Last night, the first group of twelve performed solo. Tonight, those contestants must team up with previous Idol contestants to perform duets to leave a final impression on the judges. I’m not sure exactly who picked the songs that the contestants had to sing, but for the most part, it seemed like the choices were poor. Anyway, at the end of show, five must go home.

Lauren Alaina is the first to return to the Idol stage with Emily Brooke. The two took on Carrie Underwood’s “Flat On The Floor,” and unfortunately for Emily, the results were just not what she needed. After her flat performance the night before, Emily needed a standout duet. Next to Lauren though, her lack of experience showed. Sorry Emily, I think this is the end for you.

Thomas Stringfellow reminds America that his girlfriend broke up with him right before the show started, and Nick Fradiani tells him the same thing happened to him. The two duet on “Man in the Mirror.” Thomas’ squeaks have seriously been decreasing, which is great for him. But next to Nick, and with the chosen arrangement, Thomas seemed a little out of his element.

Ruben Studdard came back to team up with Stephany Negrete for “Superstar.” Whoever picked out Stephany’s dress should be fired. Stephany does a fine job vocally, but her problem is that she’s singing with Ruben. She comes off as a glorified featured singer, but the judges don’t agree with me. The judges all enjoyed it. Harry says there were some note issues, but that the emotions always trump that. I didn’t see emotion, so I’m just confused.

Sonika Vaid and Caleb Johnson joining forces for “Skyfall” may seem like a strange competition, but the result was truly magnificent. I’m not sure what changed in Sonika, perhaps having someone stand net to her helped, but she looked comfortable. Plus, her lower harmonies were outstanding. Harry says that she still seems nervous, and I agree. But, the growth so far is noticeable. Hopefully she’ll continue to loosen up.

Scotty McCreery joins Jenna Renae for his song “See You Tonight.” It seems like a huge disadvantage to have a contestant sing a winner’s song, and Jenna didn’t step up to the plate. Scotty is so consistent, so every time Jenna’s vocals failed, it was obvious.

La’Porsha Renae is joined by Fantasia for “Summertime.” The combination is so predictable, but that doesn’t take away from the power in the performance. I’ve never been a huge fan of Fantasia’s voice, so for me, La’Porsha dominated that song. Harry said it was a battle of runs, which it was, but it was phenomenal.

Lauren Alaina comes back for another duet, but this time with Mackenzie Bourg. I’m a little not okay with her flirting, but I’ll let it go because the two sing a nice version of “I Hope You Dance.” The two seem to be singing two completely different versions of the song, but it somehow works together. And yeah, okay, maybe I was imagining that he was looking at me the way he was looking at Lauren, but whatever… Harry said that this performance was “sweet” but that he was thankful for last night.

Nick Fradiani and Gianna Isabella take on his song “Beautiful Life,” which, for lack of better words, sucks. This song is not a duet. The arrangement is messy. Gianna looks uncomfortable on stage. She’s much better than this, as she proved the night before. Again, who’s making these choices?

Ruben comes back, this time with Avalon Young. While Stephany didn’t exactly hold her own next to Ruben, Avalon was able to. The difference in Avalon’s tone really held up against Ruben. She was dressed up a little more than usual, which added to the show of it all.

James VIII and Caleb Johnson sing the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Just like his performance the night before of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown,” James showed he’s a great musician. He could do amazing things in a band, but as a solo artist, his voice just does not stack up. Caleb was amazing, and the attention was all on him when it should have been the other way around. I would one thousand percent pay for a ticket to a show if the two formed a band, though.

Any credit I gave Jeneve Rose Mitchell last night is out the window after her duet with Scotty McCreery for “Gone.” She was uncomfortable as she ran around the stage blushing. I’m not sure what else to say, but their performance was just bad. Keith said it was “Bizarre,” which is probably the nicest thing to say about that performance. I’m still not understanding why the judges love her so much, especially after that performance.

Fantasia and Jordan Sasser sing “I Believe,” and again, was just bad for Jordan. He was oversinging every bit while he tried to stand next to Fantasia. So while she was singing aggressively to emote, Jordan was singing that way to compare. The judges were far too kind, and noticed that they weren’t really dueting. Again, I think this is where we finally say bye to Jordan.

Now it’s up to the judges to decide who makes it through. La’Porsha, Sonika, Avalon, Gianna, Thomas, Mackenzie, and Jeneve all make it through to the next round.

This means that we say goodbye to Stephany, Jordan, James, Emily, and Jenna.

