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S16.E17: Top 5 (Carrie Underwood / Mother's Day)


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The Top 5 perform live from coast to coast, with the voting results for the double elimination revealed by the end of the show. Each contestant performs a song dedicated to moms, and a song from the catalogue of Carrie Underwood, who mentored the contestants this week. Carrie also performs "Cry Pretty."

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Yay, Maddie! She's the one I'm hoping will win at this point. I keep forgetting she's from my home state of Iowa-apparently the town she's from is only about an hour away. Neat.

I'm not a huge country person, but that "Stars over Alabama" song was kinda nice. Caleb sounded good on it. 

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This is exactly the top 3 I predicted. Good job all three of you. Hope finale is Gabby 3rd, Caleb 2nd and Maddie the winner. 

1 minute ago, nutty1 said:

So who is left and who went home?

Gabby, Maddie and Caleb. Cade and Michael went home.

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Can't complain about the final 3....Maddie is my favorite, but Caleb has been growing on me, and Gabby has a powerful voice.

I think all of the contestants were more impressive with the "mother" songs.  I am biased (big Jamey Johnson fan), but I was so glad Caleb chose one of Jamey's songs.

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(edited)

Boring show. At least there was Carrie, a reminder of what the show used to be when the cream actually rose to the top.

I’m glad Maddie at least made the finale show. She’s the only one I care to follow post-show out of those five.

Edited by TheGreenKnight
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I continue to be impressed with Gabby’s high energy songs and the fact that she isn’t even out of breath afterwards!   She has star quality on that stage.  

I am happy with the top 3!

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Happy to see Maddie made it.  I was a little doubtful, when they left her to the end.  I thought Michael might squeak in.  I didn't hear Gabby, so I don't know if she did anything spectacular.

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Overall I think the contestants did better with the mom songs than Carrie's. 

Cade - Undo It was pretty terrible. He can never stay with a melody at all. Simple Man was easily his best performance of the season. But he didn't deserve to make the finale, he has not been consistent, his performances were all pretty much the same, and he was easily the worst singer of the bunch. Not to mention he would have zero chance of commercial success if he won. Good riddance, overstayed his welcome and survived over much better singers for weeks.

Michael - Flat on the Floor was not as disasterous as I expected, but I think he could have moved around more and gotten more into it. That song needed stank. His mom song was much better, probably his best performance since live rounds began. But I knew he would be gone before he even performed tonight, unfortunately I think the others just had more votes coming in. One thing about Michael is that his enunciation needs a lot of work. He also never demonstrated who he really was as an artist. He was great for the show, but had he won I don't know where he would have gone. I hope he continues after the show and will go do Broadway or something because he overall has something special to offer.

Gabby - Two solid performances, but very karaoke. Her high notes are always screechy and shrill. But otherwise her vocals were solid and the performance and energy on Last Name was good. But I just don't like her at all. Her personality seems annoying and arrogant. She comes across as fake and just a really good imitator of everything she sings. She is not original. But if she wins, it would be a welcome change to have a female win for once (without the help of producer manipulation) and she probably has the best shot at commercial success of any of them. Besides that, the contract for winners usually sucks and restricts creative freedom which would be a detriment to Maddie.

Caleb - His second song saved him. So Small was really underwhelming, I think it was the key he chose to sing it in. He should have done something like Temporary Home or switch with Maddie and do I Told You So, since it's technically a Randy Travis song. I really loved his second song though. That's his lane.

Maddie - Best of the night, easily. And she doesn't have to do glory notes and run all over the stage to be good. I Told You So was fantastic from her, it's funny to me that she did the best with the Carrie theme and that wasn't even a Carrie song. God Only Knows was pretty good as well. Two very solid performances from her, no imitating either. 

