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Only 3 of the last 8 boys left are 18 and older. Which makes the chances of you figuring it out higher esp. since one of the 3 (Chance) is not in school obviously. I'll just leave it at that.

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I wonder if most of the boys are trying to look "cool" - thus the absence of smiles for the most part.  To me, the boys who look most awkward are Mikey - who does indeed appear startled (sorry, cannot help chuckling a bit because he often does have a startled expression), and Chance - who is smiling, but looking much less pretty than he usually does.  

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What has been revealed on Boy Band ABC Instagram Stories so far:

Chance: "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson

Mikey: "Chains" by Nick Jonas

Sergio: "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran

Marcus: "Grenade" by Bruno Mars

Michael: "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Drew: "Pillowtalk" by Zayn Malik   

Brady: "I'm Not the Only One" by Sam Smith

Jaden: "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato

Finally--songs that fit their voices and will allow them to show personality!  Yay!  Speculate away!

Edited by alrightokay
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Thanks!  Tonight should be fun.  I have been enjoying the performances each week - they're a good length, unlike some shows that truncate the songs to only a minute or so - and they've either ponied up or used their industry connections to get approval for some current songs so it's not all tired old songs that have been sung to death on other competition shows.  I hope with 8 performances they keep the songs at ~full-length; they should be able to manage it but they won't have much time for filler.

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2 hours ago, soamused said:

I have been enjoying the performances each week - they're a good length, unlike some shows that truncate the songs to only a minute or so - and they've either ponied up or used their industry connections to get approval for some current songs so it's not all tired old songs that have been sung to death on other competition shows.  I hope with 8 performances they keep the songs at ~full-length; they should be able to manage it but they won't have much time for filler.

I'm impressed they got some current songs, too!  It's so rare for these shows to get these kind of songs cleared!  And even though Chance's selection is older, it's the perfect inspirational song that will move the audience (especially given the upheaval in the country right now, though I doubt Chance will say anything political tonight). It's also a higher-pitched song that will fit his voice and allow him to dance.  So unless he really stumbles, I have a feeling this song choice will cement his place in the Final Five (not that there was any doubt about that!).

My only worry is that the boys who chose slower songs won't have as much of an impact as the ones who chose uptempo songs that lend themselves to bigger production and more exciting choreography.  Hopefully their vocals will shine enough to help them stand out.  And I wonder if cute, adorable Brady is just too young to sing "I'm Not the Only One"--does he have the angst to pull off such plaintive lyrics about being cheated on?  (Or is that going to pull on everyone's heartstrings and get them to vote for him?)

I'm so glad there (hopefully) won't be too much filler.  More of the boys' music, less of Rita/the Architects chatting, please!

ETA: Another question: who will perform first/early in the show, and who will get the "pimp spot" and be the last one to perform (from American Idol-speak)?  That might tell us which singers the producers are really pulling for.  I'll be pleasantly surprised if Chance doesn't get the pimp spot....

Edited by alrightokay
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I think Chance is the only "boy" popular enough to make the final 5 regardless of how, when, or what he performs.  I won't be surprised if he doesn't get the pimp spot since he's the only one who doesn't need it.  If I were tptb, I'd put him first since it won't hurt him at all.  If there were a boy who I really wanted in the band but who doesn't seem to have a strong online following, I'd put him last since he'd need the boost.

But I think there's a good chance that tptb don't care who makes the final 5.  There isn't a complete dud in the final 8 - I think any combination of 5 will give a group of boys who will do whatever they are told and work hard at it.  Of course, different combinations will give slightly different flavors - whether or not Michael is in the band means rapping will be more prominent/less prominent (since at least one of the other boys can rap, just not quite as extensively), for example.  But since the ratings are so low, the expectations of success after the show are probably low as well.  Maybe all they are planning is a single and perhaps a limited victory tour as well, so that tptb would really not care much who the 5 are, since they won't be working with them much after the show.

