but other than that, I was impressed by how well they managed to fit so many numbers/performers into two hours. Congrats to Trent, who really did work incredibly hard to get to that point (I know how difficult it must have been for him to soldier through the exhaustion and pain of mono).

 

As for the hints to a new, younger AI -- I really hope they aren't going to go the So You Think You Can Dance route and make it all kiddie contestants (the Harry duet being foreshadowing?) This will be the first season of SYTYCD I won't watch at all, and I wouldn't watch AI with that format, either.

[vmcd88]

While I did not like J.Lo's song/performance, her mom is all of our mothers at the god awful school play/choir performance who cheers us on even when she knows it's crap.

Love me some Kelly Clarkson. She's the ultimate idol. Can't stand Ryan Secrest he comes across as fake to me. Poor Dunkelman.

[Ohwell]

I really hope they re-air this show because I missed so many past contestants.  By the time I recognized who they were, they were gone.  I was thoroughly entertained though.  Trent and LaPorsha were afterthoughts.

[Biggie B]

LaPorsha will be very successful. I resented the show trying to make her into a sob story.

 

This harks back to what Carrie talked about on Tuesday night's retrospective - how at first, we the viewers saw very little or nothing about the contestants' personal lives and their backgrounds. But then it changed - the show found a new angle. Let's see Carrie on the tractor at home! I think it was compelling at first, but then it just became too much of a soap opera. Every contestant seemed to have some sort tragedy and heartbreak. To this day, my husband and I still call Danny Gokey the “dead wife guy.” I think the show never found a good balance in trying to show us a more fleshed out, 3D version of these contestants as opposed to playing the pity card. Vote for this one because she was homeless for a while! Vote for this one because his dad died one day before he graduated from high school! Vote for this one because she almost died as a kid! And so on and so on. Again, I think it's interesting on some level - to understand someone's motivation, to get a bit more insight. But once the contestants started saying, "I'm trying out for Idol so that I can improve my/my child's/my family's life," I began to tire of it. Of course everyone wants to improve their life - whether it's on a financial level or an emotional level, or whatever. But I'm not necessarily going to vote for you just because you were in an abusive relationship, or you had a baby when you were a teenager, or you have suffered or are suffering in some difficult way. I guess it's all about what makes for a more compelling show? If they just trotted out 10 singers and we knew nothing at all about any of them, other than their names and ages, would that be better? As stated, I don't think Idol always did such a good job of finding the right mix of focusing on their singing while letting us know a little bit more about them as people.

[suzeecat]

I haven't regularly watched AI in several years but I tuned in last night to see all of the former contestants.  I remembered more than I thought I would!

 

Why did they have to do that obviously scripted bit with Brian Dunkelman?  Awkward! 

 

Simon Cowell was CREEPY looking!  He had a smile that looked as if the corners of his mouth were being artificially pulled up and back.  Really weird. 

 

Did I miss Adam Lambert?  I also missed the girl who came in second place Season 13.  I can't remember her name but remember rooting for her because she was from my home town in Michigan. (Jena Irene!)

 

Overall the show felt frantic, with people running on stage, singing, then running off.  It must have been a logistical nightmare corralling all those performers, and it showed.  It seemed as if Ryan was pulling Trent and LaPorsha around at the end, just a bit too grabby. 

 

I agree with Ryan Seacrest coming off as very fakety fake, probably because he is. 

Edited April 8, 2016 by suzeecat

[Baby Pickles]

Loved loved LOVED seeing Melinda, George, and Elliott. Surprised not to see Vonzell, Syesha, Jason Castro, Angie Miller, and Brooke White.

Kelly is just the best. Something about seeing her pregnant and tear through about a dozen hits, ending with A Moment Like This, just made me teary. I haven't watched this show regularly for a few seasons now but damn I forgot how much fun it used to be.

Kara's performance was embarrassing and very cringeworthy. And I was realllly hoping Paula would come out and show JLo how it's done.

Would have enjoyed seeing a few girls (Carly and Allison) in the "rock" medley.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Baby Pickles

[nutty1]

Was Jason Castro invited to be on the show? He was quite popular on his season.

[halfpint ingals]

Was Danny Gokey there last night ? He finished third place in his season and I don't remember seeing him.

[ari333]

Connie was on the commercial with Brooke Shields? I didn't know.  And I thought Casey was Connie yet again. :-)

 

I wonder if LP was a victim of edit monkeys and jidges' comments. Iow, the baby card was played way too much imo as was the "win" edit and the battered woman . That can turn some folks off imo if it is used too much.

