S17.E17: Woodstock and Show Stoppers (2019.05.05)

[MarkHB]

Quote

Each contestant sings one inspirationally powerful song with the help of Lauren Daigle, and then takes on a song performed at the famed 1969 Woodstock music festival. Gabby Barrett also performs.

I wonder if they set this up before the Woodstock50 concert collapsed....

[Annber03]

Uh, yeah, so suffice to say I don't agree with those results, like, at all.

[SnarkAttack]

What the hell is Wade still doing on my screen?!  UGH UGH UGH.

[incandescent]

They saved the wrong one.

[Koalagirl]

WTF!!!

[ECM1231]

Color me shocked! Laci had an awful night, imo. "Open Arms" was painful to listen to and "To Love Somebody" wasn't much better.

The judges praised Jeremiah to the heavens on both songs and then use the save on Laci. Scratching my head.. 

[SnarkAttack]

The save was an insult to the contestants, the judges didn't take it seriously at all.

[BW Manilowe]

That was SO BOGUS! NO WAY is Laci better than Jeremiah (at least she looked appropriately shocked she was saved)! And how are Wade & Alejandro still skating by?! Right now I think I’m hoping Laine wins. He’s the best of who’s left, in my opinion.

Edited May 6, 2019 by BW Manilowe
To add a word.

[thesupremediva1]

What an absolute insult. The judges can be renamed Deaf, Dumb, and Blind based on that joke of a "save."

How was that even a fucking discussion? You let the best singer of the competition go for THAT?! She has no power, I despise her tone, and she looks like a deer in headlights every time she sings. I don't think she connects to lyrics at all.

Laine FTW now. May it always be known that a teen idol won over a voice from heaven. Just get that Laci off my fucking screen before I stop watching completely. Simon would have put that vacant doe in her place in Hollywood week.

Jeremiah will have a career like J-HUD. Except this time, we can blame Katy Perry for not keeping him around.

I am sure Laine will win regardless, but I saw Jeremiah as top 2 no doubt. What a slap in the face to anyone who knows decent singing vs. great singing. Jeremiah trounces Laci any day of the week.

Edited May 6, 2019 by thesupremediva1
Rage typing

[HelenCrump]

So very wrong!  I can't believe the judges didn't save Jeremiah.

On a positive note:  I really loved Alejandro's original song.

[incandescent]

2 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

That was SO BOGUS! NO WAY is Laci better than Jeremiah (at least she looked appropriately shocked she was saved)! And how are Wade & Alejandro still skating by?! Right now I think I’m hoping Laine wins. He’s the best of who’s left, in my opinion.

They won huge by having the best nights of their Idol runs tonight.

[Annber03]

9 minutes ago, SnarkAttack said:

The save was an insult to the contestants, the judges didn't take it seriously at all.

I also loved how Katy told at least three of the contestants in some form or another that they're going to win all of this. I'm sure the ones she didn't say that about appreciated that, and the ones she did were probably thinking, "...so...which one of us do you really want to win, then?" 

[Suzysite]

Guess I'll be the lone person who was pleasantly surprised that Laci was the one saved.   I'm pretty much over Jeremiah, so I was hoping he was done.   

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Suzysite said:

Guess I'll be the lone person who was pleasantly surprised that Laci was the one saved.   I'm pretty much over Jeremiah, so I was hoping he was done.   

I like Laci, too (though I agree with others that tonight was not a great night for her), so I don't necessarily have a problem with her still being there in and of itself. I just wish Jeremiah could be there, too. I would've preferred Wade be the one to ultimately go home tonight. 

[suebee12]

21 minutes ago, thesupremediva1 said:

The judges can be renamed Deaf, Dumb, and Blind based on that joke of a "save."

Best quote of the night! I am still cringing from some of the songs tonight........

[SnarkAttack]

Katy gets paid 25 million dollars, 25 million.  The least she can do is take this seriously, out of respect for the contestants.  Oh that's right, it's about the judges.  The exact reason I don't watch The Voice.  

[silverspoons]

I knew they would save Laci. they were not going to have 4 guys and 1 girl in the final 5 and chance an all male final 3.  I am not rooting for Jeremiah but I agree he was way better then Laci tonight. 

So far the the top people have basically been the same as the views they get on facebook. Laine is so far ahead no way he loses. Plus with the live shows they are begging for people to vote without seeing the performances. I just wish they would stop this live voting. Ryan is not that important!

[incandescent]

34 minutes ago, silverspoons said:

I knew they would save Laci. they were not going to have 4 guys and 1 girl in the final 5 and chance an all male final 3.