There seems to be very little mainstream interest in this show due to the low ratings; will be interesting to see if Timbaland or Hollywood Records has enough pull to get the band any radio play or tv/live performance opportunities.  I would love to be pleasantly surprised by some real success - it would be fun to watch that happen.  Maybe "Eyes Closed" will be an insanely catchy earworm and makes enough money and an impact for Hollywood Records to invest in the boy band as a real thing.

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2 hours ago, soamused said:

I think Chance is the only "boy" popular enough to make the final 5 regardless of how, when, or what he performs.  I won't be surprised if he doesn't get the pimp spot since he's the only one who doesn't need it.  If I were tptb, I'd put him first since it won't hurt him at all.  If there were a boy who I really wanted in the band but who doesn't seem to have a strong online following, I'd put him last since he'd need the boost.

Great point--I wonder who it'll be....

2 hours ago, soamused said:

There seems to be very little mainstream interest in this show due to the low ratings; will be interesting to see if Timbaland or Hollywood Records has enough pull to get the band any radio play or tv/live performance opportunities.  I would love to be pleasantly surprised by some real success - it would be fun to watch that happen.  Maybe "Eyes Closed" will be an insanely catchy earworm and makes enough money and an impact for Hollywood Records to invest in the boy band as a real thing.

Maybe the music video (hopefully there will be one) will go viral?  If they want to cross-market, ABC has Disney to help promote the band and have them perform on certain shows.  I wonder, with 1D's members still very much in the news as solo stars, whether it'll just be too hard to "break out" as another boy band until Harry, Zayn, Niall, etc. completely fade.

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Showtime!  Order:  Marcus, Sergio, Brady, Michael Conor, Drew, Mikey, Jaden, Chance.

Format:  a couple of minutes of bio/background/highlights then a shortened version of the song (<2 mins), followed by brief architect comments (all gushing so far).

You were right, Chance got the pimp spot - guess tptb didn't want to leave anything to chance.

No one sucks.  Michael Conor's original rap is good, but he sings so little that he might be in trouble.

Still lots of sound balance problems.  Maybe to mute out the girl screams.

Who I would choose if I were a tween girl:  Mikey, Brady, Marcus, Michael Conor, Sergio.

Who I would choose if I were tptb:  Chance, Drew, Michael Conor, Brady, Marcus.

Who I would choose if my old self were forced to listen to the resulting album:  Marcus, Jaden, Sergio, Drew, Brady (best voices left, and I don't like rap).

Edited by soamused
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I came in when Michael was singing. I think it was a good song choice for him, all things considered.

Drew was good as usual. He looked much better with the curly hair.

How was Brady? I'll try to catch his performance later but I was worried for him. He seemed a little too confident in his IG this week.

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3 minutes ago, wonald said:

I came in when Michael was singing. I think it was a good song choice for him, all things considered.

Drew was good as usual. He looked much better with the curly hair.

How was Brady? I'll try to catch his performance later but I was worried for him. He seemed a little too confident in his IG this week.

Brady was good - one of the stronger singing performances.  Not so much stage presence.

Michael was 75% rap (his own words since I know the song) and 25% singing (from the song).

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Haha, Chance has great stage presence, but OMG his voice is soooo mediocre (and that's being charitable). But not to worry Chance, you've been pimped out the wazoo and got the pimp spot tonight, so you're in.

I was disappointed by Marcus tonight, and usually I like him.  

Michael Conor will probably make the band, but as far as I'm concerned, he's too smug by far and did not impress me with his rapping. 

Mikey is not my favorite, but I thought he gave one of his better performances. 

I hope that Brady and Jaden get some good recognition and future opportunities from this show. They deserve it.

Edited to add:  Did you know that Chance has a little girl he really loves?  Glad they mentioned it tonight, otherwise we'd never have known....?

Edited by adhoc
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Jaden was totally drowned out by the band. I'm sure his vocals were gorgeous, but how could anyone know?  You're killing me, sound engineers!

Mikey--ugh. Chase--ugh. 

My 5 are Jaden, Marcus, Sergio, Brady and...I guess Drew. 