Overall I am satisfied with this top 3. I would have preferred Michael over Gabby. But as long as Caleb and Maddie made it in, that's good enough for me. I think Maddie will probably go out in third. She is probably better off not winning and getting to do her own thing. I could see Caleb winning because historically WGWGs have always won. While I do like him, it would be a bit predictable and not a very exciting winner. He's a lot like Scotty and we already had him as a winner. A country WGWG won last season, even if Trent is a different kind of singer. At least if Gabby wins, a woman can win and as I said before, I think she has the best shot at having any kind of commercial success after the show. It's too bad that I just don't find her likable at all and she has zero originality. Record labels love that though, a blank canvas to mold into whatever they want.

Side note: i really hate that Luke keeps dodging opportunities to give critiques. Do the job you are getting paid millions to do. It's really not that freaking hard. I also couldn't stand how the judges insisted they would be harsher tonight but really only Katy delivered any kind of actual criticism. These judges are useless. I'm ok with Katy and Lionel being back next season, but I don't understand why they brought Luke back. He's the most useless judge I've ever seen on any of these shows, including Mariah.

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Did anyone else notice that they changed all the end credits to the peoples' mothers?  It started with "Host Connie Seacrest" and went all the way through.

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(edited)

Of the three that made the finale;

3. Caleb - He sounded just o.k. to me. As Simon Cowell would say, "very forgettable". 

2. Maddie - Good as usual, but not her best night. I actually thought she was in trouble.

1. Gabby - Best performances of the night by far! Also, her personal best night in my opinion. I'm not sure why people don't like her. She is a good performer and I think that's what the show is looking for.

I would've picked Cade over Caleb. I think people just aren't warmed up to rock. Michael deserved to go home even though his first song was his best of the show. Which doesn't say much since he's had terrible nights previously, which makes me wonder what America was thinking.

I agree with the poster that said Luke Bryan is getting paid millions to judge and critique. If he has nothing to say or can't find anything to say, then replace him with someone else. Over all, I'm disappointed with the judges.

My early prediction is Caleb will be eliminated next Sunday and Gabby and Maddie will be the final two. Gabby wins American Idol!

Edited by rr2911
mistake
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(edited)

I hadn’t planned to watch this week since last week’s episode bored me so much that I fell asleep but they pulled me back in by having Carrie on.

I agree with previous posters who said the second round songs were far better than the first. I think only Maddie did equally well in both rounds so I was glad she made it through. 

Cade is not a good singer so thank goodness he did not make it to the finale. 

I thought Michael’s Carrie round song was better than I expected but his second performance was fantastic. That was the first time I could really understand what the judges keep claiming to see in him.

Gabby did a passable Carrie Underwood impression for her first performance and sang her second song admirably I guess but she always seems to be trying to be someone else and her reaction every week when they announce she is through to the next round has bugged me every single time. 

Caleb is funny and good at a very specific type of performance. I thought So Small was the worst song choice of the night but his second song was good.

Maddie is the only one left in this bunch who has both a clear idea of who she wants to be as an artist AND a boatload of talent. Gabby will be whatever it is she thinks gives her the best chance of winning. Caleb  knows who he is as an artist but his talent falls short of Maddie’s, I think. If I still cared enough about this show to vote, my votes would go to Maddie but if I were placing a bet on the winner I’d put my money on Caleb.

Edited by TeeMo
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10 minutes ago, rr2911 said:

2. Maddie - Good as usual, but not her best night. I actually thought she was in trouble.

I think that part of it is that we all hear "God Only Knows", or any Beach Boys song, in their original harmonies and Brian's production, so just playing it on a guitar and singing feels weak by comparison.  It did to me, anyway.

I was hoping to hear Cade perform "Mmm mmm mmm mmm" by Crash Test Dummies.  I think he was made for that one.

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I remember, back in the day, seeing Alan Jackson open for Garth Brooks at the MN State Fair.  He just stood at the mic and sang.  Boring.  He wasnt big yet.  Caleb reminds me of him.  Stiff and in one lane.  I think Caleb can make it big.  He has to learn how to be a star.  Gabby and Maddie have the star quality already.  Caleb needs to learn it.  

