American Idol- Season 24 Finale

Time flies these days. It seems like the latest season of American Idol just began, but it is not already over. In the old days, when the show was a much bigger event, the Finale would always be the week before Memorial Day Weekend. They just start the actual competition later these days and eliminate multiple people at once. The days of the farewell video package and teary sing-off and interview with Seacrest are long gone. 

 

As usual, I enjoyed following this season of American Idol, but find writing about it to be a chore. Mostly because, I have not been able to "live blog" it but have to rely on memory. This past week, I watched the three hour episode as it unfolded and did my rankings and predictions at the time, but certainly did not have time to write down my thoughts online. So, I have waited until Saturday, where I fear there is just not all that much to say. Every week, I likely forget to include points I wanted to make.

 

One thought I did had was how it was interesting that the Finals began with so many more males than females, thus making it seem likely that the winner would be a guy, For the Final Three though, females finally outnumbered the males though. I also think this is probably the first time that at least two members of the Final Three were parents.

 

1. "The Champion"

 

The evening formally began with all three of the contestants singing a song by judge Carrie Underwood. Since they all had brief solos, I had to rank them, though nobody else will bother. I really do not remember much about this. They all sounded just fine and perhaps based on personal preference at this point, I judged it as I would have expected.

 

3. Hannah Harper

2. Keyla Richardson

1. Jordan McCullough

 

Next,  it was time for "global superstar" and former coach on "The Voice" Alicia Keys to mentor the kids and have them sing her songs. Keys hereself would also sing twice on the evening, as there were of course the usual guest performances of duets and group numbers with the previously eliminated Finalists.

 

2. Hannah Harper- "No One"

 

This is one of the two Alicia Keys songs I have always really liked, but for whatever reason get mixed up in my head with the other one, where I cannot place what the other one is. We will have to see if that one gets done this round also.

 

Hannah did a fine job. She dedicated this to her husband, (whom has a different last name) and who I have since read quit his job in order to stay home and take care of the kids, while his wife pursues her long-standing musical dreams that apparently she had set aside when she started having kids. All that is very admirable, but a large sector of the conservative Idol fanbase might have some mixed feelings. Hannah definitely needs those sort of voters to win. I was a bit surprised that the three boys, who are usually sitting in the audience with large headphones on were back home in Missouri and not in the Hollywood studio alongside the overalls wearing grandpa. Hannah's mother was also there along with a woman I assume was her grandmother. So, it would have been cool if four generations of her family were there for the moment. 

 

Anyways, Hannah was good. She can successfully adapt her voice to suit all sorts of songs but never ventures too far from what she specializes in. That is very reminiscent of what past winner Scotty McCreery was able to pull off. 

 

3. Keyla Richardson- "Un-thinkable" (I'm Ready)"

 

This is a song I do not know. Thus, it makes it all harder to remember days later. I know that Keyla did her thing though and more than pulled it off. She took Alice Keys' advice and incorporated some sort of call and response into the performance. 

That's about all I got for this one. Keyla's son Drew was definitely present for the Finale. I expect he believes he will be a contestant himself in a few years when he is old enough, or perhaps will just take over for Seacrest as host.

 

4. Jordan McCullough-"If I Ain't Got You"

 

Yes, this is the other song by Alicia Keys that I like (Face it, "Fallin' is boring), and probably even more than the other one. I have to find a way to remember that "If I Ain't Got You"  and "No One" are different songs.

 

Jordan did what he always does and went all in on the performance and his vocals were superb. I do not think you can say that he had one performance on the Idol stage that would even be considered merely "above average." He is just an incredibly talented singer, that will probably never again be as famous as he has been for the past couple of months. That is sort of a sad thing.

 

So for this round, as I would have expected:

 

3. Hannah Harper

2. Keyla Richardson

1. Jordan McCullough

 

One more round before a "snapshot of the vote" would be released and the person in third place would be eliminated. Now, I do not think it was explained, and I think it is pretty important, if the vote starts fresh after that for only the Top Two or if all the votes from the first two official rounds carry over to the end. That sort of thing definitely might affect the outcome. Politically speaking, is it more of a jungle primary or a runoff?

As is tradition, the Finale participants got a "hometown visit" although it seems the video packages are much shorter than they used to be. 

 

5. Hannah Harper- "Married Into This Town"

 

So, the performance order will remain the same. Jordan will apparently keep having the final performance.

 

This was a song that Hannah had written herself  and I thought it was pretty impressive in that regard. While she has said she grew up in Missouri (when not traveling with her Bluegrass performing family) it seems like she was not a native of Willow Springs, and moved there because of her husband.

 

Playing guitar for this performance, Hannah is always at her strongest at this kind of country music. The genre definitely has a lot of fans, but it is also true that the genre has a ton of young blonde women who sing it.

 

6. Keyla Richardson- "I Love The Lord"

 

Returning to Pensacola, Florida or as it is now being called "Pensakeyla" (as a young child, I always though it was "Pepsicola"), Keyla was shown meeting with some of her former students, at what looked like a private school, and of course,  spending a lot of time with her son back home. You can definitely say that all three of the Finalists are from very Republican parts of America, although Keyla is probably the last likely to vote that way.

 

Taking on a gospel song is a definite tactic to play for the religious Christian vote . The first night of the Finals featured a whole lot of these songs, but then the competition did feel less secular in the weeks that followed.  

 

As would be expected, Keyla sang it very well. It was probably technically perfect as far as those things go. It seems like she would be sticking solely with ballads though for the Finale. I wonder if she would have gotten more votes if she did something by Beyonce for instance.

 

7. Jordan McCullough-"Dear God"

 
Another religious ballad here as Jordan is trying to appeal to the same voters as Keyla, even though many of them are probably sticking solidly with Hannah anyway. We know that Jordan is a worship leader, so this sort of music must feel like second nature to him. I did notice though from the video package that the church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that the biracial Jordan works out seems to be a racially mixed but perhaps mostly white megachurch type place. I wonder if some African-American churchgoing fans of his might have taken notice and were perhaps disappointed.

 

To continue a theme, Jordan sang this just as expected. He was great. There is no way he could actually not win the title, right?

 

Round Two Rankings, same as before:

 

3. Hannah Harper

2. Keyla Richardson

1. Jordan McCullough

 

Next, and I do not really even remember this that well from Monday, the Final Three sang "Lovin' U" alongside its artist Alicia Keys. They all did just fine. We have an extremely talented Final Three. Nobody else will have ranked them, but of course I did, and had it:

 

3. Hannah Harper

2. Keyla Richardson

1. Jordan McCullough

 

Who should have finished in third place: Hannah Harper

Who I predicted would finish in third place: Keyla Richardson

Who finished in third place: Keyla Richardson

 

All of this is course what I expected to happen a week prior, if not before.Keyla and Jordan were splitting the votes of black Idol fans. There had never been a Final Two composed of two African-Americans. Also, it has been a very long time since the Final Two were both women, and those rare occasions only seemed to happen on seasons where the all the guys were considered complete afterthoughts. So, in many ways, this result was completely expected and as good as Keyla was on the night and has been all season, there is nothing she could have done about it. She had all sorts of buzz coming out of the Hawai'i episodes and many people were probably surprised that Jordan would go on to be as great in the competition as he was, and overtake her. Somehow though, I think a lot of casual Idol viewers were likely surprised here.