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You totally called it - Chance in the pimp spot, and they drooled all over him.  It's so clear they decided from the first episode that they wanted him as the front man for the band.  The test marketing with tween girls must have been off the charts.

I think 1D fans have grown up with them so there's a new cohort of tweens ready for their own boy band.  Disney may be their best shot.  My kid is 17 and has no interest in boy bands in real life - she's outgrown them already.

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My top 5.; Marcus, Sergio, Drew, Jaden (who actually made me tear up with his song!)  and surprisingly, Brady.  I fear Sergio and Drew may split the vote and one of them won't get in. 

 

And if Jaden doesn't make it in, I think Timbaland will do his damn best to get him a deal somewhere. 

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I just finished watching and the one thought I had was what would the architects said if this wasn't the final show? All of these boys belong in the band, all of these boys were wonderful. Not one of them got any bad critiques. So if this was up to the architects, there would be a boy band of 8! I have to admit that I was only sorta' watching and listening but the ones who drew my attention were the ones who sang songs I know(which admittedly is limited since I don't like a lot of the new music!) No one grabbed me and only one turned me off....think it Michael, I don't like rapping in general and really didn't like what he did. It will be interesting to see who makes it!

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The ones I thought did the best singing tonight were Drew, Brady, Sergio, and Jaden. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out because I'm sure these young girls are going to choose the ones they have crushes on regardless if they can't sing as good.

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A few weeks ago, in a long afterbuzz tv interview, Tim Davis said it wasn't important to be a good singer to be in a boy band - it was more important to be cute.  He said most of the members of famous boy bands were not good singers.  So ... thus the architects gushing for Chance from day 1.  Getting tween girls to squee over your cuteness is  apparently the most marketable skill for a boy bander, and Chance seemingly has it in spades.  My 17-yo kid is a classmate of one of the final 8 and prefers rappers to boy bands, but Chance has been her favorite from the first episode because he's "hot".  She's voting for her classmate out of loyalty but she would rather be watching Chance.

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5 hours ago, wonald said:

Jaden - why did they dress him in a spacesuit? Dafuq?

So funny!  The styling was really distracting for some of the guys: Jaden, Michael Conor, who had to wear a weird sparkly embellished hoodie/jacket, and Mikey in his bright red shoes (but at least Sergio didn't wear capris!). 

Yeah, I'm sick of Chance.  As soamused pointed out in the spoiler thread, he didn't need the pimp spot at all.  I wish he and Marcus had switched spots.  I think having to open the show got to Marcus; he seemed less confident and energetic than usual.  I really really hope he makes the band, but I'm afraid he didn't do enough tonight to wow people.  Hopefully all the architects' praise from the last couple episodes will stick in voters' minds.

Full disclosure: I was soooo thrilled when I found out what Drew's song was--my favorite Boy Band guy was doing a song by my favorite 1D guy!  I can't be objective about this at all; I thought he did great tonight, and I was so happy for him (though I wish NappyTabs hadn't taught him those cheesy microphone moves).    

I think that Chance, Michael, Brady, and Drew will make the band, but I'm having the hardest time figuring out who'll get the fifth slot.  I would LOVE for it to be Marcus or Jaden....but I'm worried it's going to be Mikey.  

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Why was Drew's song so short? I was with Nick, I wanted more! He made it look effortless because that song is quite a bitch to sing. The only criticism I would give him is to stop smiling so much. I know he's super pumped but that song is still a bittersweet one.

And Sergio, buddy? That's not the way to sing Shape Of You. That was devoid of any sexy fun. Jamie Miller from UK The Voice had a really fun version.

I've decided. I want the Despacito 5 to be the final band - Drew, Chance, Mikey, Michael and Sergio. All of them blend well, physically, vocally and stage presence. That performance is still the best boy band performance of this season. It just looked natural. Drew can be the lead singer, Chance, the heartthrob, Mikey, the sensitive one and Sergio, the Latin lover.