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9 minutes ago, Meowwww said:

I remember, back in the day, seeing Alan Jackson open for Garth Brooks at the MN State Fair.  He just stood at the mic and sang.  Boring.  He wasnt big yet.  Caleb reminds me of him.  Stiff and in one lane.  I think Caleb can make it big.  He has to learn how to be a star.  Gabby and Maddie have the star quality already.  Caleb needs to learn it.  

Alan still just stands at the mic....and can keep a crowd mesmerized for his entire show.  Of course, AJ has written and recorded dozens of great songs....so I think Caleb  would love to follow that same career path.

I agree that Maddie did not have her best night....so I was so relieved to see her in that top 3.

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31 minutes ago, Meowwww said:

I remember, back in the day, seeing Alan Jackson open for Garth Brooks at the MN State Fair.  He just stood at the mic and sang.  Boring.  He wasnt big yet.  Caleb reminds me of him.  Stiff and in one lane.  I think Caleb can make it big.  He has to learn how to be a star.  Gabby and Maddie have the star quality already.  Caleb needs to learn it.  

I saw Alan Jackson a few yrs. back and he still stands at the mic.  In fact, he just sat on a stool for part of his show.  But the audience was with him for every song.

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So glad  Cade is FINALLY gone.  He should never have been Top 7 or Top 5.

I wished Michael had made it, but he will be fine.  I see Broadway, musical theatre in his future as well as Post Modern Jukebox.

I can see why people think Gabby is fake.  She doesn't seem to have a clear musical identity.

Would love to see Maddie to win.

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Maddie- Best of the night easily. And she doesn't have to do glory notes and run all over the stage to be good.

Totally agree with this. Gabby may be more commercial but Maddie is way better IMO. I love her style of singing, her arrangements and she actually has a great voice. A lot of singer songwriters don't. She reminds me of Colbie Callet and I definitely think there's a lane for her in today's music.

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He's a lot like Scotty and we already had him as a winner.

And Gabby is a lot like Carrie, or she wants to be so badly, and we already had her as a winner. I don't care if another guy wins if the alternative is Gabby as the winner. I think Caleb is much better than Scotty whereas Gabby will never be as good as Carrie.

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Two solid performances but very karaoke.

Agree. She is technically a good singer but she does nothing for me. As one poster said, she's not original at all. Do we really need another Carrie? Maybe I'm just tired of over the top belters. But her personality irks me.

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Simple Man was easily his best performance of the season.

I thought the same thing. Kind of ironic that's the night he gets sent home. To bad we couldn't have seen this side of him earlier but it was time for him to go.

Edited by yorklee2
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Why, oh why was Katy dressed like Cher from her “Sonny & Cher” days? Yes, I am old.

I’m glad to see Maddie in the final. I would have traded Gabby (whose too-shrill singing voice hits me like nails on a blackboard) for Michael (who bores me as a performer but at least I don’t hit the mute button every time). 

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8 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

Why, oh why was Katy dressed like Cher from her “Sonny & Cher” days? Yes, I am old.

I’m glad to see Maddie in the final. I would have traded Gabby (whose too-shrill singing voice hits me like nails on a blackboard) for Michael (who bores me as a performer but at least I don’t hit the mute button every time). 

This.  That long black wig did her no favors.  

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What was up for those random minutes when they came back from commercial?

"Are we live? I think we're live. Katy, your mom is pretty. We're live? Who do you guys think did well? Huh. Yeah. Oh are we live?"

Weird!!

  • Love 9
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10 minutes ago, niklj said:

What was up for those random minutes when they came back from commercial?

"Are we live? I think we're live. Katy, your mom is pretty. We're live? Who do you guys think did well? Huh. Yeah. Oh are we live?"

Weird!!

I was kind of upset they spent so much time before Maddie sang her finally song when they came back from commerical fooling around like that. Why not let Maddie sing, then have some goofy segment and have that be an extra 10 minutes of voting after all songs were complete. 