 

The next hour of the show was devoted to celebrity appearance and other filler. Did we really need to have Luke Bryan sing one of his horrible bro country tunes again so soon?  I did like seeing Carrie Underwood with Motley Crue doing "Home Sweet Home" and "Kickstart My Heart", (a pretty cool goal song choice for the barely still alive Buffalo Sabres.) Vince Neil is nowhere remotely close to the vocalist he once was but at least he made an effort to sing every word he was assigned.

 

Some of the other performances, including eliminated contestants, were pretty bad,and let's just leave it at that.  Since Keyla was gone, there is no reason to comment upon her duet with Jason Mraz, but she did just fine.

 

As for Hannah and Jordan, what remained was their celebrity collaboration and then a reprisal of a performance from earlier in the season. That means, I think perhaps for the first time ever, no round of "Winners Song" or what their first single is. I have no idea if these contestants even have such an entry out there in the post-Idol musical world at this point now.

 

8. Hannah Harper- "I Hope You Dance"

 

Just about everyone watching Idol knows this song, for better or worse, and Hannah dueted with its singer Lee Ann Womack (not to be confused with Jo Dee Messina who "surprised" Hannah at her hometown visit.)

 

This was made for television goodness. Hannah did her thing and meshed nicely with the more seasoned country star. The Idol Finalist may not be blowing anyone away with her vocal range, but she was certainly having a strong and steady night.

 

9. Jordan McCullough- "Control" and "Confetti"

 

This pairing made a little less sense. Tori Kelly is a big star (though I do not think I would be able to name one song) but part of that lore is that she as a teenager was cut on Idol in Hollywood Week and never even made the Top 24. On another note, I learned that the Canadian dude who did backflips on stage and got cut fairly early a couple years ago is now some sort of star and performed a cringy duet on Monday with Brooks. 

 

Jordan sounded just fine of course on what apparently a medley of two Tori Kelly songs. He was also joined though by the talented Daniel Stallworth, who was cut a few weeks ago, and who made it a musical trio. Everything involved here worked just fine, but it did not really leave much of a chance for Jordan to shine.

 

I have to be consistent and rank this "round" though, even though nobody else would. I also have to keep it real. To my surprise, I had it Hannah over Jordan.

 

At this point, knowing they only had one song left, I was really hoping I could give a clear win to Jordan because I had wanted him to win. I was also very curious if Hannah's votes from the beginning of the night, when she was perhaps a good deal ahead of a split Jordan/Keyla vote was carrying over. I had been counting on Keyla voters, perhaps upset at the outrage of her losing to Hannah, would then switch over en masse to Jordan, but perhaps that was not in play as much as I first assumed.

 

10. Hannah Harper- "String Cheese"

 

I do occasionally enjoy some string cheese, although I think I was at least a teenager the first time I ever had any. I like the Colby Jack types you can bite off a bit at a time without the strings even more.

 

This was the second original song Hannah performed. Perhaps voters were giving her credit for leaning into her songwriting talents and originality. Hannah had auditioned in Nashville with this song and it went "viral" as apparently all sorts of young mothers had an emotional reaction. (Carrie Underwood also cried and gushed about how "relatable" it was.) Frankly, I got that sentiment more hearing the song in full than I did previously. Hannah sang about feeling insecure in her life, as someone in her 20s, about the overwhelming responsibility of being a mother, but how she knew she was fulfilling her destiny and purpose by being a parent by something so mundane as helping her son open his string cheese. (Yes, those packages can be a bitch!)

 

Hannah sang it really well and I get how women with young children can have an emotional reaction. In Idol history, that sort of thing for a female contestant appealing to women in such a way, may be unheard of, and thus extremely smart. As mentioned, I also totally relate in how it feels, even at my age, to need help sometimes in getting the plastic of those freakin' cheese things. Sometimes, I have to get a scissors.

 

11. Jordan McCullough- "Goodness Of God"

 

Throughout the entire season, as great as he has been, Jordan has done mostly ballads and has leaned into the spiritually aspect. He clearly sees himself doing religious music for his career. This was another trip to the well for the Finale in order to try to appeal to the Evangelical group. It was even the second song to have the word G-d in the title.

 

Jordan sounded great when he sang this on the Idol stage weeks ago and he sang it great again on Monday. I would have rather have heard him do something new or perhaps another repeat performance but you cannot in anyway diminish his talent as a vocalist. If you take degree of difficulty into account, this was definitely harder to sing than "String Cheese."

 

Final Round: Jordan over Hannah

 

Who should have won American Idol: Jordan McCullough

Who I was predicting would win American Idol: Jordan McCullough

 

I will say though being the political savant I was, the doubts of my prediction were definitely creeping in. This was not going to be any sort of slam dunk.

 

Who won American Idol: Hannah Harper

 

There you have it. It is not exactly easy to analyze but I think women this season related to Hannah, who is quite pretty, but mostly due to her maternal identity more than Jordan, whom they might have liked personally, but were perhaps not overly attracted to.

This season, Idol held all its auditions and "Hollywood Week" in the State of Tennessee, but Jordan fell short of being the first ever Idol winner to represent that musical mecca. Hannah would join David Cook to become the second Idol winner from Missouri (although he had been living elsewhere by the time he auditioned.) 

Last year, I was pleasantly surprised when the more talented African-American singer prevailed over the white country dude. This year, the racial roles at least were reversed. I will note though that both Jamal Roberts and Hannah Harper are parents of young children (three to be exact in both cases) and that might have contributed to the voting habits of some. It seemed subtly obvious last year that Jamal was not married while Hannah, who got married quite young, had her husband present each week. She definitely appeared to the more traditional minded viewers while Jordan had some distinct differences from what might be considered an ideal black male gospel singer for those who wanted to back such a contender. Whether it was intentional or not, you have to admit that Hannah had a good strategy as a female to win a show where females used to really struggle to win.

 

It is hard to tell if Jordan was surprised or not by the final result.He was very gracious, but then was seen in a long huge with Daniel Stallworth in the wings while Hannah attempted to sing "At The Cross (Love Ran Wed)" in her winning women, as if Jordan was maybe crying. Soon enough though, other contestants, judges, and family members surrounded Hannah on stage. I did not see Keyla out there though. Maybe I missed her, but I did try to look, and that seemed notable. The emotional impact of the Idol "winning moment" is not as intense as it used to be. Perhaps, because the seasons are truncated.

