I’m back. Last weeks super controversial top 20 Men’s power list had over 100 comments. I wonder if I can generate the same type of comments here. 10 of these girls will perform tomorrow night. If I knew who was against who, I’d have even more solid predictions, but this is generic for now.
QUICK EDIT: I just realized we’ve posted which girls are performing when.
I haven’t edited my rankings below, but I think the way the scheduling is done is very telling. My predictions:
1st Group of Women:
Will Advance: Angela Miller, Kree Harrison
Should Advance: Isabelle, Shubha Vedula
5th Spot: Tenna Torres or Kamaria Ousley
Cut (barring a standout performance): Adriana Latonio, Amber Holcomb,
Cut (regardless of performance): Brandy Hotard, Jenny Beth Willis
1st Group of Guys:
Will Advance: Charlie Askew
Should Advance: Johnny Keyser, Devin Velez
Can They BOTH Advance?: Jimmy Smith, Paul Jolley
Possible Upset: Curtis Finch Jr, in place of one of the two country guys.
Cut(regardless of performance, this group is too tight already): Chris Watson, Elijah Liu, Kevin Harris, JDA
2nd Group Of Women:
Will Advance: Candice Glover, Janelle Arthur, Melinda Ademi
Potential To Advance: Cristabel Clack, Rachel Hale
Possible Dark Horses: Juliana Chahayed, Jett Hermano
Complete Wild Card: Zoanette Johnson (is this REALLY the age of Zoanette?)
Cut (regardless of performance, this group is too tight already): Aubrey Cleland, Breanna Steer
2nd Group of Guys:
Will Advance: Burnell Taylor, Nick Boddington
Should Advance: Cortez Shaw, Lazaro Arbos
Possible 5th Spot: Gurpreet Singh Sarin
Possible Dark Horse On A Redemption Arc: Josh Holiday
Cut (barring standout performances): Mathenee Treco, Vincent Powell, Bryant Tadeo, David Willis
20) Jenny Beth Willis
I’m picking her as the last person on this list, because I remember hearing her when I did the contestant preview. She was a very mediocre country singer, and she’s very much being foddered in favor of Janelle Arthur and Rachel Hale (hell, even Brandy Hotard has a better shot right now). ADVICE: Unless you give an absolutely perfect vocal with the perfect song choice, I think you’ll be heading home next week. I
19) Adriana Latonio
Another girl with no screentime. She’s a perfectly average youtube singer, who at this point, will most likely only be confused for Jett Hermano (due to her almost lack of screentime). ADVICE: She’s young. She should do something young, poppy, and upbeat. A journey into a power ballad will result in elimination.
18) Amber Holcomb
Who? Due to a lack of screentime, Amber enters into the Las Vegas rounds with a huge disadvantage. She’s being thrown to the wolves. ADVICE: Pick something that hasn’t been done on idol before that is current and fits your style the best. That’s the best way to stand out. See: Melinda Ademi, Price Tag.
17) Breanna Steer
If you heard Breanna sing in group rounds, you’ll know that she has a terribly obnoxious voice. Her lack of screentime (the only reason she has screentime is because of Kez Ban) isn’t a vote of confidence. ADVICE: Pick something that doesn’t showcase the annoying tone to your voice, if possible. It’s sort of screechy and nasally at the same time. It attacks the viewer in a very uncomfortable way.
16) Brandy Hotard
Good luck convincing the judges that a third country girl needs to be in the final 10. Your best hope is that Rachel or Janelle will drop out of the competition between now and Wednesday. If that’s not happening, then your chances are really slim. ADVICE: Sing whatever song you sing best. If you have any chance of convincing the judges to pick you, you can’t be fooling around with new songs and trying to strategize at this point. Pick your go-to song and nail it. You don’t have any “grace area” to work with.
15) Jett Hermano
Girl. You’d better bring it. Idol has no faith in you as a singer right now, and doesn’t consider you a front runner. Your youtube following should suggest otherwise, and you picked up a sizable amount of fans who found you when you made the top 40. ADVICE: Do something current. If you can do an original, do that. You need a breakthrough performance to make the Top 10 girls.
14) Aubrey Cleland
We’ve seen a bit more of Aubrey singing than the other contestants, and she gets a bit of a leg up for not being another country singer. Still, this girl seems like fodder to me. But every year, someone makes the finals with little to no screentime. Could Aubrey be that girl? ADVICE: You seem like a relatively current pop singer. Stick to that. Avoid older songs, and songs that have been done a thousand times on idol. Again, up-tempo couldn’t hurt.
13) Tenna Torres
Personally, I thought she was a mess in her group rounds. However, she does have a decent amount of exposure, having had her audition shown. I thin Tenna is headed for a pitchy performance in Vegas, on an overwrought song. Mariah might have to let her mini-me go. ADVICE: Be unpredictable. Stay on pitch.
