This is it. This is the final American Idol Top 10 and there is a ton of energy in the theater this evening as the contestants prepare to compete for America's votes. It's a special night for the show so course the show needs a very special guest to help get us through the evening. The original Idol winner herself, Kelly Clarkson, is in the house not only to perform...but to be a guest judge as well! Oh jeez. My emotions are already bubbling over just from seeing her sit behind the judges' table. What advice does she have for the young hopefuls? Let's find out.
First things first -- we need to send four people home. Yup. There are 14 contestants hoping to perform tonight but only 10 will have the chance. Ryan wastes no time (thank you) and we say goodbye to Jeneve Rose Mitchell, Thomas Stringfellow, Manny Torres, and Jenn Blosil. I'm definitely bummed about Jenn, but best wishes, happy trails, and now on to the performances!
Contestant: Olivia Rox
Song: "Unconditionally" by Katy Perry
Olivia has the difficult job of kicking off the show and chooses a Katy Perry ballad to try to show off her vocal chops. It's a good rendition of the song but I don't necessarily think this is a stand out moment for Olivia. I like this girl a lot but I worry that this will be a "forgotten" performance by the end of the night.
Judges Say: Keith thinks the song choice was perfect but he encourages Olivia to relax a bit more. JLo says Olivia sang the song beautifully and Kelly mentions how "tasteful" the opening of the performance was. Harry tells Olivia she did everything she was supposed to do.
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Contestant: Gianna Isabella
Song: "Listen" by Beyonce
This is a tall order. "Listen" is from Dreamgirls, which was a movie starring women with big, beautiful voices. It's also the movie J Hud won an Oscar for. Anywho, the context of this song is Beyonce's character realizing she needs to break away (see what I did there?) from her controlling husband and be her own person. There's a slow build to it and we see this woman emotionally free herself by the time the song ends. Gianna? She missed the boat on this one. Her performance, for lack of a better word, is just pitchy from start to finish. I'm loving that dress though.
Judges Say: JLo tells Gianna the performance was shaky and she needs to pick better songs in order to make it to the end. Kelly agrees, saying that a 15 year old taking on a huge, emotional Beyonce song might not have been the best call. She also gives Gianna some advice regarding pitch and getting out of her own brain...and I can't quite get over how adorable Kelly is tonight. Harry is loving KC too and cautions Gianna about having her performances be "too arranged."
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Contestant: Lee Jean
Song: "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver
Song: "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver
So I'll admit that I have not been on board the Lee Jean train at all this season. I think he's a wonderful kid and all, but when I think about some of the other contestants that didn't make it past the Top 24...and when I listen to this snoozy performance, I can't rank him high on the list of people I'd like to see each week. I feel like I've seen tonight's performance several times throughout the season already.
Judges Say: Kelly likes that Lee sticks with what he is really good at ("Do you do a lot of Ed Sheeran?") but reminds him that other contestants will take risks in order to really try to win. Keith thinks there's something in Lee's voice that is very believable and JLo encourages Lee to choose songs that will help him be "more impactful." I totally agree.
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Contestant: Avalon Young
Song: "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes
The beginning of this song is shaky for sure. There are some nerves here...followed by some more nerves throughout the performance. I honestly think it has a lot to do with song choice because "Stitches" just isn't right for Avalon and does nothing for her voice. Sigh. Okay kids, who is going to be the first contestant tonight to set the bar?
Judges Say: Harry says Avalon has a cool vibe but he thinks this one fell flat. Keith believes Avalon loosened up half way through the song and the audience got behind her at that point. JLo agrees and Kelly oddly says "I don't generally like the songs that you sing, but I love them when you sing them." Ha! I will now need to go back and look up all of the songs Avalon has sung this season.
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Contestant: Dalton Rappatoni
Song: "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White T's
Dalton is definitely on the list of contestants I look forward to seeing each week and I'm a big fan of how he arranges...or rearranges his songs. This is normally a mellow tune but Dalton picks up the pace and makes it a rock song (to the best of his ability anyway). His vocals are questionable at times but the kid sure does have charisma. The girls in the audience are going completely insane and it seems like the show may have finally started tonight. Dalton certainly woke me up with that performance.
Judges Say: Keith loves that Dalton came out with confidence and calls the performance "electric barn yard." JLo thinks Dalton has a lot of heart and Kelly compliments how comfortable Dalton is on stage. Harry tells Dalton he is batting 1000.