 

Jordan will likely have a decent career in music if he wants one in Gospel, and hopefully Keyla will taste success post-Idol as well. 

Time will tell if the latest winner, Hannah,will go on to mainstream country success, or if he will be on the Bluegrass circuit before too long. Hopefully, she will get that tour bus she has been dreaming of, in order to keep her family together on the road, similar to how she and her siblings grew up. She also ought to try to get an endorsement from a string cheese company.

 

American Idol- Top 3

It feels like more of a chore to blog about this season of American Idol, but we are almost at the end. It is not that I do not find the season or show interesting, it is just that Monday night is a bad time slot for me to write about the episode that night. So, I have to do it later, and things get delayed. There seems to be so many other things to follow between news/politics and sports. For instance, the Chicago Cubs are on what feels like an historic hot streak lately and I need to enjoy that for as long as it lasts. 

 

This week, I watched a recording of American Idol late Monday night and am here now on Thursday evening to offer some disjointed observations. This may not have ever happened before with as many as five singers competing, but I actually had the exact same rankings this week for both rounds. Thus, I will just present them at the end.

 

To start off the evening, original Idol judge Paula Abdul was welcomed back to the judges' table, and her fellow original judge Randy Jackson was presented giving mentorship and advice to the remaining hopefuls. I am certain a lot of viewers were concerned about the physical appearance of "The Dog" which seems to have changed even since his recent stint as sidekick on the ridiculously corny Fox show "Name That Tune", (which I think I would do very well on.) Hopefully, Randy is doing ok.

 

There were also appearances by some of the professionals from ABC's "Dancing With The Stars" which my parents (dancers themselves) have watched religiously.since the first season. Thankfully, there was not a crossover "Bachelor/Bachelorette" tie-in for Idol. Perhaps next season, they can bring out John Quinones who will incorporate "What Would You Do" into the Idol competition.

 

1. Keyla Richardson- "River Deep, Mountain High"

 

Let us see how well I can remember everything that happened on Monday. My first thought was this was the song that produced the surprise boot for Pia Toscano once upon a time on Idol. 

 

For some reason, I think Keyla has on a few occasions began her performances sounding a little bit off kilter vocally. Then, she gets it together and very frequently shows off in a majorly impressive way at the end. I was not crazy about the way this song started Then, when the dancers came out and the tempo picked up, she was certainly more than credible and entertaining as usual.

 

2. Chris Tungseth- "Northern Attitude" 

 

Chris is from Minnesota after all  This was not a song I knew but he has continued to survive this season, perhaps due to votes from the South.

 

From what I recall, I thought Chris sounded a little bit better and more connected to the music than he has recently. It must have still been a bit boring though if I cannot recall much more. I think I remember that he seemed a little distracted by the dancers around him. Who knows how much time they had to rehearse with that production>

 

3. Braden Rumfelt- "Lose Control"

 

I do not think they mentioned what the criteria was for the song selections for this round. Braden took on a relatively new and well-known song by Teddy Swims.  With Randy Jackson, a former bassist for Journey, as the mentor, perhaps Braden could have done something by Journey. I do think his voice has a bit of a Steve Perry like quality to it, but he has not really leaned into that.

 

This was overall really good in my view. Like the week before, he seems to have gained confidence on stage and I think he has a very impressive voice,

 

4. Hannah Harper- "Fever"

Seacrest teased this performance by saying Hannah had a fever and I thought that meant she was under the weather and they were trying to gin up some sympathy for her. Instead, it was an announcement of a truly surprising song choice for the Evangelical bluegrass artist.

One on hand, I have to salute Hannah for trying to do something a bit different in order to show range. On the other hand, I wondered if her voting fanbase would be confused or disapprove of a sultry Peggy Lee jazz standard. Vocally, I thought Hannah just barely managed to pull it off. She seemed to go for it with her voice and has the skill to mold the song to her particular tone, but body language wise, the vibe was that she just was not entirely comfortable.

 

5. Jordan McCullough- "Footprints In The Sand"

 

I think this song was done several years ago on Idol but I do not know it well.  

 

That is probably a benefit for Jordan though, because upon watching, one just associates it with him, and this dude can just sing anything,. I really barely remember him in the auditions, I did not think she was going to amount to being a major contender this season, but he is just so good at what he does, that he seems to have reached "other league" status. As I have made the comparison before, he reminds me of someone from NBC's "The Voice." He is probably not going to be any sort of pop star in the years ahead, but as far as a reality tv show singing contestant, he is putting on a clinic and could be days away from the title.

 

The next round was really interesting. The Final Five would sing duets with some of the Finalists from a generation ago. No, not Chris Daughtry or Katharine McPhee from the 2006 season (and Rest In Peace, Mandisa) but a bunch of the others from what was a very popular season, back when Idol was far more of a cultural phenomenon in America.  I took my parents to see that season's "Pop Tarts Tour" in Rosemont, Illinois for their wedding Anniversary that year, and it was a very good show. I even ranked the performances on this blog. 

 

All of the returning alumni have definitely aged, and some better than others. None of them are exactly big names in music at this point,and most of them for the most part never really were (unlike Daughtry for a period of time.) It was good to see them back though. These past contestants, who range in age between 37 and 49, really brought their A games to the stage. That might have come from years of experience and seasoning or perhaps the realization that this may be the last chance they ever get to sing on network television.

 

Last year's winner, Jamal Roberts also came back to sing his new song and hand out some flowers. That meant there would be four Idols in the building, representing 2005 with judge Carrie Underwood, 2006 with Taylor Hicks, last year's winner, and the person about to be crowned next Monday. 

 

As a matter of personal privilege, I will point out that I wish we had the President we had in 2006 again, although that year definitely brought in a "blue wave" in the midterms, which may very well repeat itself this year also. I was far more upset about that then than I will be now. Of course I have to note that nothing as ever been quite right in our country or our politics since Democrats won control of Congress in 2006. 

 

Unlike last week, the contestants all sang in the same order for this round as they did earlier in the evening. 

 

6. Keyla Richardson- "Living For The City"

 

They did not show Randy Jackson in the pre-song segments for all of these contestants this round, but they showed him with Keyla who expressed disbelief that she did not know this Stevie Wonder song. He may have had a point, but it also came across as an unfavorable edit for her.

 

 Keyla got to sing with the Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks, who was not viewed as the best singer his season, but was the most entertaining and enjoyed a large contingent of middle aged women in the "Soul Patrol." Keyla could use their votes here as well. This was a good performance all around and Keyla, who has sung a lot of ballads, went uptempo for the second time on the evening. Still though, she seemed to defer a bit to Taylor who went all out for the cameras and outshone the current hopeful a bit. There would be a lot of talk amongst the judges on Monday about the "ugly face" or "stank face" and Taylor certainly had that going. He can still perform, which may be why much of the rest of the evening was about Taylor trying to get on "Dancing With the Stars" and interviewing for a lot with the producer right there. He pretty much has to be guaranteed for that show now. Can be become the first ever Idol winner to also take a Mirror Ball trophy? If the Soul Patrol activates, anything might be possible.