Brady, Jaden and Marcus are good but better as soloists. The Architects are pushing for Marcus HARD, but that wasn't his best performance.

I have to give props to the Architects, because I think they got the Top 8 correct and you can't really go wrong with any combination of these guys.

ETA: Chance and Drew have the most amount of likes on the official Boy Band twitter account for their posts and have the most views on YouTube.

Edited by waving feather
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Something about Drew's face reminds me of Bowser from Sha Na Na, a band I haven't thought of in probably 30 years.  It must be the giant cheekbones.  He seems nice and sings nice and looks nice but I find him a little forgettable among the rest.

Same for Marcus.

I thought Brady sounded bad or just boring but couldn't tell if it was the sound mix or the song choice or just him.   He doesn't have a ton of stage presence.

I've loved Michael Conor so far but can't remember what he did last night.  Not a good sign.  

I think Chance and Sergio are memorable and have good stage presence.  I can't remember who else sang.  Oh yeah, Jaden.  He's good, too.  And Mikey... I could pass on the toddler.  

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On August 18, 2017 at 7:34 AM, waving feather said:

Why was Drew's song so short? I was with Nick, I wanted more! He made it look effortless because that song is quite a bitch to sing. The only criticism I would give him is to stop smiling so much. I know he's super pumped but that song is still a bittersweet one.

LOL, it was definitely funny to see him singing "It's a paradise, it's a war zone" with that big smile, and having his face hovering in that ghostly projection behind him made it all a little eerie.  But the lyrics for the song are pretty racy, so I wonder if the producers, who are trying to sell him as a "good boy you can take home to mom and dad," wanted him to smile to make the song less sexual.  I think that's what made Sergio's song a little weird for me, too--he sang it really well, but he had to sing lyrics like "Now my bedsheets smell of you," and it's just a little awkward to hear that coming from a 16-year-old!  So while he performed it smoothly, like you said, it came off as more cute than passionate.  It's a tricky line these boys have to walk: they have to be desirable without being too desirous.  Chance is probably the only one in the group who could have pulled off "Shape of You" without it sounding sketchy, but he went for the inspirational song.

 

On August 18, 2017 at 7:34 AM, waving feather said:

ETA: Chance and Drew have the most amount of likes on the official Boy Band twitter account for their posts and have the most views on YouTube.

Right now, the order of the solo videos from most to least views is Chance, Drew, Brady, Mikey, Michael, Sergio, Marcus, and Jaden.  I realize that number of views doesn't necessarily correlate with votes, but it makes me sad that Marcus and Jaden aren't as popular, because they're better singers/performers than some of the people ahead of them.  I can see Jaden being better off as a solo artist, but Marcus seems like the perfect fit for a boy band to me, so I'm hoping his fans were just too busy voting yesterday to watch the video!

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On 8/19/2017 at 2:04 PM, alrightokay said:

 I think that's what made Sergio's song a little weird for me, too--he sang it really well, but he had to sing lyrics like "Now my bedsheets smell of you," and it's just a little awkward to hear that coming from a 16-year-old! 

Man, if they had the moms read the lyrics of Despacito for their reactions, I really wished they did for Shape of You and Pillow Talk.  Because I was like "Can he even drive yet?"  Then again, Nick Carter was singing "Am I sexual" at 17 and 20 years it still cracks me up. 

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Well I'm a Chance girl - even at 60 - I didn't like the song he sang as Michael Jackson is one of the greatest performers that ever was and he didn't do it justice - but I hope he makes it.

Jaden - was so drowned out in the beginning but once things heated up - I thought he was great.

I think Mickey is cute as a button - but hated his singing the last show.

Drew did well - but he does remind me of Bowser and I don't find him attractive but he seems like a good kid.