American Idol has changed its format. The contestants will be split into two groups of 12, one performing this week, the others next. Each singer will perform solo on Wednesday and with a previous Idol contestant on Thursday. The judges will then send five contestants home each week, leaving us with a top 14. There is no indication on how the 24 were split in two, but something tells me this was an easy way for producers to get rid of some contestants… But I digress.

Here is my ranking for the first group of twelve, from worst to best.

Jordan Sasser debuted his new short do while singing “All By Myself.” There was absolutely nothing good about his performance. He was pitchy, shout-y, bad, bad, and awful. On top of that, he was too dramatic. I think we will finally say bye to Jordan to this week.

Emily Brooke did something that I thought would be a no no and went with a song by a winner of The Voice, Cassadee Pope’s “I Am Invincible.” She was flat throughout the entire song, which was probably an octave lower than her voice could handle. It was a bit of a disaster, and the judges agree.

Stephany Negrete started the show with Jessie J’s “Mama Knows Best.” She’s beautiful, has a strong voice, and dang I was impressed with all her squatting in those sky high heels. But Harry put it best when he said “Its like connecting the dots… there was something missing.” Jennifer mentioned that she needs to listen to the words and connect, which seems to be a reoccurring problem this season.

Jeneve Rose Mitchell, what am I going to do with you? She sang Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel,” while playing a harp, which is impressive. I’m still not understanding her appeal. She sounded better than she has, and I enjoyed her vibrato in certain places, but it seemed as though she couldn’t find her pocket. She was singing too fast, and then too slow. Harry told her she did herself a disservice by playing the harp, but Keith and Jennifer loved it, despite Jennifer’s original hesitations.

James VIII gave Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” a bluesy feel, which would be great sitting at a lounge in Los Angeles. There was nothing wrong with the performance. When you’re on American Idol though, you have to show off a bit. All James showed off was his guitar skill.

Jenna Renae sang her heart out to “My Church.” The thing is, as I’ve mentioned again and again, there are plenty of good singers in the competition. Am I going to remember this performance tomorrow? Probably not. Harry noted that she came off as shout-y in some parts, and her pitch suffered because of it. I have to agree. If Jenna stays in the competition, she has to start being, well, interesting.

Avalon Young chose “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber. She sounded nasally in certain parts, had a few sharp notes, but her tone is smooth. She didn’t show off any creativity in her arrangement, or in her performance, which the judges didn’t let her forget. But they love her, so she’s probably safe.

Sonika Vaid looked terrified and nervous the entire time singing Taylor Swift’s “Safe and Sound.” I’m going to ignore her awful dress, because her voice is beautiful. There were moments where she was a little bit too breathy, but overall, she sounded incredible. Her nerves got the best of her performance wise, and if she stays that’s something she’ll have to work out.

Thomas Stringfellow took on “Creep,” and turned down his squeakiness by about 80% from the previous week. His pronunciation is a bit affected, with some words coming off completely unintelligible. He played around with his falsetto, and it paid it off. The only thing that bothers me about Thomas is that he’s so similar to Mackenzie, and Mackenzie just does it better.

Gianna Isabella performed “I Put A Spell On You,” and really showed off her vocal ability. Her immaturity showed, though. She didn’t connect to the lyrics at all, and just sort of stood there. The judges agreed, she needs to start digging a bit deeper.

Mackenzie Bourg has looked familiar to me since day one, so I decided to use this fancy thing called Google to see why. (And yeah, okay, maybe I was trying to find age, astrological sign, compatibility with Pisces, if he has a girlfriend, etc.) I quickly learned that he was also on The Voice. He even made it to the live rounds before getting eliminated. So, it’s not surprise that he is killing this competition thing. He sang “Say Something,” which the audience and judges loved. His raspy tone and falsettos are so easy to listen to. Keith said he believed what he was singing. There’s not doubt in my mind he’s making it to next week (well, week after next).

La’Porsha Renae… Harry said it best when he told her “I would be foolish to critique that in any way shape or form.” La’Porsha embodied Tina Turner with “Proud Mary.” She could have been over the top but she was just perfect. My one critique, sorry Harry, is that she could have switched up the arrangement somehow to show some artistry, but hey, she was still the best of the night.

And even though my bottom five performances are who I think should be going home, I know how this game works. The best are sometimes sent home, and surprises are prevalent. I see the end of the road coming for Jordan Sasser, Emily Brooke, Stephany Negrete, James VIII and Jenna Renae.