They're not chancing it any less by saving her, since it's highly unlikely that someone who lacked the fanbase to make top 4 would suddenly have the fanbase to make top 3.

Edited May 6, 2019 by incandescent
typo

[silverspoons]

2 minutes ago, incandescent said:

They're not chancing it any less by saving her, since it's highly unlike that someone who lacked the fanbase to make top 4 would suddenly have the fanbase to make top 3.

Isn't next week 5 to 3 so they will be fine with 2 boys and a girl.  Laine and Madison plus ? I would guess Alejandro.  

I am no fan of the save. AI did not put a strong group of women in the top 10 or even top 14 so it was a guys year to win, plus again I say they brought back Laine, flew him to Idaho for a reason.

[TeeMo]

Jeremiah is a much better singer than Laci but I knew they’d save her to even out the boy/girl mix a bit. I also figured Laci was heading for the bottom two when the judges spent most of their time for critiquing her just begging people to vote.  I don’t think Jeremiah stood a chance of winning this thing so might as well go home now I guess. I was hoping for a bottom two of Wade and Alejandro but alas no.

Despite my intense dislike for Wade he did have one of his better nights tonight so I fear that momentum will push him into the finals. Ugh.

I like Madison a lot but actually thought that rendition of I Surrender was rough and sort of unpleasant and shouty. I get that the theme was showstoppers but Celine Dion is a terrible choice for a 17 year old girl, even a 17 year old girl with a voice like Madison’s. Simon always cautioned contestants about avoiding the Mariah, Celine and Whitney songs unless you could really bring it and I wish someone had given that advice to Madison. It is just really, really hard to pull off some of those diva songs and make it memorable as your own performance even with a killer voice.

I know Alejandro gave us some BS reasoning for why he went with an original song and not a “showstopper” but I still found it borderline self indulgent and arrogant to go that route. I wonder if he wants off this program before there is a chance he could win. The Idol winner contract stinks and he could probably do better without it. 

I’ll be stunned if anyone but Laine wins this thing though having last season’s undeserving DWTS champ Bobby Bones uselessly hanging around backstage every week is starting to make me nervous about Wade’s chances. 

[incandescent]

12 minutes ago, silverspoons said:

Isn't next week 5 to 3 so they will be fine with 2 boys and a girl.  Laine and Madison plus ? I would guess Alejandro.  

I am no fan of the save. AI did not put a strong group of women in the top 10 or even top 14 so it was a guys year to win, plus again I say they brought back Laine, flew him to Idaho for a reason.

Exactly. The finale was never gonna be a sausage fest because of Madison, so saving Laci or Jeremiah had no effect on that in either direction.

[TheGreenKnight]

I remember thinking tonight before they announced results that if Jeremiah has to go, at least let him go out with Wade at the same time. But, no, not only does Wade make it through another week, but the best singer is the only one eliminated for factors he has no control over. And this is just after the first week of the lives, where both of the black guys were eliminated simultaneously. This is why Maddie Poppe's win last year is still a huge shock to me.

I don't resent Laci at all. She had no control over it; she shouldn't have been there while Wade was safe either, imo. At this point, Laine's the only hope to stopping a Wade win, I guess. Awful...

Edited May 6, 2019 by TheGreenKnight

[twilightzone]

Jeremiah should have been Saved over Laci.  But the Save contestant is on borrowed time.  They never win.  Alejandro and Wade actually had very good nights.  While Madison has been under rated and Laine has been over rated.

[incandescent]

Did anyone else notice how much of Lauren Daigle's mentoring was trying to help them with technical aspects of their vocals? If they only had voice coaches on hand for Hollywood Week, I wouldn't be shocked.

[Annber03]

34 minutes ago, TeeMo said:

I’ll be stunned if anyone but Laine wins this thing though having last season’s undeserving DWTS champ Bobby Bones uselessly hanging around backstage every week is starting to make me nervous about Wade’s chances. 

Yeeeeeeah, I keep thinking about that, too, whenever he's offering his advice and support. Seriously, why is he even here? 

[Blissfool]

2 hours ago, Suzysite said:

Guess I'll be the lone person who was pleasantly surprised that Laci was the one saved.   I'm pretty much over Jeremiah, so I was hoping he was done.   

I like Laci, too. I like how she sings and how she presents herself. I like Jeremiah, too, but his musical style is not radio-friendly and I think that's the reason he was not saved. I would have preferred him over Wade, though. He should have been eliminated during the audition process, as far as I'm concerned.

[HappyDancex2]

Loved the voice coach mentoring this week.  She definitely cleaned up some stuff.