 

7.  Chris Tungseth- "The Thunder Rolls"

I grasped at this point that the duets were being done to songs that the elder Idols had done back in the day.  Way back then, I did not think Bucky Covington was that good of a singer, but he sounded pretty good this week. Paula Abdul apparently forgot that Bucky had a twin brother. I would have expected her to remember that, maybe.. I did. His name was Rocky I think,.

 

Anyways, Bucky probably brought out a good performance from Chris, who seemed enthused to do something country. I just do not like this song though and do not think that either of the long-haired bearded gentlemen on stage are or were anything close to the best of their seasons.

 

8. Braden Rumfelt- "The Show Must Go On"

 

I do not recall seeing much of Paris Bennett since her season (or in person on stage at the summer tour)  when she was only 17. I think I remember reading that she had a child young. Paris (who like Chris represented Minnesota on Idol, but thankfully was not paired with him) still looks youthful and sounded great. This was a memorable take on a Queen song when she did it the first time and I liked this duet.

 

Unlike Keyla and Chris, Braden tried not to let the older, more experienced performer take over the duet, but still Paris probably outsang him, even thought I though this kind of dramatic rock ballad also works very well for Braden's voice.

 

9. Hannah Harper- "A Broken Wing"

 

Kellie Pickler caused quite a stir during her season by virtue of her appearance and extremely good comedic timing. She was not at all considered a great singer and was thought of as a very good actress and that helped her go further than she probably should have. For a while, she did have a career in country music and I think might have done a television sitcom even (which would have been perfect for her.) I also believe she once competed on "Dancing With The Stars." Recent years have seemed to be tougher on Kellie, after her husband took his life. She definitely looks a good deal different than she did 20 years ago but I thought sounded a good deal better this week than she did back then.

 

Of course, this round was really about Hannah though and her desire to get votes. Hannah was more than credible on this country duet but did not exactly have a "moment."

 

10. Jordan McCullough- "A Song For You"

 

Jordan is a worship leader who is quite adept at taking his performances "to church." He did the same here as his duet partner, Elliot Yamin on his Donny Hathaway reprisal "took it to synagogue."

 

Elliot, who finished third in his season, just ahead of a visibly shocked Chris Daughtry when that particular elimination was announced, sounded great on Monday. Jordan was even better and I think was the only current Idol to outsing the returning Idol.  All the adjectives that could be used to describe Jordan have seemingly already been deployed by me. I am sure there will be more next week.

 

Rankings for both rounds and overall:

 

5. Chris Tungseth

4, Hannah Harper

 

3,.Keyla Richardson

2. Braden Rumfelt

1. Jordan McCullough

 

Who should have been eliminated: Chris Tungseth and Hannah Harper

Who I predicted would be eliminated: Chris Tungseth and Keyla Richardson

Who was eliminated:  Chris Tungseth and Braden Rumfelt

 

All credit must be given to my mother who told me a few days before the episode aired that Jordan, Keyla, and Hannah would be the Top 3. I definitely thought that was possible, but am still considering the reality of the racial breakdown of the vote and how Keyla and Jordan are both competing for African-Americans. After all, so much is in the news these days about the Congressional redistricting and the political effect of diluting the black vote.

 

Best of luck to Chris, who seems to be a very a nice guy. It was his time to go. This week, I did think Braden was a bit better than Keyla, but I cannot be mad to any degree about her making it to the Finale over him. As mentioned, Hannah probably should have been eliminated but I did not think that would happen. I suspect that neither Chris nor Braden were surprised to reach the end of the road.

 

One can look at electoral map and note that blue state Minnesota and purple state North Carolina were sent home. The red states of Missouri, Florida, and Tennessee remain and will see hometown visits from their representatives. (All three of those states are going to be among those that will be having mid-decade Congressional redistricting this year, a disturbing trend started by Donald Trump's Republicans, and joined in turn by Democrats in a race to the bottom, but this is not the right venue to vent about that now...)

 

The three hour show next Monday night will feature three talented contestants, who are all quite a bit different vocally. Personally, I expect to enjoy Jordan and Keyla more than Hannah, but I hope all three do very well.

 

My hunch is that Keyla will finish third, unless perhaps Idol voters take more to her story or being a teacher and a parent (just like last year's winner Jamal) to the detriment of Jordan.. Otherwise, I think the Final Two come down to Hannah and Jordan, and Keyla's base of voters will swing to give Jordan the W.

 

We must keep in mind that in all previous 23 seasons of American Idol, there has never been an all African-American Final Two, and I do not think that streak is likely to be broken this year, even if it should be. 

American Idol- Top 5

We are getting down to the homestretch on the 24th season of American Idol. Monday night saw the Top 7 perform two songs and then there would be only five remaining. For some reason, comedian Nikki Glaser, who has some sort of special on Hulu to promote, was the guest judge and she showed up in a tiny and sparkly dress. Who was not present at the judges' table was Taylor Swift, the subject of Round 1, or California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose state's music was the focus of Round 2. That might have made for a more interesting panel. Next week though, we are told that Randy Jackson and Paul Abdul will be returning. That might be "a hot one, dog."

 

As for this week, the King and Queen of England were in America and they have been on Idol before, but did not show up at the Hollywood studio. Also their friend, Lionel Richie was apparently not invited to the State Dinner. 

 

1. Jordan McCullough- "Tim McGraw"

 

For this first round, Jordan reached back to the early reaches of T Swift's songbook, back when she was actually considered a country artist. I have to say, it was a bit disappointing that not many of the future Mrs. Kelce's songs that I actually know were chosen.

 

What else can be said about Jordan at this point though? He is very good vocally at whatever he attempts and always seems quite at ease on stage. He is not likely to ever make it to the Grand Ole Opry, but he did a credible job here.

 

2. Chris Tungseth- "exile"

 

Apparently, Taylor has also gone the Billie Ellish route and also has boring songs stylized in lowercase letters.

 

A couple of nights later, I do not remember much about this performance. Chris is not a horrible singer by any means, but just has seemed very bland for weeks and his ballads always sound the same. In my view, his voice is just not at the same level as most of the others.

 

3.  Hannah Harper- "Mean"

 

I sort of know this song. It is another pretty old one all things considered. For a while now, Hannah perhaps reminds long-time Idol fans of Season 7's Brooke White in some ways. Tonight, she played a banjo which possibly could be an Idol first.

