The results this week didn’t turn out the way I expected them to, but they did turn out the way a lot of people, it seems, were hoping they would. Those people finally got to say goodbye to an Idol they thought should have been cut a long time ago.

If you missed the performance show on Tuesday night you can always watch the performance videos and read our recaps right here:

• American Idol 2008 – Top 7 Performance (4/15/08) Recaps

I did fairly well in picking the bottom three as I predicted two out of three correctly, but once again I missed the most important one. Just to refresh your memory, I placed the Top 7 performances in this order:

1. David Cook – Always Be My Baby
2. David Archuleta – When You Believe
3. Jason Castro – I Don’t Wanna Cry
4. Syesha Mercado – Vanishing
5. Kristy Lee Cook – Forever
6. Carly Smithson – Without You
7. Brooke White – Hero

Once again my predictions of who I thought would be in the bottom three did not line up with who I personally named to the bottom three. I really felt that Kristy did well enough to keep herself out of the bottom three while Syesha’s song choice probably hurt her. My pick for the bottom three were Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson, and Brooke White with Brooke White being the one who ended up going home.

The actual bottom three ended up being:

• Syesha Mercado
• Kristy Lee Cook
• Brooke White

I’m not completely surprised by this bottom three by any means. Kristy was the only one I didn’t pick for the bottom three and she was actually in my bottom three for the week (even if I thought she did a pretty good job). At this point in the contest someone has to go home each week and these are clearly three of the weaker contestants right now. I thought that Carly deserved to be here more than Syesha, but I guess she still has more fans somehow. By the same reasoning, it wasn’t a shocker that Kristy Lee Cook was sent home this week. Kristy has been fighting to compete for weeks and she’s really struggled to stay at the same level as some of the others who are probably more talented than she is.

Why Syesha Mercado and Brooke White Made The Bottom Three

• Syesha Mercado – I can say the same thing this week that I said last week. Syesha is losing votes because of song choice. If she had sung a well known Mariah Carey song this week she would have been fine. I know that the judges always say that people will compare her to the original artist, but Syesha is really good and if she had chosen a song that wasn’t as difficult as some of the others and had really blown it out of the water, she would have been tearing up the votes. People will not vote for songs they don’t know.

 

• Brooke White – Listen, Brooke was completely out of her league during Mariah Carey week. The songs were too much for her so she did what she had to do. Unfortunately, she was far too nervous and it really showed through. She performed poorly once again and continued a trend that’s been going on for a few weeks now. Brooke won over fans early on, but she’s losing them now. She can’t hope to win with performances like this. She’s got to step it up.

Why Kristy Lee Cook Lost American Idol

Whether it was deserved or not, Kristy got the reputation for being the Idol this year that stayed well past the time she should have gone. I personally think she was talented enough to warrant her stay up until this point so I don’t think she overstayed her welcome. In fact, I think she should have stayed this week as she performed better than two others. It’s been an uphill battle for Kristy for weeks now, though. She’s known that there was growing sentiment that she should go and she’s been in the bottom three numerous times. She was never able to grow a fan base large enough to keep her in the contest for the long haul.

The American Idol Top 6

• David Archuleta, 17, Murray, UT
• Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, TX
• David Cook, 25, Tulsa, OK
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami, FL
• Carly Smithson, San Diego, CA
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, CA
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, OR (Top 7)
• Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles, CA (Top 8)
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, FL (Top 9)
• Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, CA (Top 10)
• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, IN (Top 11)
• David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, AZ (Top 12)

If you’re keeping score with the little side contest Jeff (from Static ThinkBox) and I have going… Jeff and I both guessed incorrectly once again. Jeff went with Carly Smithson while my prediction was Brooke White. Needless to say, our scores have fallen to embarrassing levels. The current score is below.

For a quick recap from a slightly different perspective, swing by Static ThinkBox and see what Jeff has to say about the ousted contestants.

Unfortunately for the organizers, it doesn’t look like this year’s event was nearly as successful. Despite lining up more stars than a rap music video, the show was only able to pull in 17.5 million viewers, down from the 26.9 million that watched it last year. Last year’s show raised over $76 million was raised for underprivileged children while they’ve only garnered a little over $60 million thus far this year (although donations are still being accepted). I blame the show itself. By the fifteenth thousand time I heard a celebrity read (badly) a cue card with the IDOL AID phone number on it I wanted to shoot myself. By the second Miley Cirus performance, that left me feeling confused and a little dirty, I changed the channel.

