American Idol- Top 11

It has been a bit hard for me to find the time to set aside in order to do a full blog post on each episode. I watched a recording late on Monday night and am just now getting to do this entry now, So, my memory will be even less sharp as usual, but I still think I will recall many of the points I wanted to make, to back up my ratings, which I always make as I go along watching each performance round.

 

First, let us look back at what I had for the Top 14, which we were mysteriously told would not have the results announced until everything could be accurate. The California based show gave us the voting results a week later, which frankly is pretty good for that state. 

 

Rankings:

 

14. Kyndal

13. Jake Thistle- predicted to be eliminated

 

12. Julian Kalel

11. Chris Tungseth

10. Brooks

 9. Lucas Leon

 8. Jesse Findling- predicted to be eliminated

 7. Braden Rumfelt

 6. Hannah Harper

 5. Daniel Stallworth

 4. Rae

 3. Keyla Richardson

 2. Jordan McCullough

 1. Philmon Lee

 

Who was eliminated: Jake Thistle and Julian Kalel

 

I had a feeling it would be two guys since the gender imbalance was already so pronounce. I blogged that after the Songs of Faith Night, Jesus would be safe, but Jake and Jesse would not be, Indeed that proved to be the case with Jake, who I had ranked 13th, but I have to say I was pretty surprised at the other J name to go.

 

Julian was eliminated and the miracle of Passover saved Jesse (at least for now,) It was just a couple of weeks ago, when I thought Julian might be the overall frontrunner to win it all. I thought he had a subpar night though vocally and stylistically and I ranked him 12th. With that in mind, this was a reasonable fair result. I also neglected to mention that there was some sort of weird laughter heard on the television early in Julian's Coldplay performance. What was that all about? It sounded odd. So, the bottom line is that Julian being eliminated this early gives me pause as to just how much I might understand the political dynamics of this current season. Would it be crazy to say that Latino viewership of American Idol is lower than ever (perhaps with many deported or in detention centers) and thus the one Latino contestant could not even benefit from the ethnic vote? Yes, probably. Julian also came across as from a very privileged background. I wonder if other Idol followers were similarly surprised by the development.

 

Anyways, Monday night saw the remaining 12 kids sing songs from the '90s, after being given three options they were told were picked by the judges. (Who really knows?)  The "winning" judge who had the most songs selected would then get to save one of the Bottom Two. Typically, this has been a very close contest on Idol over the few seasons they have been doing it, but this year, Lionel Richie, easily the oldest judge, ran away with it. Is he having his very young girlfriend pick the songs? I would have preferred an '80s night to '90s myself, because I was born a decade too late.

 

1. Hannah Harper- "Heads Carolina Tails California"

 

She has never heard of Toni Braxton or "Un-break My Heart?" I find that pretty jarring, but she was given an option to sing a country song that apparently she actually performed as part of her audition process. I do not remember which judge picked it for her, but is that something they might have been aware of?

 

This was the first non-religious song Hannah has sung in the voting round. From what I recall, she sounded credible, but it was also a bit on the boring side. I do not think she is a threat to Carrie Underwood on the country charts anytime soon. Then again, I am not even sure if Carrie has been released new music anytime recently.

 

2. Jordan McCullough- "Always Be My Baby"

 

When Jordan was given the option of songs, he seemed shocked and amused that a Mariah Carey ballad was an option for him. Lo and behold though, that is the one he chose. I bet by the time he took the stage, he was aware that one time winner David Cook once sang this on Idol, putting his own spin on it, to great plaudits. For Jordan, this was chosen by Lionel Richie, whom David Cook also covered that season.

 

I continue to be impressed with Jordan vocally and as a performer. He sang this really well, and a lot of Idol viewers probably never knew or forgot all about Cook's version, so might have had the surprise factor. I still would be interested in seeing how Jordan does on very different kinds of songs, but for now he is playing the game strongly.

 

3. Daniel Stallworth- "It Ain't Over Til It's Over"

 

I guess he picked the right song. Another option was an uptempo *NSYNC number and that seemed like it could have been problematic for a solo artist. 

 

Daniel started off playing the piano and then got up to finish the Lenny Kravitz cover. I do like his old school R&B type voice and I thought he had a strong performance. Is he what Idol fans are looking for in 2026 though? It seems like he is trying to gradually present himself as "younger" and not as upright.

 

4. Lucas Leon- "It's Your Love"

 

With Jake and Julian both leaving at the top of the show, Lucas should probably realize that he very much stands to benefit as a guitar playing young guy who appeals to white folks. Their double elimination makes it far more likely he sticks around for a while.

 

Once again, Lucas gave an earnest and pleasant performance of a country song. This was a Tim McGraw and Faith Hill duet that I remember being pretty popular in the late '90s. Vocally though, I just do not feel that Lucas is truly at the top of his game. He does not really have the old school country thing that has worked out well for other teen country guys on Idol and he might not be old or mature enough to be considered a modern country standout.

 

5. Chris Tungseth- "I'll Be"

 

I thought this song was from the very early 2000s, but indeed it came out in 1998. I do know it was covered a ton back in the early days of Idol. 

As I said last week, I liked what Chris attempted to do with "Apologize" but I have pretty much lost interest in him as a contestant these days. Yes, he has talent, but his voice is apparently pretty thin and he is not that interesting vocally. Parts of this vocal on Monday just felt unsteady and not ready for prime time.

 

6. Philmon Lee- "Hard To Handle"

 

This is really going back to the very beginning of the '90s when the Black Crowes made a name for themselves with this. A lot of people may not realize it was originally an Otis Redding song in the '60s.