 

The beginning of this performance seemed very strong from what I recall. Hannah has quite a clear and pure voice and this kind of country vibe is right up her alley. As I think she has done before though, towards the end of a performance, she sort of lost any sense of competitive intensity and it a felt a bit like she was just coasting to the finish of the song.

 

4. Brooks- "Love Story"

 

I definitely know this Taylor Swift song. I guess it is kind of a guilty pleasure. Brooks did not change the pronouns or the phrasing around which had him proclaiming himself a Princess a few times.

 

This could have been good considering that Brooks sounds like a less than perfect live female singer, much like Taylor herself. At some points, I thought it was decent but then at others, he seemed to mess up a bit on the lyrics or the entrance and it just did not feel like a smooth performance.

 

5. Daniel Stallworth- "Fearless"

 

This is a song I do not know. Perhaps that is a reason I cannot recall a lot of the musical details of it. I wish I would have been able to "live blog" this season where I write on here immediately after listening to a performance, but that just is not possible on Mondays. 

What I do remember though is that Daniel was once again impressive vocally and performance wise. He is quite good at putting his own R&B meets Gospel spin on just about everything. From the beginning of the night though, I knew the math of survival would not be in his favor.

 

6.  Keyla Richardson- "Lover"

 

Sort of the same thing is at play here. I do not know the song. That makes it harder to recall the cover performance.  Her young son was there being as supportive as always, but does not seem to be singing along with the lyrics. That might have been a good thing here.

 

What I recall is that Keyla sang it very well. There is no doubting the talent and effectiveness of her voice. It just so happens though that (much like the "Thee Divas" Idol Season 3), the three best voices this year may all be African-American. Keyla is the only female amongst them though which may or may not work to her benefit, but there was never going to be anyway they became the Top 3.

 

7. Braden Rumfeld- "cardigan"

 

Braden was really good at the taped Hawai'i show, but on the big Idol stage, he has had some missed opportunities and seemed ill at ease.

I have to say though, that Braden really impressed me this week. While I am not too familiar with the song, he gave what seemed like a genuine interpretation and fit it a lot of interesting vocal techniques, He also seemed leagues more confident than he has in the past, despite wearing a goofy sweater. I have to call it like I see it, and I thought that he really surpassed expectations.

 

Round 1 rankings:

 

7. Brooks

6. Chris Tungseth

5. Hannah Harper

4. Daniel Stallworth

3. Keyla Richardson

2. Jordan McCullough

1. Braden Rumfeld

 

Next, the Idol hopefuls all appeared in a propaganda ad by the official California tourism folks. The kids were shown having a ball and enjoying the sights of the Golden State. Nobody commented on the Gubernatorial election (which I will be doing on here this summer when "Race of the Day" returns)

 
In this ode to California, there was no visuals or mentions of smog, homelessness, sky high prices, ICE raids, or Kardashians.

 

8. Brooks- "She Will Be Loved"

If nothing else, Brooks got to sing some decent pop songs. I suppose he thought he could do the Adam Levine falsetto thing. Afterwards, I wonder if maybe "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys would have been a better California selection for his particular voice, but he did go with a second song with "love" in the title in order to hype up his showmance with the erstwhile Idol Finalist Rae, while remaining seated on a stool once again throughout.

 

Vocally, I thought there were some decent moments. At other times, I questioned the melodic choices. Brooks does sort of seem to be just going through the motions with this whole Idol thing, but perhaps he feels he has already "won" in another way. As I have mentioned before, my parents really do not care for Brooks. I told my father I would include his line, "Brooks should be Done" on the blog. Get it? Only in America.

 

9. Jordan McCullough- "I Can't Make You Love Me"

 

This is a song that my mother always says she finds boring whenever anybody does it on Idol. I happen to think that a lot of contestants have sang this Bonnie Raitt number quite well over the years. (Is she from California?)

 

All things considered, this may have been the best vocal performance of the season. Jordan is just so skilled both in terms of his voice and his ability to communicate and emote. Right from the start on this one, I remarked that he sounded a lot like the late Luther Vandross. That might be the kind of career he would wish to have. I have been re-watching the episode over the weekend after I write my blog, so I will look forward to catching this performance again.

 

10. Daniel Stallworth- "Best Part"

Her is a newer song I do not know at all.  Daniel did very well on it though and had a very strong night overall. 

 

It began on piano and then he got up and sang it in a modern R&B style. It reminded me a lot of John Legend, for people who like that sort of stuff. That kind of music is not really my favorite, but Daniel has a ton of talent and has improved over the few weeks he has been singing on live television. If he was going down on Monday night, as I think he suspected, he would at least go down swinging.

 

11. Braden Rumfeld- "This Love"

 

Maroon 5 and their lead singer, mostly associated with rival franchise "The Voice" gets their second entry into the California sweepstakes. There are also a lot of songs with "love" in the title in both rounds.

 

I thought Braden had perhaps a bit more vocal gravitas in the first round, but this was still a good upbeat performance. His newly discovered confidence was apparent again and this sounded to use a cliche "fun" I guess. With the elimination of so many young white guys (or those that sing white guy music) this season, there is definitely a voting market still left for Braden.

12. Chris Tungseth- "What Was I Made For"

 

It occurred to me watching this how much Chris looks like the '80s wrestler, the later Big John Studd. Maybe that is why he is staying in the competition.  I obtained an autograph photo of him somehow when I was a child. 

 

Perhaps Chris should consider becomiing a professional wrestler whose shtick is "sensitive light rock singer" because his Idol performances are just not doing it for me. He never seems to have a Idol disaster like several contestants over the years have, but this plaintive.Barbie ballad was just boring. Then again, anything by Billie Elish is boring, including many of her political statements.

 

 13. Hannah Harper- "That's The Way Love Goes"

 

No, this was not the sultry Janet Jackson song from the early '90s. One can hardly imagine Hannah trying that  This was an old Merle Haggard country song that I did not know.

For this performance, Hannah stood there and sang it without a guitar or banjo. Going old school country is definitely in her interest in trying to corner a certain market. She is the only one left who can really be considered country and someone from that genre is pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Finale. This was a nice performance although a little boring to me personally.

 

14, Keyla Richardson- "I'd Rather Go Blind"

 

This particular song has been done on Idol a few times before (though notably not by Scott MacIntyre). I guess there was some sort of loophole that let Etta James be considered fair game for the California theme.

 

To nobody's surprise Keyla brought it, especially at the end, as she is known to do. This may have been her strongest performance. I immediately started debating in my head if this would be ranked first or second for the round. I was just hoping there was not going to be a shock situation where either Keyla or Jordan were eliminated.