Anyway, back to the results show. It was a doozy. We all knew an upset could come at any time, of course, but I don’t think anyone was expecting THIS upset at this point in the competition. If you’ll remember, this week was Inspirational Song week and our usual slate of favorites got turned upside down. If you missed the performance show on Tuesday night you can always watch the performance videos and read our recaps right here:

• American Idol 2008 – Top 8 Performance (4/08/08) Recaps

As I mentioned, this was an upset week. I still did pretty well on my bottom picks since I got two out of three correct. The one I missed was the upset and the big surprise. Just to refresh your memory, I placed the Top 8 performances in this order:

1. Jason Castro – “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Braddah Iz
2. David Archuleta – “Angelsâ€Â? by Robbie Williams
3. Kristy Lee Cook – “Anywayâ€Â? by Martina McBride
4. Michael Johns – “Dream Onâ€Â? by Aerosmith
5. Syesha Mercado – “I Believeâ€Â? by Fantasia
6. Brooke White – “You’ve Got a Friendâ€Â? by Carol King
7. David Cook – “Innocentâ€Â? by Our Lady Peace
8. Carly Smithson – “The Show Must Go Onâ€Â? by Queen

For my picks of who would be in the bottom three I didn’t go with who I thought were the bottom three. I felt like David Cook had a bad performance but would be able to dodge this bullet on the strength of his past performances. Therefore, I felt that Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, and Carly Smithson would be the bottom three contestants and that this would be the week that Carly Smithson went home.

The actual bottom three ended up being:

• Syesha Mercado
• Michael Johns
• Carly Smithson

I thought Michael Johns had one of his better performances this week so I was stunned when he was named as being in the bottom three. I thought with David Cook’s poor performance this week, Michael had really shown that he was improving and that he had a chance to get even better. You can imagine my surprise then when I heard that Michael Johns was the one who was actually voted out! Crazy. I personally don’t agree with it, of course, but it happens pretty much every year. There’s always someone who gets voted out that we think shouldn’t. That’s just the way it works.

Why Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson Made The Bottom Three

• Syesha Mercado – Syesha is trying to do too much with her song choices. She needs to pick songs that people recognize and enjoy (like Yesterday), but not songs that make people compare her to Whitney or past Idol winners like Fantasia. Syesha loses votes every time Simon tells her that she didn’t stack up when he compared her to the original artist. She needs to take songs that are a little less known and turn them into her own version of a Whitney type song. She has the skills to do it and if she pulled it off it would be incredibly impressive. At this point she simply isn’t standing out enough as a personality. People don’t feel like they know her or have a connection to her so they aren’t going to vote for her.

 

• Carly Smithson – Carly is just doing all kinds of things wrong right now. Her wardrobe is still a disaster and her song choices aren’t any better. She needs a makeover and she needs someone else to pick her songs. Carly has a really strong voice, but if she doesn’t pick exactly the right songs she’s never going to stand out. At this point, I think she’s waited too long to find her musical niche. She should have found her audience and established her musical style weeks ago. She didn’t do it and now it’s going to come back to bite her.

Why Michael Johns Lost American Idol

Michael simply waited too long to bring his game. Early on he was plagued by bad song choices while his most direct competition, David Cook, was establishing himself as the creative (and more talented) rocker. It didn’t help that the judges kept telling everyone that Michael wasn’t really a rocker and should be doing blues. Had he done blues he still wouldn’t have won. Michael wanted to do rock, but he almost looked like he was “rocker light” compared to the stuff David Cook was doing for the past several weeks. Since most of that niche was voting with someone else, Michael simply couldn’t get enough votes to keep him in the game.

