With Lil Rounds' and Anoop Desai's non-shocking double elimination this week on American Idol, we find ourselves down to the Top 5. In one way it's been an interesting season, what with having a Top 13 to start things off and the Judges' Save to keep someone on. But in another way, it's been a predictable season. There hasn't been a shocking elimination yet this season, and most people believe they already know who will be eliminated next week.
So is picking who will be in the finale together as predictable? Good arguments can be made for why 4 of the remaining 5 contestants could make it to the finale, and good arguments can be made for why 4 of the remaining 5 contestants won't make it to the finale. Let's look at each of the Top 5 contestants and see what those arguments are.
Kris Allen (23)By all accounts, Kris Allen's run on American Idol should have ended with his Group 2 performance of Michael Jackson's "Man In The Mirror" (Wild Card Round possibility not included). After all, his extremely limited exposure during the audition process and Hollywood Week, combined with his sixth-spot Group 2 performance order, all but guaranteed an early exit. Yet Kris managed to do what most contestants in his position are not able to do: he found an audience.
Why he could make the finale: Kris has a natural charm that has helped him to find, and grow, an audience. He is one of three contestants who has not yet visited the Bottom 3 this season, which is really saying something considering how little we saw of him prior to his Group 2 performance. He appears to have figured out who he is as an artist, after having struggled with it the first few weeks of the Top 12. In addition, Kris has demonstrated that he has the ability to change up his song style from week to week, a trait that American Idol fans often reward with votes.
Why he won't make the finale: Two words: Danny Gokey. Kris's fan base is made up of many of the same demographics as Danny's fan base. Unfortunately for Kris, Danny's fan base came together the day his audition aired. And although a kink in Danny's popularity has finally surfaced, there may not be enough time for Kris to siphon off the votes he needs to send Danny home packing.
Matt Giraud (23)Matt Giraud made American Idol history last week by being the first ever contestant to not be sent home after receiving the lowest number of votes. But the Judges' Save wasn't the first time that the judges had saved Matt: he was also one of the judges Wild Card picks all those weeks ago. No wonder many viewers consider Matt to be the judges pet.
Why he could make the finale: Um, no. Not a chance. Will never happen. Next.
Why he won't make the finale: There are many reasons why Matt won't make the finale. To begin with, he is viewed as having been on the verge of being in the Bottom 3 almost every week. True, he had only been in the Bottom 3 once prior to last week's save from eviction, but he has been close several times. Another reason is that the best any previous (judge) Wild Card pick has fared on the show is fifth place (Trenyce in Season 2 and George Huff in Season 3). And finally, Matt never had a shot of winning this competition in the first place, and being saved from eviction last week doesn't change that. The Judges' Save guaranteed him extra votes this week, but he will be right back down in the Bottom 3 next week and, more than likely, the next one to go home.
Danny Gokey (28)American Idol has given us a lot of tear-inducing contestant stories in the past, but none may compare to Danny Gokey's story: his wife had passed away only 4 months prior to the judges' audition (she passed away in July 2008; his initial audition in Kansas City, Missouri, was in August 2008, only 4 weeks later). When Danny said that she had been encouraging him to audition for a while and that he was doing it for her, America's collective heart officially broke in two. But we still didn't know if the dude could sing. Once he proved that he had a voice, an instant fan base was born.
Why he could make the finale: You DO realize just how large Danny's fan base is, right? From the moment his audition aired on TV, everyone knew that he would easily make the Top 12 so long as the judges didn't cut him (and if they had cut him, I'm pretty sure all four of them would have had to go into hiding). But none of that would matter without a voice, and he actually does have one. His easy-going personality is just icing on the cake for him at this point.
Why he won't make the finale: America expects a lot from their front-runners, as evidenced by David Archuleta's loss last season. Archuleta was vocally outstanding last season, hitting almost every single note right on. But he sang the same style week after week, which put a lot of people off. If he had changed up his style occasionally, he could have won. Danny's style has been the same week after week, but without the spot-on vocals. I've seen quite a few people wash their hands of Danny already, and more people could dessert him if he doesn't do something to make us go "wow" next week. And since Danny's and Kris' fan base share much of the same demographics, many of Danny's fans will have someone to root for if they leave.
Allison Iraheta (16)Like Kris, only a small portion of Allison Iraheta's audition was aired. Also like Kris, we saw almost nothing of her during Hollywood Week, which means she was going to have to quickly grab our attention with her performance in Group 2. And grab our attention she did. Singing Heart's Alone, Allison received unanimous praise from the judges and the approval of the voting public, who put her through to the Top 13 with ease.
Why she could make the finale: Allison quickly set herself apart from the rest of the female competition, not to mention much of the male competition. Nailing songs like Papa Was A Rolling Stone by the Temptations and Don't Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith, Allison has shown that she has the voice and talent to more than hold her own for the rest of the season.
Why she won't make the finale: For reasons that completely escape me, Allison has been in the Bottom 3 three times already this season. And only one previous American Idol contestant has made it to the finale with that many Bottom 3 appearances under her belt (Diana DeGarmo in Season 3). Maybe it's her age or the fact that Allison is clearly a rocker chick, but for some reason the voting public hasn't fully accepted her.
Adam Lambert (26)Adam Lambert may hold the distinction of being the most polarizing contestant on American Idol ever. You either love him or hate him, as there seems to be very little in-between where he is concerned. Having performed on the stage since he was 10 years old, he came into the Top 13 with more experience than just about anyone else.
Why he could make the finale: When the Top 13 first started, I stated on my radio show that the "love him or hate him" nature of Adam would cause him to go home in fourth place. But his talent and knack for being able to change up his song style from week to week have made him one of the most looked forward to singers each week. Many people who couldn't stand him at one time are now voting for him.
Why he won't make the finale: Is there anyone left who doesn't think Adam will make the finale? At this point, only a major foul up in one of his performances will keep him out of the finale. The real question now is whether he can win the season. But that's another blog entry entirely.
Leave a comment behind with your opinion of who you think will make the finale.
# posted by Alan @ 2:11 PM
Post a Comment
