S16.E08: Showcase/Final Judgment

[Adusk81]

So here is what annoys me about Ada Vox....

you came on the show and didn't make it a few seasons back. Now you come back and say this is who you really are and do better. Then you lose the make up and say now this is who you really are. Which is it? Nobody else gets to create a character to conveniently use when you they need a gimmick. It's not exactly fair. Also, you can sing really well. So just sing. Anyway, that bothers me a bit. Just seems like a pc loophole. Jurnee for the win.

[Blissfool]

2 hours ago, Adusk81 said:

So here is what annoys me about Ada Vox....

you came on the show and didn't make it a few seasons back. Now you come back and say this is who you really are and do better. Then you lose the make up and say now this is who you really are. Which is it? Nobody else gets to create a character to conveniently use when you they need a gimmick. It's not exactly fair. Also, you can sing really well. So just sing. Anyway, that bothers me a bit. Just seems like a pc loophole. Jurnee for the win.

Yeah that bothered me too. I'm wondering if production forced him to choose. In order to have 12 guys and 12 girls they might have asked him, "who are you competing with at this stage if the game, the guys or the girls?"

[proserpina65]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I would imagine any of them can dress and present however they want, whenever they want.  

If anything I think Adam/Ada going by two names is going to hurt him.  And I think the Ada look, unless he softens it a ton, is going to lose him votes.  I’m all for gender fluidity but she’s just waaayyy overdone, with the makeup, eyelashes and cleavage.  

I've got no problem with Adam competing as Ada if that's who he feels he really is, but the look is more RuPaul's Drag Race than American Idol.  While it doesn't bother me, I can see a segment of Idol's usual audience being turned off by how over the top it is and not vote for him.  Which is a shame, because that showcase performance was stunning.

[Blissfool]

Oh, I have absolutely no problem with his gender fluidity or the cross-dressing. I just think it's unfair *IF* he chose to compete as a male at this stage of the competition only because it'd be easier to make Top12 male, rather than a Top 12 female. (The others don't have a choice.) Are the females "better"? I havent really taken the time to analyze.

[Mu Shu]

Drag is very visible and popular, but it’s still niche.  If the point is to appeal to young voters, I doubt it will.  Because Ada Vox is very dated and kitschy.  It’s your parents drag.  

[marketdoctor]

If Ada helps the producers see that the whole "12 men/12 women" thing is stupid, then that's progress.  (As someone else pointed out years ago, if you're not in the top 6 for whatever you think of as your gender, you're less likely to win, but it feels like we might not be giving someone a fair chance if they happen to catch a year of very talented people of their gender.)

[viajero]

I put on this episode this afternoon while I was doing something else.  For what it's worth, the first contestant who got me to look up and really pay attention was Jurnee - to the point where I was irritated by the way they spliced things into the middle of her performance.  She really has a great voice.  There were several others who sounded good as well, particularly some of the other women. 

I usually don't pay much attention to AI until it gets to the live rounds (if I watch it at all), but it does seem like they have a promising group this year.  I can already tell that Katy Perry is going to get irritating, but I guess I will probably give it a try.

[BogoGog24]

Layla - That was a mess. HOW did she get through? I honestly think with some of the choices they made with the top 24, they are concerned with finding someone who can fit the Disney image. That is the only explanation why people like Layla and Gabby got through over Thaddeus and Brittney Holmes. 

Michael J Woodard - Unexpected song choice but I don't think he made it work at all. I like him though.

Trevor Holmes - That was the blandest WGWG performance that's probably ever happened on this show. Deservedly cut.

Gabby - Just when she starts heading in the right direction, she reverts back to Carrie wannabe. STOP. 

Thaddeus - His Hollywood solo was probably better but overall he should have gotten through. I mean, he never had a bad performance that we saw. He was cut for no real reason. A huge WTF!!!!

Michelle - She at least is entertaining and puts on a show, so for that reason, I can see why she was sent through. She needs to sing more in her performances though because I don't think that will fly in the voting rounds.

Glad Maddie Poppe made it through.

Catie - Wrong song choice and not her best. But the competition needs her to liven things up.

The twin Milo, William Casanova, and Les Greene were all deservedly cut. Brittany should have made it through, unless she really bombed in her showcase, but I doubt it. I think they honestly don't like her because she's at the top of the age bracket and doesn't suit their Disney image.

Jurnee - Deservedly through to the top 24. The only thing I wish she'd stop doing is mentioning her army wife in every single interview before her performance. But I get every contestant has their backstory that they push and are probably encouraged to do so by production. But her vocals are amazing.

Shannon - I hate that song. Her performance was overall rather bland and nothing special. I don't get how she made it through. Seems like fodder to me.

Noah - Oh too bad he bombed here. He had so much potential from his audition. He took his elimination SUPER well though. Maybe he wasn't feeling the whole thing and wanted to go home?

Can't understand how Harper Grace was eliminated?

Ada Vox - One of the best showcase performances! I wasn't sure how this was going to go because Creep has become a bit of one of those singing show staple songs everyone sings to seem "quirky" but Ada really did something kind fo different with it and knocked it out of the park. Deservedly in the top 24. The only question is, going forward, is he going to perform as Adam or continue performing as Ada?

Jonny - What is he still doing here and why is he in the top 24?

Mara - This was seriously awful. Katy was on the mark with her critique, she goes way over the top every time. She sounded like she was trying to imitate a black singer. IMO she's one of those young contestants who has a lot of talent but doesn't yet know how to use it. She needs a few more years. But she made the top 24 because again, Disney friendly.

Caleb - I think he's better when he has his guitar. But I do like his voice overall and think he deserves to be in the top 24.

Garrett vs Laine - Based on the performances, Laine's was better than Garrett. And major ick at Garrett's grandma calling him sexy AWKWARD. But I can see why Garrett was chosen, he's more willing to play the Idol game and he will get the teen girl vote. Laine always seemed like he wasn't quite right for a competition like this and I think he needs to develop himself a bit more. 

Cade - As I've said before, I don't get the hype. Not my style. But he comes across like a pro when he's on stage and not like a contestant, so that's good. Rock is also rarely represented on shows like this. 

Maddie Z - Not her best, but I think she deserved a spot in the top 24. I always for some reason found her and Shannon to be similar and thought Maddie was way better. I would have swapped out Shannon for Maddie.

Effie - WTF was Katy on about here? I thought this was stellar. 

Marcio vs Dennis - I'm so glad they decided to put both of them in the top 24 because I think both deserved it. Between the 2 performances though I think Dennis was better.

The thing that was annoying about these last 2 episodes is that the clips of the performances they showed were either too short or most had talking over them. Some were not even shown at all or given an explanation of why they were eliminated.

I am 50/50 about this top 24. Some very deserving contestants, others that shouldn't have gotten through. Some absolutely wrong eliminations like Thaddeus and Brittney Holmes. I thought it looked pretty stupid when there were contestants who clearly had good performances like Thaddeus that were told no (looked like the judges really didn't want to eliminate him, damn producers!) and contestants who they were saying had issues (Mara, Jonny) but then put them through. Come on, that looks SO stupid and clearly shows these are producer choices. So dumb.