Not a Michael Conner fan - as I'm not into hip hop and his singing voice is horrible - but he is a cutie

Braden is like an angel - choir boy - but he does nothing for me

Sergio is cute - can sing and has stage presence - I think just because he would ne a big pull for the Hispanic community - he'll make it

Marcus - love the song - loved his performance and I think he did the best of them all

Who I'd like to make it - Chance, Marcus, Sergio, Drew, Jaden

Who I think will make it - Chance, Braden, Michael Conner, Mickey and Drew - I hope I'm wrong - but if so - I hope Timbaland takes Marcus and Jaden and does something with those two - because of all of them - they deserve it.

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I'm not really fan of Michael Connor. He actually has an okay singing voice, but I just don't see all the great stage presence that the Architects always go on about him. Maybe you had to see it live? But it always seems to be he's trying to act cool instead of actually being cool like Marcus. I'm fine with him making top 5, but I honestly don't see much onstage chemistry between him and the other boys.

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53 minutes ago, waving feather said:

 I honestly don't see much onstage chemistry between him and the other boys.

The chemistry issue is why I wish the most recent episode had used a different format; simply hearing each boy solo doesn't show us who would sound good together and interact comfortably on stage.  It would have been nice to have the boys mix up one more time to hear some groupings that have never been put together; examples: Drew and Brady; Sergio and Jaden; Jaden and Marcus--all of these would have probably sounded great together (examples: Drew/Brady, Jaden/Marcus).

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Any guesses on who will make it?  The only person I am confident will be in the final 5 is Chance - the others are too close to call.

If my teen and her friends are any indication, then the final 5 would include:  Chance and Michael Conor (the only ones they voted for), Mikey and Marcus (they concede that these two are cute as well, just not compelling enough to vote for).  But these girls are 17-18, and may be older than the group who are rabidly voting.  

 

My wild guess on the final band, based on trying to predict what tweens and teens are willing to vote for:  

1)  Chance, for sure

2)  Brady, highly likely

3)  Mikey, Drew, or Sergio (if I had to guess, I'd go with Mikey because I think the tweens would think he's cutest)

4)  Marcus or Jaden (again, if I had to guess, I'd go with Marcus because of the tweens' cute quotient)

5)  Michael Conor (he's cute enough, and he raps.  I don't understand it, but my kid and her friends all love rap.  They listen to all kinds of music, but they pay to see rap artists.  Not sure about the tweens though.)

 

The hub and I voted for the hometown boy, but we would otherwise not have voted (or watched!).  I don't know how many adults are watching this show, let alone motivated enough to vote.

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I'm not concerned about chemistry - I think all the boys left are earnest and will work hard to make the chemistry happen after the competition is over.  Seems Devin was the last "loner" who didn't make many friends behind the scenes and was focused more on his individual performance than that of whatever group he was in.  

And, realistically - it's going to take an amazing single, a very pushy recording company that spends serious $$s, and very supportive radio stations for this band to survive past one song.  The ratings for this show are so low that unless the band starts touring with the Backstreet Boys as their opening act to grab some fans, or Timbaland calls in huge favors or produces songs for the band himself to lend some industry credibility and marketability, this boy band is going to last about one press cycle and be done.

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On August 22, 2017 at 7:31 AM, soamused said:

I'm not concerned about chemistry - I think all the boys left are earnest and will work hard to make the chemistry happen after the competition is over.  Seems Devin was the last "loner" who didn't make many friends behind the scenes and was focused more on his individual performance than that of whatever group he was in.  

And, realistically - it's going to take an amazing single, a very pushy recording company that spends serious $$s, and very supportive radio stations for this band to survive past one song.  The ratings for this show are so low that unless the band starts touring with the Backstreet Boys as their opening act to grab some fans, or Timbaland calls in huge favors or produces songs for the band himself to lend some industry credibility and marketability, this boy band is going to last about one press cycle and be done.

That all makes sense--and in the end, all of the boys have benefited from the experience and exposure they gained from this show.  They'll hopefully have more opportunities after this. 

ETA: A couple more vids of the boys singing a cappella.  I wish they had done more of this on the show itself; it might have minimized the sound issues, with the band overpowering some of the boys.  They sound so much better this way.  (Then again, they still might have been drowned out by the audience's screaming.)  