Does Lionel have to waste precious time with every contestant about making a comment about their clothes, jackets, raiding his closet etc etc....same words every week.  We get it Lionel...you like the bling.  

Katy is ridiculous.  Ridiculous outfit with heels and her tottering around to make herself shown on TV was dumb as usual.  She’s a big name though so they can’t boot her.  She’s either getting too old for this or she is too big of a star to be this thirsty.

[theschnauzers]

It almost seemed as if production not the judges has a hand in the save decision tonight. (Just look at Luke saying something short mentioning Laci to Katy before she announces their “decision.” Just like the old days on Idol.

The take from the industry folks who actually sign contracts will be the thing to watch. I suspect Jeremiah will be signed as soon as the optics permit, Jeremiah covered two artists tonight that I had been hoping to see — Barbra Streisand and Joan Baez. You add that with the others, he hasn’t ever been shy about his song choices.

[DietCokeJunkie]

5 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Katy is ridiculous.  Ridiculous outfit with heels and her tottering around to make herself shown on TV was dumb as usual.  She’s a big name though so they can’t boot her.  She’s either getting too old for this or she is too big of a star to be this thirsty.

Not to mention Katy digging her underwear out of her crack when she stood up at the end. She's klassy. 

[Kendra143]

I thought I liked Katie Perry but after watching her on American Idol I think she is a vapid narcissist. Could she just once talk in a normal voice and provide some constructive criticism about singing? She is so”look at me” I expect her to come out naked next. I respected Lionel Richie as an artist until I watched him be just as  shallow as a dried up puddle, and Luke Bryan is acting a fool. 

I hate that Jeremiah is gone. Must keep pretty people even if they don’t sing well... looking at you Lacie. And Lane is way too oily and slick. Please you are not a reincarnated old time Country Star. Try being yourself for a change. 

[marketdoctor]

Quote

It almost seemed as if production not the judges has a hand in the save decision tonight.

I think the producers made the decision before this week (to save a woman if was necessary), and hoped the voting wouldn't make it necessary.

I like Laci, but she's at her best when she can sing country (or country pop.)  This show's format has always favored people who can sing a lot of genres, and I think they thought her voice would adapt.  Post-Idol, she might do well in the country world.  All of that said, I think she's got the self-awareness to enjoy the ride and to do the best she can, which might win her fans on personality.

I wonder if they'll eliminate two people or three next week.  That might depend on the gender balance again--if they can have it be Madison vs. Laine, I'm not sure if they'll want a third person.

I had three of the other four--I didn't see Wade getting the fourth spot either, but it's not a horse race.

[Jillybean]

I don't care that Jeremiah is gone since I find him boring -- but for Alejandro and Wade to still be in it is mind-boggling. Alejandro sounds the same on every song (falsetto coffee house) and Wade (phony Joe Cocker) should've been gone weeks (months?) ago. Then again, this is probably the worst top 5 in Idol history. Lauren Daigle was the best thing about this episode, and I'm not even familiar with her. 

[MarkHB]

9 hours ago, silverspoons said:

So far the the top people have basically been the same as the views they get on facebook. Laine is so far ahead no way he loses. Plus with the live shows they are begging for people to vote without seeing the performances. I just wish they would stop this live voting. Ryan is not that important!

The coast-to-coast (and beyond... I just checked and the show airs live in Honolulu at 2 Pm) voting is a neat stunt, but I don't think they're getting any publicity traction out of it. Really, you would think Ryan could do the Monday Live! from a studio in LA... I hear they have those there.

Alejandro singing "White Rabbit"?  He doesn't sing with the power the standard arrangement demands (All Hail Grace Slick!) and his voice isn't right to give it a truly eerie vibe.

[Babalooie]

10 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Jeremiah will have a career like J-HUD. Except this time, we can blame Katy Perry for not keeping him around.

7 hours ago, theschnauzers said:

(Just look at Luke saying something short mentioning Laci to Katy before she announces their “decision.”

The second quote answers the first quote in that Katy was acting like an airhead while the clock was ticking and the show was about to end.  I'm sure that the decisions were predetermined and Luke had to whisper and remind her of whose name she was supposed to announce.  It wasn't really HER decision.

[cinsays]

Sad to see Jeremiah go love his voice, but I don't think winning this show would have been good for him.  Locked into a contract with AOL would be a step backward.

Same with Alejandro.  I don't think they would know how to handle him.  Loved his Woodstock song rendition. Truly an artist.

Madison has a great voice but does not at all connect with the emotion of the song. 

