American Idol‘s math has always been fairly simple: He (or she) with the most viewer votes wins. The one with the lowest weekly tally meets a fate uglier than a La aro Arbos key change. And the ratio of judges’ feedback to actual contestant performances is roughly 237 to 1.
But in Season 12, one set of numbers simply hasn’t made sense: With a finale set for May 16 and a mere 10 finalists in the mix, only a Judges’ Save or a non-elimination week — without a subsequent double exit — would stop the season from ending prematurely. And you know Uncle Nigel and his Fox Overlords aren’t about to fill that dead Sweeps airtime with a one-time-only repeat of The Mob Doctor.
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That kernel of information — plus word from Idol’s publicity team that the Save was still in effect (despite that fact that in prior years, it expired prior to Top 5 night) — took some of the suspense out of the proceedings. I mean, Nicki, Randy, Mariah and Keith aren’t going to step and veto the will of the voting public when there’s only four or three singers left standing, right?
After an astonishingly emotional return to the stage from Season 2 champ Fantasia (ooh wee, “Lose to Win” is a good’un) and the surgical vocal precision of Clay Aiken, we got to the good stuff:
Sent to Safety (in No Particular Order)
Candice Glover
Angie Miller
Amber Holcomb
Bottom 2
Janelle Arthur
Kree Harrison
Singing for Her Life
Janelle Arthur “Set Me Free” | I’ve got to admit that Janelle’s rearrangement of the Supremes’ classic was one of my favorite Season 12 moments, but without her trusty acoustic guitar — and a more piano-driven arrangmenet — some of Janelle’s angst and fire got stripped away. This was a good performance, but hardly enough to shake the vibe that she’s the No. 5 contestant in a very strong quintet. Randy revealed a 2-2 split on the panel, and without a unanimous decision, Janelle was eliminated.
Anyhow, I’ll be back after I recap Glee to update this post with full reviews for every performance and some thoughts on Jimmy’s Week in Feedback — bookmark, refresh, and enjoy! — but until then, let me turn things over to you. What did you think of Season 12 Top 5 results? Is Top 4 week too late in the show to be using the save? Is a non-elimination week and then cumulative results from the next two Wednesdays the most fair way to extend the season? Sound off in the comments, and for all my Idol-related news, recaps, interviews and videos, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSle akTV!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49x-CwRPXl8&feature=player_embedded
American Idol Results Recap: Save It Isn't So?
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