Round 2 rankings (unlike the California Jungle primary elections, two would eventually leave, not advance to the next round) 

 

7. Chris Tungseth

6. Brooks

5. Hannah Harper

4. Braden Rumfeld

3. Daniel Stallworth

2. Jordan McCullough

1. Keyla Richardson

 

So looking back at the ranking list I jotted down in a notebook on Monday night, I did put Keyla narrowly first in that round. I am not sure if I will agree upon re-watch. Her performance was perhaps just more dramatic for television and she got to go last.

 

Now, in terms of the cumulative rankings, I had two-way ties that would need to be broken for both last and first.

 

7. Chris Tungseth

6. Brooks

 

5. Hannah Harper

4. Daniel Stallworth

3. Braden Rumfelt

2. Keyla Richardson

1. Jordan Stallworth

 

Who should have been eliminated: Chris Tungseth and Brooks

Who I predicted would be eliminated: Chris Tungseth and Daniel Stallworth

Who was eliminated: Daniel Stallworth and Brooks

 

In my view, my top 5 are all a good deal better than the two I had at the bottom, but I knew I would not get my wish.

Unfortunately, it was the end of the line for Jordan, as I expected. A bit of a bigger surprise was that Brooks got the boot. A whole lot of Idol fans (such as my parents) must be relieved at that. Perhaps his "being in love" left some of the estrogen army to abandon him after all.

 

Chris continues to survive though and I still have questions as to why. Would I be correct in saying that a large portion of American women, who might be on the more portly side just think he is hot? While he is somewhat boring when he sings, at least he has a good deal more personality in general than Brooks has exhibited in front of the cameras. That must count for something.

 

However, he is doing it, but Chris has gone a lot further than many expected. The next person to worry in regards to next week should probably be Braden, but it is also possible we are headed to a shock elimination of either Keyla or Jordan.  

 

My hunch right now is that Hannah might finish as the runner-up to the one of them that survives the longest. Then again, an all-female Final 2?  It has been well over a decade since that happened and back then, it was not without a good deal of producer manipulation.

 

The State of our Nation

There is so much sickness in our society. The Far Left, The Far Right, people with mental illness,  and those desperate for fame and attention. 

Over past decade plus, nobody has done more to stir this pot of sickness than Donald J.Trump. 

His life must continue to be protected, but why is anyone surprised?

American Idol- Top 7

Disney Night is always challenging enough for me. Usually, I am not that into the song selections and it can be hard to find enough to differentiate the vocals from one contestant to another as I do my rankings. 

 

This year, Idol threw in an unexpected twist for me. Is there anybody left in 2026 who ranks the performances for the internet besides myself? Probably not many. I have been doing this though since 2007. Back then, there used to only be solo performances on the competition night. Since they incorporated duets,trios, foursomes, what have you, I have been ranking those too, as long as everyone in the number sang a solo line. Last night (I am writing this very late on Tuesday night after having watched the show live on Monday with my Idol fan parents for the first time this season), the producers threw in a very bad group number in which all nine kids sang very little. What am I to do? Well, a sane person would have just ignored that and only ranked the solos. Clearly though, I am not a sane person. I had to rank them, and as I always do, in order to keep everything as fair as possible, I had to rank each "round": in the order in which each contestant sang first. So, by the time the group performance came about, sort of early in the show, only a few had done their solos, but I had to calculate all of this into judging both times they sang. Of course, in the case of any tiebreakers, I would put more emphasis on the solo. 

 

Anyways, let us get on with this. 

 

1. Daniel Stallworth- "A Whole New World"

 

This song actually went to the very top of the pop charts in 1993. That was the first time that ever happened for a Disney song and it would not happen again until a really horrible song went there a few years back. But we are not here to talk about Bruno.

 

Talking about Daniel, I continue to be impressed by his vocals.  This continued here. While the performance itself was fairly old fashioned, he showed off his voice and enunciation skills quite well.

 

2. Braden Rumfelt- "Remember Me"

 

Almost as soon as he began singing this "Coco" ballad, my mother, who was once a semi-professional singer, said, "he's off key."  I guess so. It is really hard for me to tell myself. None of the four judges, which included Jennifer Hudson this week (whom I thought was really good as a mentor) said anything along those lines though.

 

I think Braden has a nice voice but this felt boring and plodding and he continues to look like he lacks confidence. When he was done, I think he was expecting to get negative comments. For the past few weeks, I think Braden has been singing the wrong songs and again this time was wearing a really weird outfit.

 

3. Lucas Leon- "Life Is A Highway" 

 

Yes, every single year, some dude on ABC's Idol does this song from "Cars" on Disney Week. I remember when it first came out by Tom Cochrane and seeing it on MTV long before Raccall Flatts got their hands on it. I also remember, Mitt Romney used it in 2007 at his first Presidential launch event at the Henry Ford museum.

 

This week, Lucas played electric guitar and I thought was pretty good from an entertainment standpoint. He is comfortable on stage but once again had the bobble head thing going. The uptempo vocals suited him, but it was far from amazing.

 

4.. Hannah Harper- "Almost There"

I do not know the song nor the movie it spawned from and this whole thing just confused me. More than perhaps any other performance in Idol history, I do not know if it was legitimately good or bad. That basically means that I did not like it very much, but I was trying to be cognizant of what she was trying to accomplish for the desired audience.

 

Also, I was unsure why Hannah was wearing a long pink gown and gloves. I am sure it has to do with the movie, but it did not really seem necessary for the performance. She has a really good voice and I thought the whole thing started off impressively, but then it almost seemed like she was anxious for it all to end. I vastly preferred what she did on "Landslide" the prior week. That is the way Idol theme weeks often go though.

 

5. Group- "You've Got A Friend In Me"

 

Oh vey. Does this really need to happen? For one thing, every Disney Week, someone sings this and I usually dislike this. This week, they all sang it. I think they might have been looking at the words on a teleprompter. Nobody really seemed into it and nobody sounded memorable whatsoever except for some really subpar singing from a couple of them.. Still though, I have Idol OCD and hand to rank from worst to best as follows"

 

 9. Chris Tungseth

 8. Brooks

 7. Braden Rumfelt

 6. Keyla Richardson

 5. Kyndal

 4. Hannah Harper

 3. Lucas Leon

 2. Daniel Stallworth

 1.  Jordan McCullough

 

Now, since everyone has sang at least once, it is time to close out Round 1

 

9. Chris Tungseth (group)

8. Brooks (group)

7. Keyla Richardson (group)

6. Kyndal (group)

5 Braden Rumseld (solo)

4. Hannah Harper (solo)

3. Lucas Leon (solo)

2. Jordan McCullough (group)

1. Daniel Stallworth (solo)

 ____________________________________________________________________

6.  Chris Tungseth- "Let It Go"

 

Chris is from often frozen Minnesota, so perhaps the cold never really did bother him anyway. (He also sang "Cold As Ice" last week.)

 

I have to say, the very beginning of this performance sounded pretty decent. Perhaps Chris was on the comeback trail in my mind. Then, he hit the chorus and it was all downhill from there. It was not good whatsoever. Who is even voting for Chris at this point?