Laci has grown on me a bit but if she was in the bottom 2, then she has little chance of winning this thing.

I like Wade and sometimes he is really good but he was a little screechy to me last night.  I really wonder if there is a vote-for-the-loser thing going on with him.  Not his fault and I think he registers that he should not be advancing over some of these people.

I would have loved to see Uche and Dimitrius tackle the Woodstock songs.

Might as well stick with someone safe like boring Laine, though I just don't get the appeal he has.  Cute but nothing special.  Katy acting like she was getting all hot and bothered over him was cringe-worthy.  The kid is 19 and you're 10 years later and less mature than he is.  Grow up.  Not funny or appealing.

[HelenCrump]

I am not familiar with Lauren Daigle, but I really liked her as a mentor.  She offered really good advice and seemed warm and supportive with the singers.  

I have been thinking about the show last night.  I like Laine - he has talent and charisma.  But his performances are not giving me an idea what type of recording artist he would be.  I would really like to see more of a sense of direction with him -- country? country rock? sort of new-school John Fogarty?

[Tosia]

28 minutes ago, HelenCrump said:

I am not familiar with Lauren Daigle, but I really liked her as a mentor.  She offered really good advice and seemed warm and supportive with the singers.  

I have been thinking about the show last night.  I like Laine - he has talent and charisma.  But his performances are not giving me an idea what type of recording artist he would be.  I would really like to see more of a sense of direction with him -- country? country rock? sort of new-school John Fogarty?

Katie is playing a role ....a ditsy, pratfall-prone, crazy costumed comedic role to elicit media attention for AI. And it's working.  She's playing everyone.  

Lane is cute and likable, for all those teens who vote, so it was smart of AI.   AI has formed his limited talents into likable, passable performances with great background musician support. 

I adored Jeremiah's voice,  so the sa e of no-talent Laci  was ridiculous, but , again, I see it as a manipulative ploy by AI to engender more  response and more voting.  Oh, AI, you got me. Jerks. 

I could not understand the words of Laci, Wade, or Alejandro's singing. 

I like Alejandro, and I feel his guitarist talent will be his future.  

[Koalagirl]

I'm just thinking back to all of the negative hype when Paula Abdul had her off days due to a medical condition we have only recently found out about and now Katie Perry is doing things that would have completely crucified Paula back in the day.  If anything, Paula never intentionally tried to draw the attention away from whomever was on stage.  As if Katy couldn't find another time to go look at Gabi's engagement ring (pre-show, commercial, after show).

[kili]

Quote

If anything, Paula never intentionally tried to draw the attention away from whomever was on stage. 

I suspect that if Luke hadn't stopped her, she would have been onstage with Laine.

I'm going to feel really bad if it turns out she has some neurological deficiency that is causing this behaviour, but right now I'm totally annoyed at her antics stealing focus from the contestants. It's so unnecessary and immature.

[sempervivum]

12 hours ago, silverspoons said:

I just wish they would stop this live voting. Ryan is not that important!

I think the live voting is the reason Idol is now leading the Voice in ratings. I don't like the format,  but it's undoubtedly more exciting than sitting through a second hour on Monday, like ye olden times. And it's waaay more interesting to have the whole thing happen in one night, unlike the gimmicky, drawn out/endless Voice.

I also think the reason Bobby Bones is 'hanging around backstage' is that he IS going to take over for Ryan at some point. JMO.

Alejandro's White Rabbit reminded me of Quentin Alexander's I Put a Spell on You from season 14-very unexpected and mesmerizing (although Quentin had a better voice). And Alej's original was something I would turn the radio volume up for. I'm also impressed by his refusal to bring his personal background into the arena (at least AFAIK). I think a significant part of the  reason Jeremiah was eliminated was his 'I'm just a poor(gay) boy' schtick. Again, JMO.

[HelenCrump]

20 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I also think the reason Bobby Bones is 'hanging around backstage' is that he IS going to take over for Ryan at some point. JMO.

I agree wholeheartedly.  I fully expect this to happen, possibly sooner than later.

[cinsays]

Well, I am not a fan of Bobby Bones, so hope that does not happen.

Who was the reddish haired guy they talked to on the show last night?  I guess I got bored and dozed when he came on.

[Diana Berry]

Did Gabby's song sound earily like Carrie Underwood's 'when he cheats' song?

[observer]

14 hours ago, TeeMo said:

... last season’s undeserving DWTS champ Bobby Bones uselessly hanging around backstage every week ...

Added to include annber03's comment, also perfect.

"Yeeeeeeah, I keep thinking about that, too, whenever he's offering his advice and support. Seriously, why is he even here?" 

