American Idol Top 10 Results

Who should have been eliminated based on the week's performances: Jena Irena
Who I predicted would be eliminated: MK Nobilette
Who was eliminated: MK Nobilette

This is the second time during the Finals that the person I thought would be going home is, but also the first time that I did not correctly pick all members of the Bottom Three. The voters and the judges liked Jena's electronic turn much more than I did and the voters saved C.J. Harris from a poor performance, that included some rough comments from the judges.

Joining MK in the Bottom Three were Dexter Roberts, who may Idol watchers probably think has already stayed around this season for two long and once again Majesty Rose, who many had thought was a threat to win it all.

In the end though, MK's elimination was not a surprise and I sense that the Idol voting rejection of the first formally official gay contestant in the show's decade plus history is not that much of an outrage, even in the gay community. That is a good thing.

I think MK is a decent singer and certainly talented enough to have gotten a golden ticket to go to Hollywood. Afterwards, I think she might have been advanced over more talented competitors because of her "story." If she was not a somewhat androgynous gay woman, she likely would not have made it to this point.

Her performances on the Idol stage this season were shaky, even before her train wreck performance this past week, in which she messed up the song and seemed to give up (albeit briefly) in trying to get back on track. Afterwards, in a backstage interview, she made the assertion that it was a strong performance on her part.

On Thursday, MK, who was apparently sick, attempted to save herself by reprising "All of Me", after a somewhat lengthy consultation with Idol bandleader Rickey Minor over the upcoming performance. Like most of her songs, some parts sounded good, but those parts were short-lived, as other parts sounded quite amateurish. Perhaps considering the weight of the moment though, and likely knowing she was about to be off the show, MK appeared to be as emotionally connected as she had been in any previous performance. Since she will be going on the Idol tour (and perhaps kicking the show off), her live performance skills are going to really need to vastly improve or the experience might be uncomfortable for both her and the audience.

After some seemingly dramatic deliberations, and prodding from the audience to save her, the judges were not unanimous and it was all over for MK. Before that moment though, I was struck by the dichotomy of her standing on stage, and appearing to be close with Dexter, who's background and life is probably about as opposite of MK's as can be imagined in some ways. Who knows if these contestants are truly all friends off-stage, but I suppose that if they can all get along, it's a hopeful thing for society.

Despite some sub-par singing, I am pretty sure that I never had MK as the absolute worst on any night that she sang, which indicates that she has some potential. I just do not think this was the right competition for her, and she  never seemed comfortable with Idol or the whole tv thing. Her perceived sour mood and expressions (as well as her physical resemblance to that jackass Justin Bieber) probably hurt the most in expanding a fan base beyond those who would already be most inclined to root for her.

Of course, I do not really know MK but she seems like a bit of a troubled person. Maybe she is still just sorting herself out this early in her life. Good luck to her in whatever she winds up doing. For a variety of reasons, she was never going to come close to being an American Idol or a mainstream star in the world of popular music, but there is no reason why she cannot have a success as a singer, at least in the short-term. The type of exposure that Idol will have brought to her should make her in demand for gigs at lesbian clubs and events I would imagine. There really is not anybody else out there currently, (that I am aware of) that she might be competing with in that realm.