Are Gaby's parents still together? I was surprised to see her mom since I thought the show had implied it was just her and her dad. I tried looking for the backstory but nothing mentions her mom. Just her dad is her manager, she has 7 siblings, and the father and kids have struggled with money for several years.  

I thought it would have been nice if ABC gave the mom's  a mini makeover, just doing their hair and make up and maybe a new outfit. I felt like Caleb and Maddie were really connecting with their mom's via their songs. 

I'm happy with the final 3. Hoping for a Maddie win but expecting a Gaby win. In my quest to find  out about Gaby's mom I ran across an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that said Gaby had been offered singing contracts by the Voice and AI if she did not appear on the show but she didn't like the deals? I'm assuming the article is misquoting since AI does not offer contracts itself to people who never appear on the show?

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I agree with poster that Gabby's voice is really shrill as noted when singing with Carrie.    I also noted the parents didn't dress up that much (tshirts,etc).  I would have at least gussied up a bit unless TPTB want them to be ultra casual.

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4 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

Why, oh why was Katy dressed like Cher from her “Sonny & Cher” days? Yes, I am old.

I got more of a Carol Burnett dressed like Cher for a skit vibe.  

Have these judges had anything constructive to say to anyone in the top 10?  Three mannequins would be just as useful.

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Just to add my 2 cents:  I think Gabby irks so many people because she gives off a sense of (as has been mentioned) arrogance.  Self-confidence is one thing, but she exudes a kind of 'entitlement' vibe, without any humility.  I don't know how else to describe my reaction to her.  (Sort of like how Luke can't seem to find the words to critique half the contestants).   I think she has a good voice and she's certainly not bashful onstage, but it somehow comes off as an imitation of how she thinks a star would perform.  Let me amend that:  She acts like she's already a star (she's not - yet), which is something that Carrie did not do in her year, even though she was running away with the votes, or so I read.  -------   All that being said, I wouldn't be tearing my hair out if she won, just because we've have so many mediocre winners in Idol's most recent history who have failed to catch fire.  I don't envision Gabby allowing herself to fade into obscurity. 

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I thought Michael did pretty good on his Carrie song, but I don't get the love for the second.  I think the way he pronounces some words really takes me out of the songs he's singing.  He also seems to shake his head back and forth after every verse.  I just couldn't help noticing it tonight.  He has great potential though.  Gabby's voice just gets too shrill, as someone else said, or something for me.  I thought Maddie did the best tonight.  Strangely, I didn't think Cade did bad on the first song.  It was actually the first time I didn't ff'd him.  Caleb did well too.  I agree that he needs to connect to what he's singing a bit more, but think that will come with time.  

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I cannot warm up to Gabby. I am OK with Maddie or Caleb winning. 

I am totally not invested in this season. Thank goodness for FF. I watched last night's show in about 42 minutes.

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(edited)

We didn't watch last night, because NHL playoffs.  But we watched a little bit of our recording during first intermission. As usual, we fast forwarded through the majority of the performances from Cade, Michael, Gabby, and Caleb and, of course, all of the "judges" "critiques." This morning I FF to the end of the recording to find out who went through and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Maddie made it. I also watched Maddie's "I Told You So." Lovely. We are never even tempted to FF through her performances but we typically can't/don't want to see a full performance from any of the others. Maybe we'll watch the rest of the ep tonight. It doesn't take us long since we only care to see bits and pieces. 

Because of the stupid voting process, we went ahead and cast our votes for Maddie without seeing her perform.

I won't watch next season based on the disappointing format and "judges" panel.

It was a nice touch having the moms in the credits.

Edited by Jillybean
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Thank goodness for FF. I watched last night's show in about 42 minutes.

So you watched some of the commercials?  :-).

Maddie's version of "God Only Knows" reminded me of the Mandy Moore version from the movie Saved! (in the credits, she was listed singing it in character, but I liked it either way.)  If you're a busy person, she sings it over the closing credits.  I liked Maddie's version enough to remember all of that.