Next week, the rest of the top 24 take on the same task.

It’s time for the final judgement on American Idol. All 51 contestants performed solo once again, this time in front of a real crowd. It was their final chance to show the judges they have, what it takes, to be, the next, AMERICAN IDOL. (Do I sound like Ryan yet?) More than half of the contestants will head home, the rest will officially become the Top 24.

First up to walk the longest runway ever to hear her fate is Stephany Negrete. She’s pretty and is comfortable on stage while singing Alicia Keys’ “Girl On Fire,” which is no easy feat. She has a good voice. But, why is she so boring predictable? (Do I sound like a broken record yet?) Apparently the Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick see something in her, though, because she is part of the Top 24.

Shelbie Z was Shelbie Z again. Meaning, she sounded great with her big strong voice singing “Barracuda,” but there was no originality, as always. Switch things up Shelbie! Pick an unpredictable song! Regardless, she rocked the stage and the judges enjoyed it. She makes it through and promises to “put on a show” every time she’s on stage. Let’s hope so.

Michelle Marie, draped in sparkles from the top of her cowboy hat all the way down to her cowboy boots, told the judges that singing “Little Toy Gun,” was the best thing ever. Her performance was actually her strongest so far. I could have rooted for her (if I ignored her scream at the end). J.Lo tells her she was born to do this, but unfortunately, that’s not enough. It’s a no for tiny Michelle Marie. Props to her for taking it like a champ with a smile on her face.

We then say goodbye to a ton of contestants that we haven’t seen much of, like at all. Colette Lush impressed during her initial audition, but we haven’t seen much of her since. Her final judgement song was “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” and sadly we do lose her. Jessica Cabral, who rocked her solo round even with laryngitis, shockingly was sent home. Maybe she bombed her final performance? But we’ll never know. Jessica Clark, Ameet Kanon, and Terrian are also all packing their bags. If you don’t know who most of these people are… well yeah, neither do I.

Mackenzie Bourg showed off his songwriting skills during his solo round, but for his final performance he sang the classic, “I Can’t Help Falling In Love.” The young girls in the audience are loving it, and yeah okay, maybe 25 year old me also loves his little falsetto. While his originality by far exceeds his vocal ability, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. He’s interesting, which is why he made it to the Top 24.

Trent Harmon’s only disadvantage is that he will always be mono guy. His personality hasn’t really been show, and his performances have all had the “WOW and he has mono!” compliment attached. His final judgement performance was to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” It was fine, considering. (See what I mean about the veiled compliment?) But, there’s no doubt he has a great voice. He’s part of the Top 24.

Jenna Renae, James VIII, Kory Wheeler, and Adam Lasher all make it through to the Top 24 as well. Adam has gotten virtually no screen time, so he must have done something to captivate the judges. But, we don’t get to see any of their performances, so who knows what they did.

Jeneve Rose Mitchell did an interesting version of “Ring Of Fire.” I don’t like her voice. I will never understand how she made it through. But I will give her this: she is musical. She’s played who knows how many instruments at this point, and her choices are unique. But I just can’t get into her. The judges don’t care what I have to say though (except J.Lo, I think), and she’s in the Top 24.

CJ Johnson, who has been gigging for over 10 years, is another contestant whose voice far exceeds his creativity. What’s different from CJ and say, Lee Dewyze? Not much. But the judges apparently liked his rendition of “Parachute,” and he continues to the next round.

Amelia Eisenhauer, yet another singer who we haven’t really seen since her audition, brought out her violin for “New York State of Mind.” Her raspy tone is different and pretty, but her performance has a lot of flaws. Jennifer says that her being so young could be an issue, and I agree. Her lack of experience shows. But they give her a chance to move forward anyway.

Lee Jean went onstage with loads of confidence  and did Ed Sheeran’s “Make It Rain” some serious justice. His growth is showing already, and like I said before, he’s a mini Bieber. He even showed some of that Bieber ‘tude by telling the audience to be quiet, twice. Jennifer chastised him for that, calling him immature. He looked worried for a second before he was told he would be part of the Top 24.

 Avalon Young tackles Chris Brown’s “Yo (Excuse Me Miss),” which personally is a bad song choice purely for personal reasons. She seems comfortable on stage, and her tone is so interesting, but I’m so sick of her sweaters. I get that she’s a chill, but you can still look like you’re trying to dress up, a little bit. I mean, you’re on national television. To nobodies surprise (given the amount of screen time she’s received), she makes it to the Top 24.