The American Idol Top 7

• David Archuleta, 17, Murray, UT
• Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, TX
• David Cook, 25, Tulsa, OK
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, OR
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami, FL
• Carly Smithson, San Diego, CA
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, CA
• Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles, CA (Top 8)
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, FL (Top 9)
• Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, CA (Top 10)
• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, IN (Top 11)
• David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, AZ (Top 12)

If you’re keeping score with the little side contest Jeff (from Static ThinkBox) and I have going… Jeff and I both guess that Carly Smithson would be the contestant voted out this week. We were both wrong, of course. We have now fallen below .500 on the season. The current score is below.

For a quick recap from a slightly different perspective, swing by Static ThinkBox and see what Jeff has to say about the ousted contestants.

• American Idol 2008 – Top 9 Performance (4/01/08) Recaps

This week I correctly chose two out of the three who were in the bottom. One of the bottom three was a bit of a surprise for most of us. Just to refresh your memory, I placed the Top 10 performances in this order:

1. David Cook – Little Sparrow
2. Michael Johns – It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right
3. Syesha Mercado – I Will Always Love You
4. David Archuleta – Smoky Mountain Memories
5. Brooke White – Jolene
6. Jason Castro – Travelin’ Thru
7. Carly Smithson – Here You Come Again
8. Kristy Lee Cook – Coat of Many Colors
9. Ramiele Malubay – Do I Ever Cross Your Mind

For the people who I thought would be chosen in the bottom three I actually went with the same contestants who I had placed in the bottom three – Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook, and Ramiele Malubay. Even though I’d been burned by choosing Ramiele for the bottom three before I felt that this was definitely her week to be in danger. However, I didn’t think she would get the vote.

Instead, my pick to be voted out was Kristy Lee Cook based on past performance issues and the fact that she’s almost been a constant in the bottom three. As it turned out, I was right to think Ramiele and Kristy were in danger. The bottom three turned out like this:

• Kristy Lee Cook
• Ramiele Malubay
• Brooke White

I didn’t expect Brooke to be in the bottom three although I can’t say that I was really shocked either. I’m pretty sure everyone assumed Kristy would make the bottom three. Of course, the big surprise wasn’t just that Ramiele made the bottom three, it was that she was the one who was actually voted out! I guess even the Filipino fans weren’t enough to keep her afloat through that many bad performances.

Why Kristy Lee Cook and Brooke White Made The Bottom Three

• Kristy Lee Cook – We all know by now that Kristy is hanging on week by week. She’s got more lives than any cat you’ll ever see. Heck, she’s been playing the underdog long enough now that she’s probably actually starting to win over some fans. If she can keep her composure and keep fighting she might do just that. Still, though, her performances have to be even better than good. She’s up against some real powerhouses and she’s not a great stage performer. She has a great country voice, but she’s finding it difficult to compete. I think she realizes that it’s probably just a matter of time now, but she has a real chance to go out fighting and go out with class.

 

• Brooke White – Brooke’s been singing the same tune for a while now so it was bound to catch up to her. She has a lot of fans because she’s talented and she has a great sound. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate to “blowing away the competition” week after week. When you have a style like Brooke’s it’s really hard to actually come out and do something that will make people stand up and take notice. If she doesn’t start stepping out of her comfort zone she’s probably going to find herself in danger every week until she’s gone. If she takes some big risks she may go even quicker but she might also show herself worthy of a final three or four appearance.

Why Ramiele Lost American Idol

There’s really not a lot I can say here. Ramiele is a cute and talented girl who definitely deserved a shot at becoming the next American Idol but ultimately was proven unworthy as her talent fell below that of her competition. I don’t say that to slight her, but a fact is a fact. Ramiele has been out of her league for several weeks now. I’m surprised that people finally woke up and saw that she didn’t really belong in the competition at this point because I really feel that she was the one who needed to go at this point. Ramiele never really showed much growth throughout the competition and never showed that she could do much beyond her narrow niche. Her loss was inevitable.

The American Idol Top 8

• David Archuleta, 17, Murray, UT
• Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, TX
• David Cook, 25, Tulsa, OK
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, OR
• Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles, CA
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami, FL
• Carly Smithson, San Diego, CA
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, CA
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, FL (Top 9)
• Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, CA (Top 10)
• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, IN (Top 11)
• David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, AZ (Top 12)

If you’re keeping score with the little side contest Jeff (from Static ThinkBox) and I have going… Jeff once again made an incorrect guess and foolishly chose Syesha Mercado to be eliminated this week while I narrowly missed by picking Kristy Lee Cook to be voted out. The current score is below.

