The final portion of this season’s “American Idol” is underway, and that means the results shows are going to become increasingly emotional and heartbreaking. Shockers will certainly upset fanbases, and many will begin to cry “conspiracy” as they watch their favorites leave in favor of the supposed “chosen ones.”
For most “Idol” fans, however, that was not the case Thursday night. Headline Planet correctly predicted the eliminated “Idol” contestant in its review of the Top 13 show, and it did so without any special psychic talent. Based on the quality of the performance and minimal fan buzz, the departing contestant should not have come as a surprise.
That contestant, Ashthon Jones, seemed to silence everything impressive about herself on “When You Tell Me That You Love Me.” A confident, poised, energetic diva, Ashthon totally stiffened herself up on the ballad, placing too much attention on her somewhat-thin voice. The judges were kinder to her than some might have expected, but given their tendency to be overly “nice” this season, it is likely the judges’ comments will serve as only moderately-successful indicators of a contestant’s prospects. None of the judges yet seem capable of delivering the “Simon effect” when it comes to “telling it like it is” and thus significantly influencing voters.
Karen Rodriguez and Haley Reinhart both joined Jones in the bottom three, with Rodriguez being the first of the two sent to safety. Rodriguez’s troubled performance made her placement in the bottom group very expected, while Reinhart’s situation, though not as obvious, was within the realm of possibility due to the odd, risky song choice–her fans were clearly not totally enthused about her switch to a yodeling country style on “Blue.”
Adam Lambert and Diddy-Dirty Money (with Skylar Grey) performed on the hourlong results show.