 

Very interesting song choice for Philmon indeed though. He started off changing the arrangement to be a slower, swampy sort of deal and it was kind of cool and then he pivoted more to the uptempo jam that is so well known. I really liked it. Philmon was a standout for me in the previous round and I thought he maintained his momentum. Philmon seems like kind of a low-key guy, but he could be a dark horse now.

 

7. Kyndal- "Iris"

 

I do not recall offhand what the other two song choices were, but I think I would have preferred them. Kyndal, who was actually alive for a couple of years or so in the 1990s seemed to not be familiar with them.

This Goo Goo Dolls song though was very well known, and while not horrible, has always been kind of bleh for me.  This week, I did not really vibe with Kyndal's arrangement or vocals. She definitely has talent and I liked it more than her frantic worship song, but her voice is just so stylized, Many people will love that about her, but it's just not my thing.

 

8. Brooks- "Linger" 

Idol Judges' 90s Night was pretty big for the Cranberries. It might as well have been Thanksgiving they were offered up so much. 

 

Maybe folks around my age will like Brooks take on it. I know my mother never likes his performances. From what I remember, he did not sound horrible by any means but I just am also no longer too impressed with his quirky tone.We have heard him for weeks now and are just sort of used to it. I will be somewhat surprised if he makes the Top Five.

 

9. Rae- "Love Will Lead You Back"

All these one named singers in a row...I keep asking myself who exactly is voting for Rae? Well, for one thing, while I do not think they are voting, I know now that my parents really like her. In some ways, Rae's Idol candidacy reminds me a bit of Haley Reinhart except she seems far more cognizant of the camera and playing up to it.

 

Rae said she did not know this song and had to learn it. For a singer of her style, I find that a bit surprising that she had never heard it before, but maybe these kids are just that young Vocally, she was impressive again and she has a ton of skill.I just do not see her fitting in today's music contemporary music world, but Rae is at least making a name for herself.

 

10. Braden Rumfelt- "All By Myself"

 

I really wish I remember what his other song options were. I think they might have been smarter options than attempting Celine Dion. 

Braden was so good in his "live" Hawai'i performance but took a step backward last week. This week, I actually thought he had a couple nice moments vocally but steered off course in others. He also just looks unsure of himself, This could be a case of a contestant picking songs he likes and thinks he can show off on but are not the right choices strategically.In looking at my rankings now, I am a bit surprised in retrospect that I have him ranked just ahead of someone, but that is how it must have sounded to me at the time.

 

11. Jesse Findling- "Wonderwall"

 

In theory, Jesse could also benefit from the other two J dudes going home, but he is a different kind of singer who appeals towards an older crowd. His biggest competition for votes at this point was probably Braden.

 

I give Jesse points for giving a good effort. As I have said before, he has kind of a Josh Groban thing going on with his voice and seems like an easy person to root for. However, I thought he had a very off night vocally. This was just not the kind of song he he should have sung.

 

12. Keyla Richardson- "Zombie"

 

Another Cranberries' tune to close out the night. I do not remember even thinking much about the Cranberries in the '90s. Did they have a Beverly Hills 90210 guest slot at the Peach Pit After Dark? Somehow I seem to remember that.

 

Interesting song choice for Keyla, who was once again given the pimp slot. Her young son was once again present and the camera focused on him often as he sang along to every word. In many ways, that is wholesome but it sort of disturbs me a bit. Why is Drew learning Cranberries' lyrics along with his mother? Should he not be doing schoolwork remotely while in California?

 

As for Keyla, it started off good and I was impressed with how she was able to infuse her soulful take on a dramatic song not many people would have expected her to sing. Then, just like in Hawai'i, she sort of went off (in a good way) vocally at the end and I had no choice but to move her up another spot in my rankings.

 

Rankings:

 

12. Jesse Findling

11. Kyndal

 

10. Chris Tungseth

 9.  Brooks

 8.  Lucas Leon

 7.  Hannah Harper

 6.  Rae

 5.  Braden Rumfelt

 4.  Philmon Lee 

 3.  Daniel Stallworth

 2.  Jordan McCullough

 1.  Keyla Richardson

 

Next would be the announcement of the Bottom Two and Lionel Richie saying Hello to the person he wanted to save and Goodbye to the other unlucky contestant. Per above, it should have been Jesse and Kyndal at the bottom, but in the commercial break, I predicted it would be Jesse Findling and Brooks in the Bottom Two, with Jesse getting cut.

Who was the Bottom Two: Jesse Findling and Rae

Who I predicted Lionel (or the people in his ear) would save: Rae

Who was saved: Rae

 

This was not too much of a surprise at the end. They were not about to cut another girl from the show, and Rae definitely had a better night than Jesse. It was the obvious choice. None of this bodes well for Rae though in the short-term. As I have been saying, I do not see female voters gravitating towards her.

 

Jesse did very well to get this far on American Idol. He was easily the best ever contestant with a noticeable stutter. Hopefully, he will go as far as he can musically and otherwise after this experience. Just look at the former stutterer Joe Biden and what he accomplished, but try to forget about that 2024 debate.

 

Good luck to Jesse who I thought would be leaving at the top of the show, but got an extra two hours to compete before he did, It was the end of the road for Jesse on TGIF nostalgia night with many former ABC sitcom actors sitting amongst the contestants. Alas though, no Uncle Jesse from "Full House" who might have grabbed a mic and started to sing if he were there.  

 

A Sitcom Theme Song Night might actually be interesting for Idol. 

 

I also would be remiss if I did not point out that "The Wonder Years" was never a TGIF show, but I guess nobody says no to Winnie Cooper.