We are only one episode away from the live performances. An interesting thing has been added this season. During the chair episodes, they are letting people they are undecided about have a sing-off to earn their spot in the semifinals. I like this because it is tough to get eliminated once you’ve made it through Hollywood Week and haven’t performed for the judges since…. I don’t like it because it seems very awkward for the contestants. I would have hated to be in any of the sing-offs, whether I won or lost.
I remember being at the hotel the night before the chair episode and that was awkward enough because you know people are being eliminated. The truth is that I never expected to make it through Hollywood Week, so I can honestly say that I was hoping the best for everyone. When I made it through, I was terribly excited to be on the show, but also terribly guilty for having taken someone else’s spot.
I can tell you that there are people that the other contestants aren’t rooting for. On my season, there were a few people from Hollywood Week that did not stand out to us at all. We came back for the chair episode and wondered how in the world they made it into the semifinals when some of our friends who were great got cut. It wasn’t until we saw their original auditions that we understood how they had made it through.
Consider Joanna Pacitti. She’s a great singer, but she forgot her lyrics every time she sang in Hollywood. The other contestants can’t possibly know how great she is just yet.
Or consider Tatiana Del Toro. She’s a good singer, but she couldn’t be any more annoying. I think the other contestants are a little frustrated that many other great singers have been cut so they can feature her on more episodes.
At the end of the day, most of the decisions were expected. Here is a list of the top 36:
Anoop Desai
Von Smith
Alex Trugman
Adam Lambert
Taylor Vaifanua
Jasmine Murray
Arianna Asfar
Casey Carlson
Megan Corkrey
Mishavonna Henson
Stevie Wright
Joanna Pacitti
Kendall Beard
Kristen McNamara
Alexis Grace
Scott Macintyre
Lil Rounds
Jesse Langseth
Allison Iraheta
Danny Gokey
Ricky Braddy
Matt Giraud
Ju’Not Joyner
Jorge Nunez
Brent Keith
Stephen Fowler
Norman Gentle, or Nick Mitchell
Jackie Tohn
Tatiana Del Toro
Nathaniel Marshall
Jeanine Vailes
Kai Kalama
Anne Marie Boskovich
Kris Allen
Matt Breitzke
Michael Sarver
I was a little upset to see Jamar Rogers get cut. He’s an outstanding talent. The fact that Norman Gentle is there instead of him makes it all feel a little off. Don’t get me wrong, I like Norman. But I haven’t heard him sing anywhere near as good as Jamar. Who knows… Thoughts?