Chance/Drew

Chance/Jaden/Mikey/Marcus (this one cracks me up, because they're in a bathroom, and there's a guy in the background trying to go about his business)

Edited by alrightokay
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I tried to predict the final five in the episode thread, but since the voting ended and I've been seeing people's reactions online, I'm not sure what to think anymore (though I agree that Chance is the only definite).  So instead, I'll post a rehearsal vid of the boys practicing for a number they'll do with Emma.

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While we wait for the voting results, here's a vid that shows the boys at the beginning of the competition--it's fun to see how certain personalities already stood out back then (though it's hard not to be biased by our knowledge of the Top 8).  Strangely, Devin and Miles are missing from the lineup.

ETA: Interview vid. LOL, Chance's perfect date answer here is so polished, it's funny.  Marcus is (again) the most fun/natural at this press stuff.  

Edited by alrightokay
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Thanks for all the links!  In the Chance/Drew clip - I still dislike Chance's singing voice.  It's unpleasant to my ear, a little piercing/whiny/screechy, so I need it to be softened a bit.  They're going to need to autotune him if he's the lead in the single, for me not to switch the station if it comes on the radio!  And being a father and with life experiences that have made him a *man*, he gives a polished reality show interview answer about "perfect date" while the rest are boys giving teenage boy answers.

After the last clip ended, a capture of Michael Conor's 8/22 instagram live played, and he mentioned that he didn't have a performance song confirmed until midnight Wednesday, so wasn't as prepared as he wanted to be on Thursday.  He chose "Billionaire" on Sunday, had his song changed on Tuesday, then was told his song didn't clear so was told to work on a freestyle rap, until then told Wed midnight that his song did clear - so he had a little more than a day to write his rap and learn his song, and he was apparently still working on both on Thursday.  

The good thing is that it sounds like the boys haven't been told (at least as of 8/22) who made the band - so Thursday's show should be dramatic, if they are indeed learning at the same time as we are.

Edited by soamused
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I'm not the biggest Chance fan but I do think he sounds good when he's harmonizing and doesn't have to belt.  It'll be interesting to compare the live version of "Eyes Closed" (which the winning boys are supposed to sing tonight) to the recorded single.  (I don't know how the boys will stay composed after finding out the results--everyone will have to be so gracious, which is hard enough as an adult, and these guys are so young.)

10 hours ago, soamused said:

And being a father and with life experiences that have made him a *man*, he gives a polished reality show interview answer about "perfect date" while the rest are boys giving teenage boy answers.

Heh, if the music thing doesn't work out, I can totally see Chance being The Bachelor one day.

Edited by alrightokay
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I think Chance will be composed - he must know he's a shoe-in, and he is also more experienced and older than the rest.  I saw a clip of him auditioning as part of a boy band for some other show - was it AGT or something?  I think they were rejected, and he seemed composed then.

But the rest of the boys - I'm expecting most will be weepy whether they make it or don't.   I think it's going to make for good tv-watching.  

That's a funny thought - Chance on the Bachelorette, and then he Bachelor?  Maybe he can try Dancing with the Stars as well, since he seems to have some talent there!

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4 hours ago, soamused said:

 Maybe he can try Dancing with the Stars as well, since he seems to have some talent there!

Totally--if Nick Carter, Joey McIntyre, and Drew Lachey could do it (and did very well--I watched all of their seasons, that's how big of a boy band fan I am), Chance can, too.  (Heck, just let him cycle through all the ABC reality shows.)

Or, he could go into politics (watch until the end).  

Edited by alrightokay
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Backstreet's Back still make me ridiculously happy.  And considering they just signed a new record deal with RCA after years going without one, it gives the young ones hope.

 

Brady: Ok sure.  Chance:  BOO!!!!   Drew: WOOHOO!!  Sergio: DUH! YES!  Micheal:  Meh.

Good news: Mikey isn't in.  Bad news: Marcus and Jaden aren't either.  (Please Timbaland, get Jaden a deal somewhere, he is destined for something.) 

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