Chynna Sherrod, Mary Williams, and Zach Person (again, who?), all get cut before we hear about Dalton Rapattoni’s doubts. He tells the audience that his self esteem is low, which is an odd choice. He then goes on to sing “It’s Gonna Be Me.” He clips the words short a little too often, making Harry complain, “Sing the words, sing ’em.” Although it was by no means a bad performance, it didn’t show off much of his singing ability. After walking the mile long hallway to see the judges to hear the verdict, Harry tells him he’s inconsistent, but in a good way, in an exciting way. Top 24, here comes Dalton.

Manny Torres, struggled to get through his solo performance round, but showed off his stage presence and confidence while he danced around the stage. Manny is the prime example of having “it,” whatever that is. He’s talented, yes, but by no means the best singer in the competition so far. But he’s fun to watch, he’s likable, he’s entertaining; take note other contestants. He makes it though. Unfortunately though, not everyone can, and
Laurel Wright, Anatalia Villaranda,Isaac Cole, Jon Klassen, Kassy Levels, and Andrew Nazarbekian are all sent home.

Thomas Stringfellow, 17, was sadly broken up with by his girlfriend of a year right before the competition started. He smartly dedicates One Direction’s “Story of My Life” to everyone with a broken heart for his final judgement performance. There was some weird screeching at the end of his words, but again, he’s likable, he’s cute, he’ll win over teens. So, top 24 it is for Thomas. Take that girlfriend! (Well, ex).

Sonika Vaid picked another ballad, “I Surrender,” and sounded great. This is exactly who needs to take note from Manny. Show some intention, some spunk, or just personality. The judges seem to worry about this as well, but they’re going to give her another chance.

Malie Delgado has had a tough time on Idol, having lost her voice during Hollywood Week. She takes on “Little White Church,” and sounds amazing. She has more to offer performance wise than say, Sonika, but the judges don’t see it. She’s going home.

Olivia Rox sang “Love Somebody,” with a bit of a cold. Not sure if her cold really affected the sound of her voice, but she didn’t sound like she had previously. Her originality has been sprinkled in some performances more than others, but it seems as there’s more to her. And we will get to find out if there is more because she moves forward.

Emily Brooke sings Carrie Underwood’s “So Small.” While the vocals weren’t perfect, it’s easy to see her growth not just from her run the previous season, but from her audition. The judges tell her she’s ready to be in front of America, and she continues on.

We say goodbye to Sara Sturm, Jordyn Simone, Tiffanne LeMay, Kayla Mickelsen, and Mionne Destiny before Gianna Isabella finds out her fate. Gianna takes on her mom’s (Brenda K Starr in case you forgot) “I Still Believe.” There was a great moment during rehearsal where Ricky Minor told Brenda to back off. She listened, which paid off, because despite some nasally areas in the song, Gianna is part of the Top 24.

Jenn Blosil, resident quirky weird girl and my favorite contestant by far, sang “Hanging Tree.” Her choices were so uniquely her which is why I love her. The judges see this and she moves to the Top 24. But because so many people have to be cut, we do say goodbye to Christian Eason, Ariel Sprague, Kelsie Watts, and Shevonne Philidor.

Tristan McIntosh, whose military mom has been by her side since her audition, sang Faith Hill’s “Stronger.” Her voice is strong as always, and it seems as though she stepped up performance game a bit. I can’t see where she’d be as an artist, but hopefully I’ll find out since she’s part of the Top 24.

Jordan Sasser and Kacye Haynes go in to see the judges together, but only one will make it through. Jordan chooses “Love Runs Out,” and I still don’t understand his appeal. He has moments where he’s great, but mostly moments where he’s not. He wins over Harry and Jennifer, but not Keith. Kacye goes for “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” He has a great voice, and he moves around on stage in such a different way. He by far outperformed Jordan. But apparently Keith’s indifference towards Jordan didn’t beat out J.Lo and Harry’s love for him because he makes it through.

La’Porsha Renae and Lindita, who lost 150 pounds to audition for Idol, also see the judges together to find out which one will make it. Before we even have to see their judgement performances, there’s no doubt La’Porsha will make it through. She’s been a favorite among the judges, for good reason, from the beginning.  Lindita does a generic take on “Bang Bang.” La’Porsha then comes out and KILLS “House of the Rising Sun.” This girl can do no wrong, and I’m so glad we will continue to hear her next week. Sorry Lindita.

Next up, live rounds.

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