For a quick recap from a slightly different perspective, swing by Static ThinkBox and see what Jeff has to say about the ousted contestants.

Anyway, on Wednesday night Idol once again proved that you never really know what’s going to happen when America starts voting. If you missed the performance show on Tuesday night you can always watch the performance videos and read our recaps right here:

• American Idol 2008 – Top 10 Performance (3/25/08) Recaps

I didn’t really do well in picking my bottom three this week as I only correctly chose one of the three who were in the bottom three. If you’ll recall, I placed the Top 10 performances in this order:

1. David Cook – Billie Jean
2. Michael Johns – We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions
3. Syesha Mercado – If I Were Your Woman
4. David Archuleta – You’re The Voice
5. Brooke White – Every Breath You Take
6. Kristy Lee Cook – God Bless The USA
7. Jason Castro – Fragile
8. Carly Smithson – Total Eclipse of the Heart
9. Chikezie – If Only For One Night
10. Ramiele Malubay – Alone

I went ahead and picked my bottom three, Carly, Chikezie, and Ramiele to actually be in the bottom three this week. I’d been burned by choosing Ramiele to be voted out before so I wasn’t brave enough to pick her again. I was tempted to choose Carly, but I thought that her previous solid performances would carry her.

My pick to be voted out was Chikezie. As it turned out, the bottom three turned out like this:

• Chikezie
• Syesha Mercado
• Jason Castro

I really didn’t think Syesha deserved to be in the bottom three this week. I did think her song was slightly boring, but her vocals were very good. I was afraid for Jason because I knew that his song choice and performance was pretty uninspired. I really thought he’d have enough fans to keep him out of the bottom, though. I expected Chikezie to be in the bottom, and I correctly surmised that he would be the one that went home.

Why Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro Made The Bottom Three

• Syesha Mercado – Syesha isn’t connecting with audiences for some reason. She doesn’t have the big personality that some of the other contestants have and we don’t seem to know as much about her life story as we do on some of the others either. Vocally, she’s one of the better contestants, but she hasn’t had a great track record picking songs. Her performance this week was another example of that. Last week she picked a great song and did very well with it. She was safe. This week she picked a mediocre song and did well with it, but ended up in the bottom three. It’s all about song choice for Syesha right now.
• Jason Castro – The same thing can be said for Jason. It’s all about song choice. He’s got loads of talent and tons of charm, but he keeps picking songs that don’t showcase his talent, and, in many cases, fans can’t really connect with. He’s got to show he wants to stay in this competition. He has to take some chances. He may fail badly if the chance he takes doesn’t work, but he’s going to lose if he doesn’t step out of his comfort zone and find a way to really do something impressive.

Why Chikezie Lost American Idol

Chikezie has tremendous talent but he also suffered from poor song choices. Just two weeks ago he blew us away when he took a huge chance with a Beatles song and did something different with it. He tried to repeat the magic last week, but it came off as desperate. This week he scaled back and no one noticed him. He has a big voice, but he never really captured his niche or even really defined what his niche was. Had he been able to use his great voice to modernize some of the songs he was singing I think he could have stayed in the competition a lot longer.

The American Idol Top 9

• David Archuleta, 17, Murray, UT
• Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, TX
• David Cook, 25, Tulsa, OK
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, OR
• Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles, CA
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, FL
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami, FL
• Carly Smithson, San Diego, CA
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, CA
• Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, CA (Top 10)
• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, IN (Top 11)
• David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, AZ (Top 12)

If you’re keeping score with the little side contest Jeff (from Static ThinkBox) and I have going… Jeff foolishly chose Carly Smithson to be eliminated this week while I correctly chose Chikezie. The current score is below.

For a quick recap from a slightly different perspective, swing by Static ThinkBox and see what Jeff has to say about the ousted contestants.

