Well, that was certainly different.
Whereas I have believed in all of the idol tweaks and adjustments thus far, tonight’s “Rush Week” episode just seemed like a rushed mess. The first live episode of the season featured the Top 15 girls singing off against each other… or so we thought.
Instead, the show started off with Ryan Seacrest saying that only 10 of the 15 would be singing, meaning that five would be cut without even being given the chance to sing. It’s especially cruel considering that they had been told that made it to the live shows last week. I guess that is technically true. All 15 did make it to the live shows. It’s just that only 10 would be singing. Ouch.
In any event, before I give you my thoughts on the decision, let’s review the performances of the 10 who were lucky enough to move forward in the competition.
MAJESTY ROSE
The show’s most likeable and genuine contestant made a great song choice when she decided to go with Pharrell’s “Happy.” It is said that people are what they eat, and if that was adjusted to ‘you are what you sing,’ it would have been an apt description for Majesty’s song choice. The bubbly and quirky tune matched the bubbly and quirky personality of its singer perfectly. Majesty showed no signs of nervousness and seemed to get the audience involved immediately. It was a great start to the first live show of the season, and I wondered how the others would fare comparatively.
KRISTIN O’CONNOR
Easily the hottest girl on the show this season, Kristin O’Connor covered Adele’s “Turning Tables.” I thought that the performance was average at best. I certainly would have preferred fi Kristin went with something more upbeat, but you can’t really fault any of the contestants for taking the safe ballad route as they fight for a spot in the show’s Top 13. While judge Harry Connick Jr., said that the performance was powerful, I thought it was marginal at best. Meh.
BRIANA OAKLEY
Briana has received a lot of screentime this season and while I think she is a great singer, she has the stage presence of a cantaloupe. The nervous singer has a great voice, but going with Demi Lovato’s “Warrior” coupled with her jittery nerves, made this a forgettable escapade. While I would listen to Briana’s album, I just don’t think she has the stage presence necessary to connect with the audience.
JENA IRENE
Jena “Call me Gina, not Jenna” Irene has always been one of my favourites in the competition and she came through again. Her song choice and unique spin on “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones was not what I was expecting and certainly showed her versatility as we had become accustomed to her just constantly sitting behind a piano. While she didn’t really know what the song was about (after Harry questioned her about the lyrics), it didn’t really matter. Keith Urban said that she had a fantastic stage presence and a cool way of holding the mic and I definitely concurred. Jena looked and sounded like a star and on a night when the judges/producers were making huge errors in terms of who they pushed forward in the competition, Jena was one of the few bright spots.
BRIA ANAI
Describing herself as “the girl with the lips,” Bria Anai has always looked like someone who has been waiting for the opportunity that American Idol provides. With that said, her decision to cover “Wrong Side Of Love” seemed strange as I thought she would go with a song that had a wider general appeal. I thought she performed well, but could have coasted to the Top 13 had she picked something that the audience actually knew the lyrics to.
MARRIALLE SELLERS
The Rihanna wannabe has been shoved down our throats all season, easily receiving the most airtime of any of the other contestants and appearing on multiple audition episodes. She was certainly being groomed as this season’s winner and as my fellow colleagues and critics have already pointed out, I also didn’t understand the hype. Marrialle’s voice was marginal at best, and while she was also employing the cutesy personality, it didn’t seem nearly as authentic as Majesty’s. For her first live performance, she went with Katy Perry’s “Roar.” It was a refreshing choice as the other ballads were quite bland. With that said, Marrialle destroyed the cover and not in a good way. She sang ahead of the pocket, stumbled across her heels (even strangely deciding to hold one to close the performance) and generally seemed overwhelmed by where she was. Keith Urban said that was “too karaoke” and I even think that was giving her far too much credit.
JESSICA MEUSE
The pink-haired firecracker had to deal with the most abhorrent of stage moms during Hollywood week, and came out affected if not unscathed. She decided to go with Luke Bryan’s “Drink A Beer.” While appealing to Idol‘s primarily country-based demographic was a smart choice, the boring song didn’t really serve to highlight Jessica as being one of the show’s most dynamic performers. For someone who claimed to have been waiting her entire life for the Idol stage, Jessica almost seemed like she didn’t know what to do with it when finally there. I was disappointed as she has been one of the contestants that I have been rooting for. It was especially concerning because Jessica had to basically sing for her life to get to the live show, beating out a rival in a sing-off in front of the judges.
EMILY PIRIZ
Easily my favourite performance of the night, Emily chose the right song and performed it like a star. While Harry chastised her for selecting Grace Potter’s “Paris (Ooh La La)” because of lyrics that suggest being ‘down on the floor,’ I thought this was his worst criticism of the season. Emily simply chose a fun and upbeat tune that highlighted her vocal strength. Harry chose to try and portray her as a promiscuous teen and I didn’t think that his comment had any place on the program. I was actually pretty upset about it. With that said, let’s not go down the same route that he did and actually say that Emily’s performance was fantastic and a breath of fresh air on a show that had not delivered thus far. Emily was one of the few who looked like she could immediately headline a concert. I was impressed.
M.K. NOBILETTE
M.K.’s solo performances during Hollywood week were always memorable and her authentic method of presentation was something that I haven’t seen in any other Idol contestant thus far. For her first live performance, she went with John Legend’s “All Of Me.” The result was perfect. M.K. immediately had the attention of both the judges and the audience and while I thought the vocal could have been stronger, it really didn’t matter as she was easily the most captivating. She could have a long future in this year’s competition.
MALAYA WATSON
The girl with the biggest personality this year, also has the biggest hair and the biggest braces. Malaya Watson has been a fan favourite all season and certainly deserved a spot in the Top 10. While she chose one of the oldest songs of the evening (“Hard Times” by Ray Charles), she definitely did a good job with it. I would have preferred to see her throw down to some Beyonce but I think she did enough to at least earn a wild card spot if nothing else.
So there you have it. The contestants who were left out in the cold included Austin Wolfe, Andrina Brogden, Kenzie Hall, Brandy Neelly, and shockingly Jillian Jensen. I was especially stunned by Jillian Jensen not moving through (although the writing was on the wall for the former The X Factor contestant who had not been featured as heavily in recent episodes. Could the producers have been concerned that her pre-existing fanbase would propel her to the end? That’s really the only logical conclusion that I can come up with as Jillian was easily the best female singer in the competition.
After the performances, host Ryan Seacrest announced to no one’s surprise that Ben Briley had secured the final spot for the guys (over Neco Starr).
Stay tuned for my thoughts on the Top 10 guy performances.
