From the beginning, guitar-wielding Lilly Scott looked like one of the women to beat, and her elimination before the Top 12 was one real shock in an otherwise lackluster season. Lilly agreed that her indie-rock appeal and outside-the-box song choice doomed her, saying "the American Idol voting demographic is mostly Tweens and I'm sure they don't know who Patsy Cline is." At the very least, her flashy, feathered earrings should have been a staple from here on out.
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Oh, Aaron. Watching him transform into a 42-year-old man every week is starting to get a little creepy. His version of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" was probably enough to get the 16-year-old country boy another week onstage—but it still wasn't good.
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This season's potential Ugly Duckling story got cast aside by a cruel public. "I wish I could have just broken out of my shell," Alex said after his elimination. He confided to Ellen that pre- Idol—and his memorable performance of Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble"—he only performed before a few dozen people.
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Simon praised her looks—better than that "pageant horror outfit we saw weeks ago"—but a trip to Macy's isn't enough to convince us she's worthy of the Top 10. Taking on Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" was admirable, but only reminded the audience of how young she really is. Let Katie run off and live life a little; when she comes back she might be interesting.
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Subtlety isn't always bad, despite the judges' constant need to be wowed by oversung notes. John Park's rendition of John Mayer's "Gravity" wasn't enough to wow Simon and Co., who called it "dull," but we're convinced there was star potential in this quiet, soulful singer.
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It hurts to peak during Hollywood Week, but sometimes it just happens. Andrew Garcia appalled Marvin Gaye fans this week with his awful rendition of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Everyone was hoping he could bring back the flair that made his acoustic version of "Straight Up" so memorable, but unfortunately this "edgy" star appears to be a one-trick pony.
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Angela Martin was a hard-luck contestant who was forced to sit on Kara's lap before being told she was not in the Top 24. This was her third consecutive season trying (and failing) to make the semifinals. Because she's now too old to audition for future seasons, and because, well, she was good, kind-hearted Ellen said Kara would write her a song and the judging duo would get her a record deal.
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The pretty boy who squeaked into the Top 24 at the last minute may be coasting on his Zac Efron-lite looks, but surely Tim Urban's luck has to run out eventually. Or will it take him to the winners' circle? The judges seemed to tire of his shtick, including the goofy slide and braggadocio that oversold his lame version of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."
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This fuschia-faux hawked singer is the brother of Season 7's fourth-place finisher Jason Castro, which would have at least made for some fun video packages. But good luck apparently doesn't run in the family—20-year-old Michael was cut after going to Hollywood. Although, since he only had two voice lessons prior to auditioning, perhaps he'll turn up next year after more practice.
Didi Benami has a nice voice, but she's about as edgy as a spoon. The persona the 23-year-old took on to belt "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt was wrong and out-of-character. If the 23-year-old isn't comfortable playing herself, she needs to get out of the game.
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Teenaged Rose Flack showed promise during Hollywood Week last year and got some fleeting screen time during this year's audition episodes, but viewers didn't get a chance to hear her sing this time around. Last year, she had one of the saddest backstories—both of her parents had died—but it was her rendition of Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move" that made us want to hear more.
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Sigh. Paige Miles—who got the boot this week—was another case of all potential, no follow-through. She somehow slid by the previous week with a subpar performance of “Honky Tonk Woman” and needed to knock it out of the park this week. Unfortunately, her “Against All Odds” was attacked by the judges, making Paige finally a favorite—to go home. And so she did.
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