Anyway, on Wednesday night we got our first true surprise (shocker) of the season. I was guessing that there might be one but I didn’t correctly guess WHO it would be. Of course, we also said goodbye to one of our Top 11. If you missed the performance show on Tuesday night you can always watch the performance videos and read our recaps right here:

• American Idol 2008 – Top 11 Performance (3/18/08) Recaps

I did pretty well in picking my bottom three this week as I chose two of the three who were in the bottom three. The third was a shocker who I’m guessing not many people picked at all. If you’ll recall, I placed the Top 11 performances in this order:

1. David Archuleta – The Long and Winding Road
2. David Cook – Day Tripper
3. Syesha Mercado – Yesterday
4. Carly Smithson – Blackbird
5. Jason Castro – Michelle
6. Brooke White – Here Comes the Sun
7. Michael Johns – A Day In The Life
8. Chikezie – I’ve Just Seen a Face
9. Ramiele Malubay – I Should Have Known Better
10. Kristy Lee Cook – You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away
11. Amanda Overmyer – Back in the U.S.S.R.

Even though I thought Ramiele, Kristy, and Amanda gave the worst performances, I knew (from getting burned last week) that Ramiele has a lot of support within the Filipino community (and maybe elsewhere) so I didn’t pick her to be in the bottom three on the show. I bypassed her and said that Chikezie would end up in that spot. I was wrong, of course, because of the HUGE upset that the judges were not at all happy about.

My pick to be voted out was Kristy Lee Cook. As it turned out, the bottom three turned out like this:

• Carly Smithson
• Kristy Lee Cook
• Amanda Overmyer

Despite the surprise of seeing Carly in the bottom three, I was fairly certain she wasn’t going home. I wasn’t surprised at all that Amanda and Kristy were in the bottom three, of course. I was, however, quite happy, excited, overjoyed, jubilant…well, you get the idea, when the announcement was finally made and Amanda Overmyer was the contestant voted out of the competition. Finally.

Why Carly Smithson and Kristy Lee Cook Made The Bottom Three

• Carly Smithson – Carly is a wonderful singer. There’s something about her, though, that I don’t care for. I’m not sure what it is exactly so it’s hard for me to know for sure why others might not like her either. If I were to conjecture, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do, I would guess that this bottom three appearance had a lot to do with her song choice, her presentation, and the way she was dressed. Stick with me, here.

  The song kind of stuck, first of all. She sang it well, but it was boring. Not good. That hideous shirt she was wearing…ridiculous. Those stupid tattoos on her knuckles…absurd. Then when she tried to defend her song choice she just sounded silly…and she reminded everyone of one very important factor that we simply cannot dismiss on American Idol…Carly isn’t American! Her Irish accent is very pronounced. Yeah, I know how we love people from all over and Michael Johns is Australian and yada, yada, yada, but when Carly speaks…well, I think her accent is a handicap. Those tattoos are a handicap as well.

  Carly wants to come off as a sweet girl who’s going to sing love songs for people as they dance and fall in love, but when people see her and hear her speak…they just don’t see it… It’s all a bit trashy for my taste. If I were Carly I’d cover my tats, speak words as little as possible, and just let my singing do my talking. Be humble and don’t defend yourself to the judges. I know this sounds harsh, but that’s how I see it.

• Kristy Lee Cook – Well, Kristy has the same problem as before. She’s not connecting with the audience at all. Simon has called her out on it a couple of times and she seems incapable of finding a way to do so. It’s not just about song choice for Kristy anymore because she’s being overshadowed by much more dynamic personalities in the competition. She now has to come out and wow us with a great song, a great performance, and somehow convince us that she’s a really cool person. A tough order for anyone. Oh yeah, I’m no fashion expert but I don’t think those boots went with that dress.

Why Amanda Overmyer Lost American Idol

As I’ve stated several times, Amanda was a one trick pony. You can’t really win American Idol as a one trick pony. If you want to try you better have one heck of a trick. Amanda didn’t. I was of the opinion that she couldn’t even sing or really even carry a tune. She wasn’t a great singer or performer and she didn’t really show any great personality that would win over the critics. She never had a chance to win this competition no matter what her fans (if there are any) might think.

