Results shows are always a mix of highs and lows, but the results for this week were even more a mix than usual. We can only take the good with the bad, but there was an awful lot of both, to be honest.
The good: I hate to make evaluations based on just one (or two) songs from each contestant, but with that caveat in mind this really is a very impressive group. If the worst in a top 12 are the likes of Asthon Jones or Stefano Langone, you’re well ahead of the curve. If Haley Reinhart is your season’s counterpart of Haley Scarnato (looks better than she can sing), you’re well ahead of the curve.
Another high: the wildcard round. They all sang much better than they did earlier, and picking the best to save there really was quite hard. The contestants deserve a lot of credit for how well they improved.
However, for all that, there were still two major lows on the night. First was a robbery of omission: no Lauren Turner in the wildcard? Really? I simply can’t understand why. Seeing her in that group of eliminated girls was just plain… wrong. I’d rather have had her in the wildcard than either Naima or Ashthon, neither of which I’m convinced has any good long-term potential on the show. They’re still cannon fodder.
Of course, that subtle crime was followed by a major one: Kendra Chantelle was out-and-out robbed. There’s no other word for it. She’d already sung well enough the night before, if a little “cold”. But she improved dramatically on the wildcard round, with a pretty good version of her song. Yet somehow it wasn’t good enough against two generic divas. Ashthon is a cookie-cutter R&B diva (who’s not even that good), while Naima is personally more colorful, I don’t think she’s got any long term future either. This was an Idol robbery in the first degree. The conspiracy-minded will note that Naima has received quite a good amount of pimping up to now. By contrast, Kendra’s exposure was minimal. Hmmm…. the conspiracy theorists may well be onto something.
Whatever the case, though, this is the most optimistic we’ve been in a while going into the finals. (Given how the Idol gods behave, though, I fully expect the top 13 episode to be a disaster.)
I think we’re in for a great Iodl season. I don’t think you’d need worry much. I don’t think any of the wild cards will be with us long. In the history of Idol only one wild (judges pick) has made it as high as 5th. That would be George Huff. That season had suck talent. I would not be surprised if none of the Wilds toured. That being said these wilds would kill the others.
Trenyce made it to 5th on season 2. Paula picked her as a wildcard.
Uhm, Clay Aiken was also a wild card. [/littleknownfact] Unbelievable, but true. In his original group, Ruben and Kimberley Locke made it in over him, but he was invited back to the wild card round, where the voters picked him.