Once again, I'm happy for the people who went forward, but this was a well-balanced season.  If I had to pick next week, Maddie for the win, but I could be mistaken.

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Maddie is my favorite, but I thought she did not have a great night last night. Gabby did better last night than any other night. 

I’m happy with this top 3. Ideally, I would have swapped Gabby for Michael, but that would be based on season-long performance, not last night. 

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I laughed at the end of the show remembering Katy's declaration at the beginning that they were going to be really tough on everyone last night because it is time for serious business here at the end. When she said that I feared that they had been given some sort of directive to be harsh for the sake of being harsh which would have been startling to the contestants after a season of platitudes but then all three offered the same bland non-critiques that they have since the beginning. One of the easiest ways to offer a critique on this show without getting too personal about someone having a bad performance is to mention that they made a poor song choice and these judges can't even seem to do that. I thought So Small was a really, really bad song for Caleb and Katy came close to sort of implying that but never just came out and said it. Why? Why can't they offer ANY sort of helpful criticism at all?

Of the three of them I actually don't mind Lionel as a judge all that much. There is a place on the judging panel for someone who offers helpful encouragement to contestants who have had a bad night and I think Lionel is really, really good at that. His comments to Catie last week when she forgot the lyrics to her song were on point and helpful for a young artist just getting started. I remember other encouraging comments in other weeks to people who were in the bottom or needed to be pushed through by the judges as well. I think it is really nice for people who are just starting out in this business to hear those kinds of things from someone who has had such a long and successful career. The problem is that you need a counterbalance to that and this panel just does not have that. Luke Bryan is basically Ellen DeGeneres with a country twang and Katy only cares about Katy and designs her commentary around whatever persona she is trying to embody that night. 

I know that lots of people were not fans of the previous judging panel (and a lot of people really disliked Harry especially) but I really enjoyed the way that Keith, J-Lo and Harry played off of each other. Harry did often dominate the room in a borderline obnoxious way but I always felt like he was offering serious constructive criticism that could help the contestants even if he was a bit self-indulgent with it. J-Lo was not great when she first started out but by the end I really thought she was useful on the panel most nights and that she worked really well with Harry and Keith especially. And while she always dressed in a way that made it clear she was wanting to be noticed, I felt like she'd have her moment when the judges were introduced and then she would get down to business and the rest of the night was about the contestants. Katy never gets to that point. The entire night is about her. It is obnoxious. I wonder how a Lionel/J-Lo/Harry panel would have gone. 

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3 minutes ago, TeeMo said:

Why can't they offer ANY sort of helpful criticism at all?

In my opinion, because that’s not their true role here, that’s just a facade.  They’re here to add star power, generate buzz and promote how good the contestants are and the show is.  I.e., act goofy and blow smoke.  

I’m ok with them dropping the comments on song choice because I think the show helps them pick, or even picks for them.   I think in the past we’d often hear the contestants were given like two bad songs to pick from, then their choices were ridiculed.   

JLo was even more about herself than Katy, to me.  

I thought most people here seemed to like Harry.  

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1 hour ago, Blissfool said:

We had Ryan's mom, Luke's mom, and Lionel' s sister. Did i blink and miss Katy's mom?

Maybe; she was there and did a video. 

1 minute ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

In my opinion, because that’s not their true role here, that’s just a facade.  They’re here to add star power, generate buzz and promote how good the contestants are and the show is.  I.e., act goofy and blow smoke.

I think most of the helpful stuff comes from Michael and all the crew backstage.  It was very nice of Gabby to nod to her vocal coaches after her Whitney song.

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24 minutes ago, MarkHB said:

I think most of the helpful stuff comes from Michael and all the crew backstage.

I was going to add that but then realized I don't even know if Michael is his name, after all these years. 

Remember when Kat McPhee's mom was a vocal coach on here and we got to see some of that?  I actually liked that.  I'm guessing it's too technical for most viewers, who are just here for the frosting and fluff.