The reason she lost this week in particular had a lot to do with circumstances. Her song was awful as usual, but that in and of itself probably wasn’t enough. She also went first in the line-up which definitely didn’t help as people tend to forget about you by the end of the two hour show. They also showed a clip of Amanda before she sang in which she uttered a curse word. Now, I’m an adult and you’re probably an adult and chances are most of you didn’t even notice. However, there are a TON of kids watching American Idol and a TON of parents watching American Idol and that little slip up is just the sort of thing that will lose you votes in a show like this. You might say it doesn’t matter, but I guarantee you Amanda lost votes because of it.

Last week American got rid of the gay strip club dancer and this week they got rid of the rocker chick whose sexuality was, can we just say it, ambiguous, and who said a curse word. Who knows, maybe next week they get rid of Carly for having too many tattoos? Maybe the little kids and grandmas are the only ones voting and David Archuleta really has already won American Idol.

The American Idol Top 10

• David Archuleta, 17, Murray, UT
• Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, TX
• David Cook, 25, Tulsa, OK
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, OR
• Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, CA
• Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles, CA
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, FL
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami, FL
• Carly Smithson, San Diego, CA
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, CA
• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, IN (Top 11)
• David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, AZ (Top 12)

If you’re keeping score with the little side contest Jeff (from Static ThinkBox) and I have going… Jeff and I both picked Kristy Lee Cook this week so we were both wrong. This is one time I can’t say that I really mind being wrong. The current score is below.

For a quick recap from a slightly different perspective, swing by Static ThinkBox and see what Jeff has to say about the ousted contestants.

• American Idol 2008 – Top 12 Performances

I wasn’t really surprised by the people who ended up in the bottom three despite the fact that they weren’t really the contestants I had placed in my bottom three. I had a sneaky suspicion about all of them long before I posted my list, but I didn’t listen to my instincts. If you’ll recall, I placed the Top 12 performances in this order:

1. Chikezie Eze
2. David Cook
3. Brooke White
4. Jason Castro
5. Carly Smithson
6. Michael Johns
7. Kristy Lee Cook
8. Syesha Mercado
9. David Archuleta
10. David Hernandez
11. Ramiele Malubay
12. Amanda Overmyer

I think Amanda is consistently terrible although the judges and the rest of America apparently does not agree with me. I knew David Archuleta would be no where near the bottom of the voting list. My pick to be voted out was Ramiele Malubay. As it turned out, the bottom three turned out like this:

• Syesha Mercado
• Kristy Lee Cook
• David Hernandez

When it was all said and done, David Hernandez was the contestant voted out of the competition. We don’t know how close the vote was, of course, but we knew that his time was coming regardless.

Why Syesha Mercado and Kristy Lee Cook Made The Bottom Three

• Syesha Mercado – Syesha performed first in the performance show which is almost always a kiss of death (at least good for a bottom three appearance). At to that the fact that her song choice was forgettable and her performance was boring for the most part and you have the recipe for a bottom three appearance. As the only black female left in the competition Syesha should have a huge voting block pulling for her. She needs to reexamine her song choices, her mannerisms, behaviors, and pretty much everything else she’s doing that might be affecting how people perceive her. She’s really pretty and has a strong voice so there’s a reason why she’s not getting the votes from her niche. She needs to find out what it is.
• Kristy Lee Cook – Kristy, apparently, stands with her feet too far apart, thus angering women all over American… Okay, that’s a bit of an inside joke here at Pop Critics, but there’s obviously something about Kristy that audiences aren’t connecting with. We’ve seen contestants be very successful with the country niche before. Kristy sings country well. She’s pretty and affable. The only real negative, that I can see, is that people haven’t cared for her song choices. She’s in a really precarious position now because if she sticks with country she’s likely to get a backlash but if she doesn’t she’s not likely to stand out enough to get noticed. Her next song choice will probably determine whether or not Kristy has a chance to make the top 10 or not.

Why David Hernandez Lost American Idol

David is a good looking guy who actually sings very well. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have as clearly a defined style of music as many of the other contestants. In years past this wouldn’t have mattered as much, but this year it’s obvious that America wants it’s Idols to be upfront about what style of music they are and are going to be. David couldn’t do this.

David further had to deal with the controversy surrounding his possible job at a gay dance club. Whether or not he actually worked there and whether or not he is gay or straight doesn’t matter so much as the fact that the perception is that he is a gay guy who stripped for other gay guys in a seedy strip club. There was no way he was going to be able to overcome that stigma among the general population. David lacked the personality, style and talent to overcome such a controversy.