Edited May 6, 2019 by observer

[observer]

2 hours ago, Tosia said:

Katie is playing a role ....a ditsy, pratfall-prone, crazy costumed comedic role to elicit media attention for AI. And it's working.  She's playing everyone.  

You are a better person than I to view her behavior with this perspective.  I think she is an inveterate attention whore no matter what the setting.  And what sticks in my craw is her utter lack of introspection.  If I ever behaved as she did during that poor girls proposal, and then saw it on playback I would be mortified.  I maintain that Katy seriously thinks her behavior is adorably funny.  Her frenzied need to be the "star" of every moment indicates to me a real soul sucking pathology.

  

And yes, I can make this in depth psychological analysis on the basis of watching a once a week completely manipulated reality show.

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/a27371516/katy-perry-picking-her-wedgie-american-idol/

Edited May 6, 2019 by observer

[Jillybean]

3 hours ago, cinsays said:

Might as well stick with someone safe like boring Laine, though I just don't get the appeal he has.  Cute but nothing special.  Katy acting like she was getting all hot and bothered over him was cringe-worthy.  The kid is 19 and you're 10 years later and less mature than he is.  Grow up.  Not funny or appealing.

Katy's 34, so she's got a good 15-16 years on Laine. I never liked the weird flirtation between young male contestants and late-40s (now 50) JLo, either -- though at least IIRC it was mostly on the guys' side. 

[rr2911]

American Idol continues to be ridiculous, but not for the reason some might think. Katy Perry's antics have become old and tiresome. Sure she is a very beautiful over hyped star, but her need to hog the attention away from the contestants darkens her beauty. A couple of times she didn't Luke Bryan talk because of her ramblings. I just don't know how TPTB think America loves this. The judging has gotten ridiculous also. No judging. Just commenting about wardrobe, closets and things. Ugh!

Well, here I go,

Wade - Only one word to describe him. AWFUL, again! Oops, that's two words. 🙂

Alejandro - He's just not that good. He would make a good coffee shop singer. You know, that ones you stick in the corner far away from everyone else.

Laci - I like Laci. She's grown on me. I like her voice even though it isn't the strongest in this group. She didn't have her best night but I'm glad she was saved.

Jeremiah - He has a good voice. However, I thought his singing wasn't up to par especially "Somewhere", which sounded whiney to me.

Laine - I thought this was his best performance so far. His song choice, and vocals were great! I still wish he could move away from his Elvis wannabe wardrobe.

Madison - A star in the making! Beautiful performances. Beautiful vocals. She looked beautiful!

People are hating on Laci. Why? What did you expect her to do? Give up her seat to Jeremiah? The judges are the ones everyone should blame. Not just for saving Laci, but for not doing their jobs. America, or at least the fans that voted for Wade and Alejandro. Yes I know everyone has the right to choose who they vote for and why. Again, the judges never should've passed Wade along. He should've been cut when he forgot the words during Hollywood week. Alejandro simply doesn't have the chops for this competition and also never should've gone through to the top 20. As I said last week, how a contestant looks is important to many fans. Jeremiah doesn't have the pretty boy looks. He just looks like a pizza delivery guy. Or dude that's going to install an anti-virus software on your computer. I think the biggest mind boggling question is hoe the hell is Wade still on the show. The guy butchers every song. But, he's gaining confidence every week. You could see it on his face. Plus, it doesn't help that there are probably many fans voting for him just to throw a wrench in this whole thing. In other words, WE'RE SCREWED!!     

[mamadrama]

17 hours ago, Suzysite said:

Guess I'll be the lone person who was pleasantly surprised that Laci was the one saved.   I'm pretty much over Jeremiah, so I was hoping he was done.   

Same. Laci's the first contestant who I've really enjoyed in a long time. Jeremiah was good and I liked him, I just prefer Laci. At this point it really doesn't even matter who "wins." The REAL winner won't be the one the shows crowns-it will be the one who takes advantage of this opportunity to grow their social media audience and is able to capitalize on this attention. Sometimes it's even better if they don't win the title. That contract is rough. 

[limecoke]

Laine had better win this.  That’s all.

[suebee12]

The one positive about Katy is her recent hairdos! Of course, that isn't really her doing...she is just wearing it but I really liked her hair last night. It looked "real" so the hair stylist is very, very good! And as a slightly off the topic comment, as a person who has sewing as a hobby, I was glad to see that the stripes on Katy's (too short dress; I was afraid I was going to see something I shouldn't!) matched at the zipper. I know that is petty but I hate seeing stripes that don't match!