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Contestant: Tristan McIntosh
Song: "Nothin' Like You" by Dan + Shay
I'm actually not familiar with this tune and when it starts it seems very low to me, and I think Tristan may be a little out of breath. She picks herself up though and the rest of the song is pleasant enough. The bigger problem here is she has no connection to what she's singing, so it's hard for her to engage the audience. Man...these contestants seriously need to make better song choices next week.
Judges Say: JLo doesn't think this was Tristan's strongest performance and Kelly says Tristan should choose a song that lets her emote. Keith agrees, saying Tristan needs to find a song that plays to her strengths.
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Contestant: MacKenzie Bourg
Song: "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran
Love. This. Guy. I think MacKenize is just a different kind of dude as evidenced by his "favorite Idol moment" being William Hung's audition. For real. Tonight everyone else has been talking about former Idols who inspire them, who impacted their lives and so on, and MacKenzie was taken with the way American Idol gave Mr. Hung his 15 minutes of fame. In terms of his performance, we've seen better from MacKenzie but I still think this one is pretty solid. I wonder how Lee Jean feels about MacKenzie's song choice tonight?
Judges Say: Kelly says the baby boy in her belly had been still all night until MacKenzie's performance and she's excited to see what he will do in the future. She also calls him sexy. Yes indeedy. JLo agrees and says MacKenzie is ready to take his performances to the next level.
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Contestant: La'Porsha Renae
Song: "Diamonds" by Rihanna
YES. La'Porsha is my favorite. She just is. No one else in the Top 10 makes you drop everything you're doing because they are just so captivating. Her stage presence doesn't even allow me to type until after her performance is over. I'm also always secretly hoping Sia will jump out of La'Porsha's hair and they will sing a duet.
Best of the night so far. The bar has been set, kids.
Judges Say: Keith, JLo and Kelly are standing, clapping, and yelling. Kelly is mouthing "drop the mic" and La'Porsha starts to tear up. KC then tells her "If I were you, every time I open my mouth to sing, I would just be like 'you're welcome.'" Keith mentions a quote that goes something like "I judge myself not by what I have but what I am willing to give" and he says La'Porsha just gave pure humanity.
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Contestant: Sonika Vaid
Song: "Bring Me Back To Life" by Evanescence
Yes again! It took an hour and a half but we finally got 2 back to back performances that remind us this is a competition. This is my favorite Sonika performance so far and I'm glad she was a standout tonight. She doesn't quite catch up to La'Porsha here, but she had to have increased her fan base even more with that strut and those killah vocals.
Judges Say: Keith loved it and JLo calls Sonika dangerous. Kelly says Sonika is never pitchy and tells Sonika she has balls for owning her performance directly after La'Porsha. Harry agrees and thinks Sonika brought angst and passion with her tonight.
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Contestant: Trent Harmon
Song: "Like I Can" by Sam Smith
Initially I'm thinking "this is definitely not a show closing performance," and then I remind myself that Kelly is actually closing the show and I feel a little better. I actually really like Trent but I think he is a little all over the place vocally tonight. Maybe it's because he's just so gosh darn excited to be here.
Judges Say: JLo thinks we have one of the best competitions we've ever had on Idol this year and Kelly tells Trent he has a unique voice that stands out. Harry thinks the performance was fantastic and I guess my hearing was just off for this one.
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The episode ends with Kelly Clarkson taking the stage to perform "Piece By Piece" from her most recent album. I love this song and I love that she's doing a stripped down version with just a piano accompanying her. I always expect Kelly to deliver a great performance but something magical happens with this one. This song is very personal, and between her pregnancy hormones and the nostalgia surrounding her tonight, Kelly's emotions get the best of her and she spends much of the performance fighting back tears. Me? I'm a mess. Keith? He's with me. By the time the song ends, pretty much everyone is crying and most likely for a number of reasons. For me though...everything just came full circle for KC tonight. Please, please, please watch her "Piece By Piece" performance, and then please, please, please watch her Season 1 finale rendition of "A Moment Like This." Do that and tell me you don't have goosies. Can the rules be changed? Can she just win the final season as well? So proud of this girl.
Next week the Top 8 will be revealed and we'll see how many of the 15 year olds live to see another day. Will any of these hopefuls step up their game next week? Is La'Porsha is a league of her own? Can Kelly be a judge via satellite for the rest of the season? One thing is for sure - this episode did not give us all around great performances, but it did give us a few gems and continued to pay homage to the show's great moments. Here's hoping the trend continues next week as the competition kicks up (and please bring KC back). Til then!