12) Kamaria Ousley
She sang in Candice’s awesome group. However, she will be losing votes to Candice (and possibly also Zoanette). Is there a place in the top 10 girls for both Kamaria and Candice? Or Kamaria, Zoanette, and Candice? Will the judges advance three black females to the top 10? The past few years hasn’t been kind to this type of singer, and only Candice really seems poised to change that. Kamaria might crack the top 10, but I think she could be left behind. ADVICE: Something memorable. Something that will differentiate you from Candice, and make it seem like you aren’t competing for the same spot.
11) Juliana Chahayed
We saw her for a bit in the third round, and it was really a breath of fresh air. There doesn’t seem to be another voice like hers in the competition right now, very light and poppy, like Vanessa Carlton. She won’t be able to knock out the power ballads that some of the other girls will, but she could be a dark horse into the top 10 with the right song choice. ADVICE: How about doing Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Years?
10) Zoanette Johnson
She’s really the wildcard in this. How serious are the producers/judges about Zoanette? Are they serious enough to put her through to the top 10, over a girl who is a better singer? I’m betting (as of right now) that they intend to let America vote on Zoanette. I know that sounds radical, but I think they’re gonna do it. ADVICE: If you start to take yourself seriously as an artist, you’ll lose the producers support. So do some crazy wacky shit like you did in third round, otherwise you’ll go home.
9) Cristabel Clack
She seemed to be the only sane person in her group. I don’t think Cristabel is memorable enough to make the top 5 girls, but I think she’ll be in the semi’s. She’s had a decent amount of screentime, I don’t think the producers plan on letting her go. However, she is at the low end of my top 10 totem pole, so she might lose out on her spot if someone else has a breakthrough performance. ADVICE: Current, up-tempo. Possibly pop-rock. Maybe a Kelly Clarkson number?
8) Isabelle
You don’t seem to have much of a personality. You are a great singer, though. I predict you’ll be doing a power ballad, probably either by Celine, Whitney, or Mariah. The problem with that Pia Toscano was 9th place. That type of singer just isn’t resonating anymore with America. Even Jessica Sanchez struggled and almost went home. You have to find a way to seem youthful and contemporary. ADVICE: Maybe some current indie stuff, by like Florence and the Machine?
7) Rachel Hale
Her choice to sing Haley Reinhart was interesting for sure. I think it showed her vocal weaknesses, and the producers have positioned her as the “20th” girl through some editing. She’ll likely have an arc that includes her making the top 10, but I don’t know if Rachel can beat similar artists like Kree and Janelle into the top 5. Had Kree not just had a standout performance in the final round, things might be different. But as of now, Rachel has an uphill battle. ADVICE: The producers tell us how happy you always are, so choose a happy country song, and stay away from the dreary depressing ones. Highlight your strengths.
6) Shubha Vedula
Shubha is on the brink of the top 5, for me. She’s obviously an incredible singer, but I’m afraid she has no idea how to compete in this thing. When You Believe wasn’t the right song. And the put on growling, and the fake hand gestures feel all like an act. She’s a definite top 10 girl, but I think she’ll lose her top 5 spot to Melinda. ADVICE: Be more like Melinda.
5) Melinda Ademi
What you did in the final performance was probably the best thing you could have done. You went from being probably 8th-12th for me, to a top 5 girl. Your up-tempo, current performance of Price Tag was a breath of fresh air amongst a ton of ballads we’ve heard a thousand times before. If you continue to perform like a pop star, you could be in this competition for a long time. Bonus points for awesome hairography. ADVICE: Keep doing what you just did on Top 3 week. Avoid songs written before 2000, and ballads (for now).
4) Kree Harrison
The internet seems to have totally embraced your version of Stars, making you a frontrunner in the competition. I personally love you because of your original music. I know you can still perform original songs in Vegas. ADVICE: Please do You Would Have Wanted It That Way. Please?
3) Candice Glover
I have high hopes for Candice. I think she’ll go further than Naima Adedapo (10th place-season 10), or Lil Rounds (7th place- Season 8), the last two black females to make the tour. She’s a contender. Some other idol experts even think she could win. That’s a tough call. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in the final 3 though, like her buddy Josh Ledet. ADVICE: Just keep being you. Your Girl on Fire cover was insane. I trust your song choices for now.
2) Janelle Arthur
I hope to God they never actually say this in the show, but you’re on your way to being the next Carrie Underwood. Your personality is endearing, and your voice is engaging. I think you have a shot at winning this competition, as country as a genre can do really well. You need to knock some other country females out first, though, to make sure nothing stands in your way. ADVICE: Keep doing country songs. Don’t shift genres.
1)Angela Miller
Angie had the most talked about female performance of the season (behind Zoanette’s audition). How could I not put her at the top of the list? That original song was brilliant. You’ve got one more round where you can perform another original, and I would actually suggest doing a cover. I know that’s crazy. But put yourself at the piano again, and change up a song that people know. Strip down a song. Show that you are an artist. American Idol doesn’t like to throw that word at females, but I think they will this season. Nicki is really changing the game. You are a shoo-in for the top 10 girls, and the most solid bet at making the top 5. ADVICE: Continue to show your artistry. Don’t worry about outsinging the other girls. Just show people that you are an original, and there’s no one else like you in the competition. Change up songs, do originals wherever possible.
