Move over Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry. A new “American Idol” contestant has become the victim of the biggest shock elimination in the history of the show.
Two weeks ago, the “Idol” results show shocked the world when Casey Abrams was deemed the lowest vote-getter. He was the fortunate recipient of the judges’ only save, and while few disputed that it was a worthwhile reprieve on the judges part, his receiving a second chance so early into the finals all but assured one of the other frontrunners would fall victim to an early elimination.
That premonition came true in a shocking results show Thursday, during which one of the two ultimate frontrunners to win “American Idol” was asked to wave goodbye to the competition. As a ninth place finisher, this person’s elimination comes even earlier in the competition cycle than that of Jennifer Hudson, who for all her talent, was not considered as much of a frontrunner as this contestant.
The contestant, Pia Toscano, leaves after nearly flawless reviews from the judges, critics and fans throughout the competition. While there had been a recent cry for her to incorporate more stage presence and upbeat excitement in her performances, it was not intended to forecast her danger at this phase of the competition. It was merely a note that, for all her vocal prowess, she does still have some room to grow.
But she addressed that–though Headline Planet as well as judges Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson noted that she could have included more movement, she definitely drifted more in the direction of an uptempo number with “River Deep, Mountain High” this week. Ranked third for the very-competitive night on Headline Planet’s report, she was forecast as a lock to advance to the next round. In fact, prior to Thursday, most had only been viewing Scotty McCreery as more of an odds-on favorite to win the entire competition.
The judges expressed their shock and outrage at the verdict; the top eight contestants, who looked on as she sang “I’ll Stand By You” to wave goodbye to “American Idol,” all seemed stunned.
For the judges, however, Pia’s elimination was not the only shock of the competition. The announcement that Jacob Lusk joined Pia–and the more predictable Stefano Langone–in the bottom three also seemed to surprise the panel. Jacob’s first trip to the bottom three was less of a shock to fans and critics, however, who expected his questionable video package comments, as well as a ‘safe’ performance, to hurt him in the voting.
The top eight contestants return to the stage next Wednesday.