 

7. Keyla Richardson- "Circle Of Life" 

 

Back in 2004, Chicago's own J-Hud sang this on Disney Week and it truly was an American Idol "moment." I wish she would have sang it again this week, but instead Keyla took on the Elton John song.

 

While she delivered a competent vocal off the bat, I really did not think Keyla was doing anything special with it. Needless to say, it was not as good as Jennifer Hudson's confident rendition. Then, as Keyla always does, perhaps like a racehorse, she went into a higher gear at the end of the performance and left a stronger final impression.

 

8. Brooks- "The Climb"

 

Miley Cyrus has a much huskier voice than Brooks.  This was going to be an interesting one.

To be certain, I did not love this performance, but there were at least a couple of nice vocal moments from Brooks. It was less off-putting than some of his other performances on the Idol stage. He sat on a stool and played guitar the entire way through. Since the song is about a "climb", he should have at least stood up at the end.

 

Last week, my mother told me that she read on Facebook that Brooks is dating Rae, the contestant who was eliminated last week. I said no way. After all, there is very little that can be read on Facebook that is truly accurate.I said I was sure they were "just friends. " Lo and behold though, after the performance, Seacrest brought about Rae and she proceeded to "hard launch" her relationship with Brooks.Are these two Maryland singers really a couple? I have my doubts. She seems like she would be a lot for someone like Brooks to handle. I am cynical enough to detect a "showmance." Does having a girlfriend hurt Brooks now with young voters or will it help him if people are impressed enough to think he was able to successfully rizz up Rae (Google it Mom)  Perhaps though, "Brae" or "Rooks" or whatever they are being called by the senior citizens on Facebook will wind up married for 50 years. Good luck.

 

9. Jordan McCullough- "Colors Of The Wind" 

 

My first thought is that this ballad from "Pocohontas" (insert your own Elizabeth Warren insult here) is very boring but that Jordan will do a great job with it.

 

That is truly what happened. Technically speaking, it was closer to a masterclass. Jordan is just a great singer. While I doubt he will become a huge star, even if he wins, I can envision him being successful on Broadway.

 

Could Jordan actually win American Idol? Right now, he seems most deserving, but I am not sure. There is something about him and his performances that seem more suited for "The Voice" where the voting audience might lean a little more left. That is somewhat ironic for him as a church worship leader.

 

The first thing to consider about Jordan is that he his biracial, which as we all know, is basically considered African-American. That probably would not hurt him with the votes, but the extremely talented Daniel and Keyla are also black and there is simply a demographic numbers game there. The longer he does so well, the worse it is for Daniel sticking around much longer or for Keyla winning, as many people have her pegged as the frontrunner.

 

Jordan might be polarizing to the current Idol fanbase (of all races) though for another reason, which would be an unfortunate rationale for anyone to not vote for him.. Of course, this is all speculative on my part, but the more I see of him, especially when he is not singing, I think it is more likely that people will suspect that the colors of the wind for him may be rainbow. 

 

10. Kyndal- "Butterfly Fly Away"

I have not seen the Hannah Montana movie and do not know this song at all. I also cannot remember how it goes. We learned that Kyndal has only been married a few months.

 

For those who like Kyndal's quirky and at times raspy voice, I am sure they were impressed. It just is not the thing that I gravitate towards as a listener.

 

"Round 2" rankings:

 

9. Chris Tungseth (solo)

8. Braden Rumfelt (group)

7. Kyndal (solo)

6. Hannah Harper (group)

5. Brooks (solo)

4. Lucas Leon (group)

3. Daniel Stallworth (group)

2. Keyla Richardson (solo)

1. Jordan McCullough (solo)

 

Composite rankings:

 

9. Chris Tungseth

8. Kyndal

 

7. Brooks

6. Braden Rumfelt

5. Hannah Harper

4. Keyla Richardson

3. Lucas Leon

2. Daniel Stallworth

1. Jordan McCullough

 

This looks really weird to me because I do not think it seems right to have Lucas ranked ahead of Keyla. It just is a fluke of the show timing. Lucas did his reasonably above average solo first while Keyla went through the motions on her part of the group number and that skewed things. I also had a three way tie between Kyndal, Brooks, and Braden and went with the solos as the tiebreaker.

 

Who should have been eliminated:: Chris Tungseth and Kyndal

Who I predicted would be eliminated during the last commercial break: Chris Tungseth and Daniel Stallworth

 

Who was eliminated: Kyndal and Lucas Leon

 

Clearly, I was double surprised at the outcome although nothing is really too shocking this season. I do not know how Chris is managing to hang on, after having already outlasting Philmon and some others. I was worried the split black vote would be a problem for Daniel, but it is a good thing he made it at least one more week. There is simply no way that Jordan, Keyla, and Daniel will wind up as the Final Three even though they are probably the three strongest singers.

Kyndal, who apparently already had more of a previous music career going than perhaps any Idol contestant ever (not that I had heard of her) should have been eliminated on the merits.Maybe she will blame the fact that she wore shoes for the group number. There was a lot of shoe throwing by Jennifer Hudson also, and one went in Kyndal's direction. She should have put it on.

 

Lucas leaving this early is a bit of a surprise, considering the recent successes of teenage male country singers on Idol. Perhaps fans of John Foster were so despondent after his loss in last year's Finale that they are no longer even tuning in. Lucas probably had his best night too all things considered, but is now out.

 

The remaining seven contestants give off perhaps the "oldest" Idol vibe ever. I believe Brooks is the youngest left at 23. Besides for 24 year old Braden and 25 year old Hannah, a mother of three, the rest are between 27 to 29. That is definitely something to think about as it relates to this season. It says to me that very few teenagers or those even younger than that are voting this year.

American Idol- Top 9

I watched the show on Monday night and now it is Thursday night and I write about it. Let us see how good my memory is. Thankfully, I can just consult my rankings. This time, I had some surprises.

 

This week was the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame episode. The very talented and legendary Pat Benatar, along with her husband and collaborator Neil Giraldo (who seemed to do most of the talking) were the mentors. At the end of the evening, the Bottom Two would be sent home and thus further away from a dream of one day being enshrined in Cleveland.

 

 

1. Chris Tungseth- "Cold As Ice"

 

In the year 2026, many feel the song title could be a political statement.  I do not really care too much for this particular Foreigner song.

 

Unfortunately, I just seem to be over Chris as a potential Idol standout. I think he was good early in the audition process but has reached about as far as he can go. He may be a big dude with long hair but he is nowhere in the vocal league of past Idol winner Caleb Johnson, especially on rock. Chris feels more "yacht rock" and I recall their being some bum notes or missed opportunities on Monday.