SHe has a great voice, but the too many runs make it hard for me to enjoy it.

[Pestilentia]

I loved Joshua Ledet- always liked his over the top-ness and wish he would wind it up even more.

 

I do wish they had done at least a brief collage of those contestants who have passed on- besides Michael Johns the one who most touched my heart was Alexis Cohen , best know for her "joke" audition where she mentioned in her post audition rant that she was planning on "Taking up actressing." Such a larger than life girl who died in such a stupid and random manner- I'm not sure why her memory has stuck with me so long but she has.

 

[Cherrio]

Well, it was clear last night that the real talent was back before the current judges.  It was basically Simon and his ears.  Paula was a great sidekick.

            There were some fantastic voices last night.    

 My all time favorite has always been Elliot Yamin so I was happy to see him.   Also Carly Smithson was out of this world.  Candance Glover, Kree Harrison and Amber Holcomb.  I listen to all of these singers all the time.

            Cannot stand Taylor Hicks. I remember how arrogant and full of himself he was after he won being interviewed on Larry King.  Danny Gokey (without the religious stuff) could blow him away anyday.

               Trent?   Trent who, a week from now.  At least La Porsha had some distinction to her voice and personality.

               Maybe they will create a new show with past contestants competing against each other.

[ari333]

LP's parents were in the audience holding the baby. Where were they when she was in women's shelter? I wonder things.

 

Im a Carrie and a JLo fan , but I hated "Not Yo Mama" with those stupid dusters; and the song was crap. Carrie's Water song did nothing for me as far as the melody.

[MV713]

Where was Jax?

Searching on social media and Google hasn't netted any info.

I hated the JLo segment and honestly wish the judges hadn't even wasted 15 minutes of that finale.

It was awesome! 

[backformore]

Kromm-  you referred to Sanjaya as a "creep".  what's that about?  I thought he was on the show way longer than he should have been, but he always seemed like an OK guy.   I saw him on another reality show "I'm a celebrity get me out of here", and he was very down to earth and sweet.    Am I mistaken, or was he shown in the audience 3 separate times, with different hair? 

 

Biggie B-  ​like you, the connection in my brain is AI season 2 and TWOP.   And I saw the Kelly/Clay concert too, in Chicago, it was amazing.  AI brings back memories of my son and me watching the show together, and deciding to go to the AI concert.  It was his first concert, at age 11, and I miss going to concerts with him.  (now he has his own taste, and his own concert-buddies)

[howmanywords]

Some say he was, others say he wasn't! He's like a phantom...

Here's a picture of him and Jordin on the red carpet together. He was definitely there

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/jordin-sparks-and-blake-lewis-attend-foxs-american-idol-finale-for-picture-id519766088

 

Was Danny Gokey there last night ? He finished third place in his season and I don't remember seeing him.

Yes he was there. Danny was part of the soul medley with Clark, George Huff, Elliott and Brandon.

[ari333]

Still cant stand the sight of Gokey

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Final American Idol Is...
Don't worry, you won't have to sit through, or even read about, all the montages to find out.

[ari333]

Kromm-  you referred to Sanjaya as a "creep".  what's that about?  I thought he was on the show way longer than he should have been, but he always seemed like an OK guy.   I saw him on another reality show "I'm a celebrity get me out of here", and he was very down to earth and sweet.    Am I mistaken, or was he shown in the audience 3 separate times, with different hair? 

 

Biggie B-  ​like you, the connection in my brain is AI season 2 and TWOP.   And I saw the Kelly/Clay concert too, in Chicago, it was amazing.  AI brings back memories of my son and me watching the show together, and deciding to go to the AI concert.  It was his first concert, at age 11, and I miss going to concerts with him.  (now he has his own taste, and his own concert-buddies)

 

Agreed. ^^^^^ both points.

[designing1]

 

LP's parents were in the audience holding the baby. Where were they when she was in women's shelter? I wonder things.

 

Wasn't her ex physically abusive? It might have been a safer move for both herself and her family for LaPorsha to stay in a shelter (which I assume was a safe house for abused women, the addresses of which are top secret) than to go home and perhaps bring the boyfriend's wrath to bear not only on herself and her daughter, but her parents as well.

[SnarkAttack]

Glad Trent won.

 

Carly Smithson sounded great!

 

I'm sure going to miss the eye candy that is Keith and Harry.

 

I still don't understand why Jessica Cabral didn't make it past Hollywood week, I thought for sure she'd go WAY far.