If he had been given more time there’s a chance he could have found his niche. He was a good enough vocalist that had he chosen the right songs he could have wowed audiences enough to stay in the competition for a while. Unfortunately, the competition this year is simply too talented and too strong. David had virtually no chance of winning.

The American Idol Top 11

• David Archuleta, 17, Murray, UT
• Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, TX
• David Cook, 25, Tulsa, OK
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, OR
• Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, CA
• Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles, CA
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, FL
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami, FL
• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, IN
• Carly Smithson, San Diego, CA
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, CA
• David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, AZ (Top 12)

If you’re keeping score with the little side contest Jeff (from Static ThinkBox) and I have going… Jeff correctly guess that David Hernandez would be the one kicked off the show while I was incorrect. The score is below.

For a quick recap from a slightly different perspective, swing by Static ThinkBox and see what Jeff has to say about the ousted contestants.
 

The Best Of The Night

My choices for the top three this week will probably be controversial, but here they are.

• Kristy Lee Cook – As promised, Kristy came out with more of a country sound this week. The big surprise was that she used that sound on a rock song. She gets high marks for making a classic song sound like it could be a hit again in a whole new genre (much like David Cook from the men) and for singing it really well.
  
  

  Kristy Lee Cook – Faithfully

  [youtube ndwPS9aeJ64]
  

• Brooke White – Once again Brooke took a song I hate and turned it into one of the most interesting performances. There’s just something about her voice that draws you in and makes you want to listen. The acoustic thing really works for her. I’m not sure how she’ll fare if she tries to get away from that sound, but she’s fantastic when she’s in her niche.
  
  

  Brooke White – Love Is A Battlefield

  [youtube bwZm3S5pAd0]
  

• Carly Smithson – I still don’t care for Carly for some reason, but I thought she handled this song really well. I don’t doubt that she can really sing. I don’t enjoy watching her very much, though. She makes some really strange faces when she hits the high notes. Still, she nailed this song and deserves a spot in the top three.
  
  

  Carly Smithson – I Drove All Night

  [youtube M7C1Et9_nB8]
  

These three ladies were all fantastic this week and in weeks past and won’t be going anywhere this week. I disagree wholeheartedly with Simon’s suggestion that Kristy Lee Cook is forgettable. She was one of my early favorites and has been coming on strong the last couple of weeks. I think she’ll be here for a while.

The Worst Of The Night

Less inspiring are the women in my bottom three this week. I know these are probably going to be controversial too. Well, one of them will be for sure.

• Kady Malloy – Kady was lucky she got to stick around this week. She needed to come out and really wow us. Instead, she came out and underwhelmed. It was a poor song choice and very forgettable. Simon got the best quote of the night with Kady when he told her that he “still has a problem with her massive lack of personality.” We all do, Simon. We all do.
  
  

  Kady Malloy – Who Wants To Live Forever

  [youtube ClizvhE-3pQ]
  

• Amanda Overmyer – I want everyone who thinks Amanda sang well last night to do something. Put on some headphones, play the video of her, close your eyes, and just listen to her sing. She’s not GOOD! Yes, she picked the absolutely most perfect song that she can pick for her style. Perhaps the only song she could have picked. But she still didn’t sing it well despite what the judges said. A truly talented singer could change a song to fit their style (like David Cook or Kristy Lee Cook for instance) and wouldn’t have to find a song that fit their style in order to sound decent. Amanda sings anything besides this style and she sucks even worse.
  
  

  Amanda Overmyer – I Hate Myself For Loving You

  [youtube eEjuBi-V77A]
  

• Asia’h Epperson – This was actually a tough call for me. I didn’t think she was especially bad. I actually like Asia’h and she has a compelling story. Unfortunately, the song wasn’t a great choice and she really didn’t sing it as well as Whitney (haven’t they figured that out by now). It was between her and Ramiele Malubay and I thought Ramiele’s voice was just a little bit better this week. Close one.
  
