Contestant:
Aaron Kelly
The Lowdown: Perhaps the most polished, photogenic teenage boy ever to step on the
Idol stage.
Background: 16-year-old who has been "cyberschooled," Pennsylvania native; adopted by his aunt after his parents were unable to care for him. If his potential were not clear, he covered Miley’s "The Climb" for his audition.
Core Voting Block: Every tween girl on earth.
Strength: Unbelievable nice guy photogenic aura + country singer + heartbreaking backstory = Genetically Engineered
Idol Superstar
Weakness: May seem insufferably sugarcoated to anyone over the age of 12.
Idol Predecessor: David Archuleta
Real World Predecessor: All Jonases combined.
Early Tracking: The One.
Contestant:
Alex Lambert
The Lowdown: Soft-spoken Texan, closet hippie in Southern clothes
Background: Not related to last season’s runner-up, Adam
Core Voting Block: The Middle American burner demo
Strength: Easy charm and good looks; plays to the soft-rock genre which has dominated
Idol of late.
Weakness: A bit too laid back to compete in the
Idol cauldron.
Idol Predecessor: Jason Castro
Real World Predecessor: Jason Mraz
Early Tracking: Solidly middle of the pack; distinctive, could as easily break though as fizzle away.
Contestant:
Andrew Garcia
The Lowdown: Young father from rough background with heartbreaking voice.
Background: 24-year-old dad, from gang background, living in L.A.’s edge city Moreno Valley.
Core Voting Block: Moms and dads
Strength: Family values, attention-getting vocals, hyper-sincere style and persona.
Weakness: In a very contemporary field, style may come across as stodgy.
Idol Predecessor:
Danny Gokey
Real World Predecessor: Josh Grobin
Early Tracking: Is the
Vegas oddsmakers’ favorite and has huge buzz behind him, but historically,
Idol’s pre-season favorites (Justin Guarini, Melinda Doolittle, David Archuleta, Adam Lambert) almost never take the crown.
Contestant:
Casey James
The Lowdown: The hunky Texan won Kara DioGuardi’s eternal support with his topless audition.
Background: The Web has been buzzing with items from 27-year-old singer’s
hard livin’ past sure to only increase his romantic appeal.
Core Voting Block: Cougars
Strength: The hair, the accent…
Weakness: Will be required to keep his shirt on for most performances.
Idol Predecessor:
Ace Young
Real World Predecessor: Matthew McConaughey
Early Tracking: With the Cougars behind him, has a strong claim on a spot in the Top 12, but unclear how he can broaden his appeal beyond that base.
Contestant:
Jermaine Sellers
The Lowdown: One of the few pure, open church singers in the race.
Background: Has been around the reality-TV block: Came in 2nd in the
BET gospel competition show
Sunday’s Best in 2007
Core Voting Block: Churchgoers
Strength: Humble, likable personality and well-honed gospel talents.
Weakness: May be a bit understated to stand out of the pack.
Idol Predecessor:
Anwar Robinson
Real World Predecessor: Jay Sean
Early Tracking: Solid middle tier, but not a breakout contender for the crown.
Contestant:
Jose Munoz
The Lowdown: Cheery, personable young singer, barely seen thus far.
Background: 20-year-old Los Angeles native can sing in Spanish.
Core Voting Block: If he uses his bilingual skills, potentially Latino voters.
Strength: Young, likable.
Weakness: The L.A curse. And not a strong enough presence to stand out in the crowded field.
Idol Predecessor:
John Stevens
Real World Predecessor: Ricky Martin
Early Tracking: Starts off at the very back of the pack.
Contestant:
John Park
The Lowdown: Had a strong audition but has been little seen since.
Background: 20-year-old Illinois-based college student would be the first Asian-American male to make the Top 12
Core Voting Block: Potential to appeal to college-aged viewers.
Strength: Personable, pleasant voice
Weakness: Not distinctive or clear enough of a genre.
Idol Predecessor:
Anthony Federov
Real World Predecessor: Robin Thicke
Early Tracking: Needs to score a breakout song very soon if he is going to last.
Contestant:
Lee Dewyze
The Lowdown: Gravel-voiced soulful crooner stands apart from a crowd that mostly plays on the lighter end of the register.
Background: Illinois-based paint salesman admits to being expelled from high school.
Core Voting Block: High school and college girls.
Strength: Smoldering, intense presence, unique style.
Weakness: Bluesy style feels a bit non-contemporary.
Idol Predecessor:
Sundance Head
Real World Predecessor: Ben Harper
Early Tracking: Didn’t get much attention in the preseason but stands out from the pack; big breakout potential.
Contestant:
Michael Lynche
The Lowdown: Big Mike got big airtime in the preseason when his wife went into labor during Hollywood Week, but has received more attention for his personal story than as a performer.
Background: Plus-size weightlifter and personal trainer from Astoria, N.Y.
Core Voting Block: Will compete for Cougar support
Strength: Definitely a unique presence
Weakness: Fairly generic vocal style
Idol Predecessor:
Michael Sarver
Real World Predecessor: The
1985 Chicago Bears
Early Tracking: Name-recognition is high but likely to stumble quickly in the semifinals.
Contestant:
Tim Urban
The Lowdown: Last-minute sub for the
disqualified Chris Golightly.
Background: Pleasant-natured Texas teen names John Denver as one of his influences.
Core Voting Block: Coffeehousers.
Strength: Personable-seeming; performs in the light-rock genre that dominates recent Idoldom.
Weakness: Might fall on the wrong side of the fine line between low-key and forgettable.
Idol Predecessor:
Kris Allen
Real World Predecessor: Jamie Cullum
Early Tracking: Living on borrowed time until he turns in a breakout moment.
Contestant:
Todrick Hall
The Lowdown: Theatrical, showy; starred with Fantasia on Broadway in
The Color Purple
Background: Strong personality and well-honed skills stand out of the crowd instantly, however, the Internet is buzzing with tales of a high school
Wizard of Oz
production gone wrong.
Core Voting Block: Drama club
Strength: Knows how to work a room
Weakness: If he gets past the buzz out there today, still has to contend with
Idol audience’s traditional hatred for any sign of polished professionalism
Idol Predecessor:
Adam Lambert
Real World Predecessor: The cast of
Glee
Early Tracking: Starts near the top of the pack but with major question marks.
Contestant: Tyler Grady
The Lowdown: Drummer who broke his hands climbing a tree is the lone hard rocker in the field.
Background: 20-year-old Pennsylvanian has cultivated a Robert Plant look.
Core Voting Block: Potential huge Cougar appeal, as evidenced by Posh Spice and Kara’s
gushing at his audition.
Strength: Distinctive look that will evoke youthful groupie fantasies for many viewers.
Weakness: How far can a young guy take the hard-rocker role?
Idol Predecessor:
Bo Bice
Real World Predecessor:
Jet
Early Tracking: Solidly in the middle tier; equally likely to take off or flame out.