 

2. Rae- "MacArthur Park"

I have to think there were better songs that would have fit this category than this one for Rae. One could probably say the same thing for Carrie Underwood over twenty years ago, as she had one of her least raved about Idol performances that season.

Frankly, Rae might have sang it better than Carrie once did, but it is still a weird song to try to win people over with.As a performer, Rae seems to be sort of cabaret. Older viewers may like her but I have still struggled to see how the core Idol demographic might take to her.

 

3. Braden Rumfelt- "Superstition"

 

Braden missed a great opportunity to sing Journey. Some have noted that the tone of his voice is kind of similar to that of Steve Perry. I think he could have had a moment with an actual rock song, but his own personal tastes may lean more towards Stevie Wonder.

 

I thought this was good and probably the best Braden has been on the Hollywood studio stage, but others with actual trained ears may have noticed some parts where he went off pitch. 

 

4. Brooks- "These Days"

 

I do not know this Jackson Browne song but the artist may have been a good choice for Brooks. Frankly though, I did not like it very much. I think my mother is having an influence on how I view Brooks (and she did not even have him ranked last week.) 

 

He is getting overpraised in my view. All of his performances are just sounding the same and do not have anything in the way of dynamism. It is hard to put my finger on it exactly but something about his vocals on this song did not sit right with me. 

 

5. Daniel Stallworth- "Livin' On A Prayer"

 

Some Bon Jovi purists may not have improved, but I give Daniel very high marks for this cover. 

 

It was a bold song choice and I think he succeeded in turning into an R&B jam with elements of Gospel. It really suited him well. Is Daniel perhaps the least talked about contestant this season though?

 

6. Keyla Richardson- "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

Her choice of a '90s song may have been surprising, but taking on Stevie Wonder was less so although it would have probably been even more predictable had she done a song by a female artist.

 

There is definitely a pattern for me with Keyla. I always think her performances are good at the start but the way she pulls out the vocal pyrotechnics in the final 30 seconds or so each time causes me to rank her one spot higher than I had first thought I would. The same thing happened here. The first minute or so was good, but nothing great, and then she shines at the end. Still though, I have to judge the entire thing.

 

7. Lucas Leon- "Bennie And The Jets"

 

In the clips of him rehearsing with the mentors, I thought this could have actual potential. I thought it was a good thing for Lucas to take on Elton John, instead of sticking too closely to country each time. This is not my favorite Elton John song however.

 

Performance wise, I thought it was somewhat lacking. Lucas played piano for the whole song, when he might have benefited more from "getting up" in the middle. Vocally, it was not horrible, but once again a bit underwhelming. Lucas knows how to play to the camera with his facial expressions, but while he was singing, his cranium was bouncing all around like a bobblehead doll.

 

8. Kyndal- "Piece Of My Heart"

 

This was a weird segment beyond her continuing shunning of shoewear, which might make her searched after on some corners of the internet, but I find weird.  There was some drama as to if she would sing this Janis Joplin song or "Message In A Bottle" by The Police. I thought I would probably prefer to hear "Piece Of My Heart" as an Idol viewers, but that the other song was more attuned to her quirky vocal images. The Benatars/Giraldos seemed to really want The Police and Kyndal seemed to indicate she was leaning heavily in that direction.

Seacrest brought her out to sing then cut to a commercial. When the show returned, she was not doing the song that was expected as Pat and Neil were shown somewhat awkwardly clapping along.  I though tit was alright vocally for the most part but far from great. Then, towards the end, Kyndal turned her back from the cameras and sang it directly to the band behind her. When it was over, she looked defeated. Later, we learned that she had lost her voice this week due to illness. I did not really detect that during the performance but merely than Kyndal might not be in a great space mentally with all that is going on.

 

9. Philmon Lee- "Hot Blooded"

 

Another temperature related mid Foreigner song that has been done in past Idol seasons.  

 

Philmon has been impressing me lately and I was rooting for him on this performance. I thought parts of it were really good vocally but that he was not at his complete best. It seemed like he might have veered off course during the last big note. Then, the judges and Seacrest made a big deal about messingl his well shellacked hair up and that just seemed pretty embarrassing for all involved.

 

10. Hannah Harper- "Landslide"

 

Thus far, we have really only heard Hannah sing Worship and County songs on stage. In theory, her attempting to sing Stevie Nicks might have made some sense. 

 

This greatly surpassed my expectations and was easily the best performance she has done. Hannah did not attempt to do anything crazy with her voice or veer from the original, but she sounded terrific and it came across as a sincere and connected interpretation and better than anything else we had heard from the contestants thus far. Would the final performer (whom I was struggling to think who was left) be able to top it?

 

11. Jordan McCullough-"Somebody To Love"

 

Doing this particular Queen song is probably not that much of a surprise. I predicted it for Jordan as soon as they said what band  he was covering. If I recall, Freddie Mercury once said he wrote this tune with Aretha Franklin in mind.

 

Week after week, Jordan delivers though. I could do an analogy to another person named Jordan who once wore red and black like this Jordan on Monday night but that might be taking it a bit too far. Vocally it was great though. I do not think Jordan is capable of singing many bad notes ever. If nothing else, he is set up to potentially be a big time Gospel artist.

 

Rankings:

 

11. Brooks

10. Chris Tungseth

 

9. Lucas Leon

8. Kyndal

7. Rae

6. Philmon Lee

5. Braden Rumfelt 

4. Keyla Richardson

3. Daniel Stallworth

2. Hannah Harper

1. Jordan McCullough

 

As for my predictions during the final commercial break, I was pretty conflicted.  Mostly, I was hoping that Daniel would not fall short, but believed that was a possibility. Ultimately, I just decided to hope that America was on the same page as me and went with a prediction of my bottom two Brooks and Chris Tungseth getting the boot.

 

Who was eliminated: Rae and Philmon Lee

 

America is often not on the same page as me in many regards. The contestants I had ranked 6 and 7 (insert already outdated Gen Z meme here) would be the ones to go. I was not very surprised about Rae. I had predicted she would be soon to go for a few weeks now. Idol is now down to three females and six guys. I think that has probably happened before in a Top 9. All of the remaining ladies are in their mid to very late 20s and are either married or parents.

 

This is feeling like an unorthodox season. I actually think Hannah or Jordan could win when I never would have thought that a couple of weeks ago. 

Last week, I wondered if Philmon was perhaps a dark horse to win.Alas, that is not to be. He picked the wrong time to have a middle of the pack performance, but it probably would not have mattered anyway. Chris Tungseth is taking votes that might have otherwise gone to Philmon, and on the vocal merits, that is unfortunate. I suppose it could have been a worse result though and next week (Disney Night again), I should probably expect one.

U.S. House Special Election

 New Jersey

 

11.  vacant upon resignation of Mikie Sherrill D

(won by Harris with 53% of the vote)

 

 Likely D

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.