  

  Asia’h Epperson – I Wanna Dance With Somebody

  [youtube uwgcNytbdOY]
  

Despite the fact that my picks disagree with the judges on the show, I feel confident that I have chosen the three weakest performances of the week. All three of these women should be concerned because two of them are going home tonight.

The Middle Of The Road

The men who I picked as “middle of the road” were actually very close to being in the top 3. The women, however, are probably a lot closer to being in the bottom three than they are to being in the top 3.

• Ramiele Malubay – I love this song and I didn’t think Ramiele did badly; I just think she could have done much better. There were parts where her voice was a bit hesitant or uncertain so I agree with what Randy said when he told her she needs to just let it go and sing. She’s in danger of being an upset ouster this week because her story isn’t as compelling as Asia’h Epperson’s who I don’t think sang as well as Ramiele did. Although, I really think the Asian vote will keep her in.
  
  

  Ramiele Malubay – Against All Odds

  [youtube JlwXlO_06y8]
  

• Syesha Mercado – I’m not sure anyone got too excited about Syesha’s performance last night. She was good, but not great. The show ran long so the judges didn’t even get to talk to her which probably wasn’t good for Syesha. Still, she has talent that’s obvious and she’s done well enough in the past that I think she’ll squeak by this week. I could be wrong, though, and she could take Asia’h's place on the chopping block.
  
  

  Syesha Mercado – Saving All My Love For You

  [youtube 5JoKaPWaJEg]
  

Who’s Going Home

I think by now I’ve made some of my thoughts pretty obvious. As much as I hate to say it, I don’t think Amanda gets voted out this week. The judges raved about her performance and people will respond to that. She gets to stay to make a fool of herself (and all of you who voted for her) at least one more time.

I think Kady is a foregone conclussion. Too many bad song choices and too many poor performances have left her out of chances. There’s just no reason to keep letting her slide by.

I think Asia’h is also going to get the ax. The compelling story of her fighting on despite the tragic loss of her father can only get her so far. She’s talented, but so are most of the other women. She hasn’t picked great songs and she hasn’t really stood out, vocally. If there is a surprise it will be with Asia’h. I think either Ramiele or Syesha could end up taking her place. But, Asia’h is my pick to go home this week.

The American Idol Top 8 Women

• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, Ind.
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, Calif.
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, Ore.
• Asia’h Epperson, 19, Joplin, Mo.
• Kady Malloy, 18, Houston
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, Fla.
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami
• Carly Smithson, San Diego by way of Dublin, Ireland

For a quick recap of each contestant from a slightly different perspective and to see who Jeff’s picks are, swing by American Idol Season 7: Top 8 Girls Performances – ThinkBox Style and see what Jeff has to say about last night’s episode. As always, please remember that we make our picks independently and without knowing who the other is picking as the best and worst.
 

Likely I wont be doing many recaps from each episode or what would necessitate a blog dedicated to the show, but I’ll try to post videos of the ones that have a chance.

“If you don’t know this hair style, then you’ve been living on some moon on the other side of an M-Class planet on Star Trek somewhere.”

Thanks Star Wars freak with the Princess Leia hair! She says staying in her home town offers nothing but the chance to be a correction’s officer. Somehow, she seems pretty cut out for it. “Duh!”

But not only did Star Wars fans probably close their eyes when they saw her, but then the guy came in wearing the Princess Leia bikini from Return of the Jedi. Not only was it beyond disgusting, but when Paula asked him to shave his chest and come back, the dude went and did it!

He returned looking like a shaved cat, but sadly didn’t change his outfit. Simon didn’t even let the guy open his mouth to sing before he ousted him from the room.

Still, perhaps the best WORST audition came from the guy with the deep voice.

“LET MY PEEPOL GOOOOOO.”

And what about the Janis Joplin sounding freak who flipped off the camera for what had to been a world record. And the guy who really scared the crap out of me who sang to Paula with the “stalker” song? Yikes…

But there were some good auditions scattered throughout the night.

Kristy Lee Cook was probably my favorite so far, but it’s mostly because I have a soft spot for country chicks. I loved Carrie Underwood of course and Kristy was great. And it sure helped that she sang Amazing Grace, a favorite of mine.

What did you think of the first episode? Good to have it back, or were you sick of it after the first hour?