Depending on who you ask, the final of the four eliminations this Thursday on “American Idol” was either the night’s most shocking or the night’s most appropriate.
Following a strong rendition of “Let it Be” by season eight winner Kris Allen, Ryan Seacrest turned to the remaining male semifinalists to announce which one would be leaving.
Sending Andrew Garcia, Jermaine Sellers, Casey James and Lee Dewyze to safety, it came down to Alex Lambert and Tyler Grady. Grady had definitely made a bigger impact on the screen in the weeks prior, but his performance of “American Woman,” in many ways, mirrored the worst of those from infamous contestants like Jon Peter Lewis and Sanjaya Malakar. Prior to the revelation, Simon Cowell was quite clear in saying “it’s over” for the 70s-inspired Grady.
Lambert struggled greatly with nerves on “Wonderful World,” but the judges effectively portrayed him as an underdog.
And America agreed, opting to keep Lambert in the competition. Grady’s elimination, surprising insofar as he had received buzz prior to the semifinal round and was hardly destroyed by the bulk of the judging panel, also indicated one thing–when it comes to “Idol,” publicity can be bad publicity. It was clear that the early attention he did receive, superior to that of many other semifinalists, was not particularly instrumental in building his fanbase.
The ten remaining guys: Andrew Garcia, Jermaine Sellers, Casey James, Lee Dewyze, Alex Lambert, Todrick Hall, Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, John Park and Tim Urban.
The ten remaining girls: Crystal Bowersox, Lacey Brown, Lilly Scott, Didi Benami, Paige Miles, Haeley Vaughn, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, Katie Stevens, Katelyn Epperly.
HA! Ryan Seacrest is a nut.