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To be honest, I ff through almost the entire show! Don't like Carrie Underwood now and didn't like her on her season!(I liked Anwar Robinson and then rooted for Bo Bice when Anwar was eliminated). Didn't know any of Carrie's songs so wasn't interested in them! The only person I listened to all the way through was Maddie and I am really pulling for her...of course, not enough to vote....haven't done that in years!

2 hours ago, Blissfool said:

We had Ryan's mom, Luke's mom, and Lionel' s sister. Did i blink and miss Katy's mom?

Since I was ffing, I didn't notice the Mom thing until Lionel's sister so I had to back-up to check out the rest! Yes, Katy's mom was in a short video with her encouraging mothers to support their children. It was after someone sang so if you blinked(or you were ffing, you would have missed it. It took me three times going back to find her!!!

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I'll take these judges any day of the week over JLO or Harry. Even if I thought Katy Perry was obnoxious and self-centered on this show (which I don't), at least it would be a case of one versus two obnoxious, attention-seeking judges on the panel. I definitely don't agree that Harry was useful. I'd say at least half the time he seemed as if he was just in love with the sound of his own voice.

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(edited)
1 hour ago, TeeMo said:

I laughed at the end of the show remembering Katy's declaration at the beginning that they were going to be really tough on everyone last night because it is time for serious business here at the end. When she said that I feared that they had been given some sort of directive to be harsh for the sake of being harsh which would have been startling to the contestants after a season of platitudes but then all three offered the same bland non-critiques that they have since the beginning.

I finally got around to watching AI this a.m.  I don't know how anyone has the patience to watch this show live. 

Last night, except for the semi-interesting "mom" interviews, the show was its usual mix of clips with the contestants with mentor of the week; Carrie Underwood this time, who just happens to have a new album (shameless plug after each of her performances)/commercials/seeing how outrageous KP looked/more commercials/Luke being left speechless/more commercials/crowds waving their arms/more commercials  just rinse and repeat more of the same for two excruciating hours.  I was ready to bail after the first ten minutes, this was before any of the contestants had been on stage.    I'm not counting the opening bit where they "sang" with Carrie Underwood (did I mention she has a new album???).

Like @TeeMo mentioned, I'm curious at this late stage, why Katy "call me Cher" said they were going to be "really tough" with their critiques.  What I heard were the same old same, mushy (Papa Lionel, really?) bland non-critiques that we've heard all season.   I'm glad I DVR this show, like others, I only fully watched the performances of Gabby, Caleb and Maddie.  I knew Michael was done after listening to him sing just a couple bars in his first song.   It's a shame that he was given a place in the final five, when there were others, like Jurnee, who I feel has true talent (not to mention sing on key).  I know many found her distant, I'm not sure if this was partially do to nerves, not to mention being thrust into the "machine" that AI has become.  I was pleasantly surprised that Cade got the axe (another one who shouldn't have made it as far as he did).

So next week is the big finale?  I'm fine with the final three but again will be viewing via DVR.  I can't imagine how many commercials/fluff/useless judge comments they'll have trying to fill up two more hours, when due to the new voting process the "winner" will be decided more than likely by mid-show.

I probably FF through this, but is AI coming back next season?   Will they have the same spineless judges?  Hoping that if ABC does bring it back that they revert back to their original format.    Otherwise I probably won't find it interesting enough for it to take up space on my DVR.

.

Edited by zoemom
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10 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

Why, oh why was Katy dressed like Cher from her “Sonny & Cher” days? Yes, I am old.

I’m glad to see Maddie in the final. I would have traded Gabby (whose too-shrill singing voice hits me like nails on a blackboard) for Michael (who bores me as a performer but at least I don’t hit the mute button every time). 

I was watching a YouTube video of someone who happened to go to her concert 2 years ago, and she was wearing a damn turban.  Why is she dead set on looking like she’s way older than she is?  When did Katy turn into Blanche Deveraux?

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