Once again, we're facing some uncertainty as Thursday (March 20) night's “American Idol” results loom.
After Wednesday's variably so-so performances, I can imagine a variety of potential eliminations. However, I remain uncertain on which singers would force the judges to use their Save. Probably Alex Preston and Caleb Johnson would be guaranteed saves. But who else? Malaya? Probably. Jena “Gina” Irene? Maybe. Anybody else? I'm not so sure.
I'm using a J-Lo picture, because I know she's not going home and I also know she's performing tonight. I don't, however, know how to consistently spell “I Luh Ya Papi,” but I know it's J-Lo's new song about her appreciation for the postseason exploits of David Ortiz.
Also performing on Thursday? Something called Royal Teeth.
Click through for the full recap!
8:58 p.m. ET. This week, I remembered that “Idol” was on at 9 and not at 8. I'm the true hero.
9:02 p.m. Jennifer Lopez is astoundingly sparkly.
9:03 p.m. “Looking good all of you,” Ryan says, but the crowd mostly wants to squeal at J-Lo.
9:03 p.m. Ah, Royal Teeth comes from New Orleans.
9:04 p.m. “I'm gonna try to do the quickest change of my life,” J-Lo teases.
9:04 p.m. Once again, we head out for dinner with the Finalists. Jena is still gushing about her glow-sticks. Alex isn't sure why Keith and Harry were fighting so much on Wednesday's episode. And everybody loved when Harry and Keith made fun of each other. Malaya is still giddy about getting flowers from Ryan and she even bestows a flower upon Majesty Rose. Nobody is sure if Ryan wanted to murder Caleb after his impersonation on the show. That was all deeply enlightening. Ryan pretends that he likes sliders. If you know what I mean. “When was the last time you ate?” J-Lo asks.
9:06 p.m. The Save can only be used up until the Top 6? That's pushed back a week, isn't it?
9:07 p.m. Malaya, Dexter Roberts and Jessica Meuse are facing results first. I did, indeed, have one of these three in my Bottom 3. Randy Jackson thought Malaya was tender and emotional. Randy thought Dexter was a little lost. Randy thought Jessica was great and he gives J-Lo the decision in Lyrics-gate.
9:09 p.m. The men of Florida Georgia Line recorded a video wishing Dexter luck. Hmmm… They're not gonna put him in the Bottom 3 after that, are they? Jessica is first to safety. She's got fans. Despite the support from the original artist, Dexter is in the Bottom 3, meaning that Malaya is safe. Yup. Seems right so far, America!
9:10 p.m. Actually, Dexter was my Bottom 3 “reach.” There will be weirdness afoot if I didn't get the other two right.
9:14 p.m. J-Lo recalls the first time she heard herself on the radio and her excitement. She leaves out that she was already a major movie star at that point. But I'm sure she was still excited.
9:15 p.m. Bring it on, J-Lo! I lose IQ points every time I type “I Luh Ya Papi.” The performance begins with J-Lo sitting on the stoop talking with “her girls” about the hot “American Idol” contestants this season. Ew. That's a bit weird, even if J-Lo's “girls” are Pia Toscano, Allison Iraheta and Jessica Sanchez. I feel like the backdrop is a callback to J-Lo's Fly Girls days. There's actually some singing at the beginning of the performance. It's interesting. As she gets into the dance-heavy meat of the song, I'm skeptical that J-Lo is singing at all, but I guess that's not really the point.
9:24 p.m. Tamworth is The Country Music Capital of Australia. The More You Know… Thanks, Keith!
9:25 p.m. J-Lo was *not* able to make a quick enough change to be back on the judging panel. Actually, forget that. She just didn't want to be. J-Lo scurries out to the platform in her short golden ensemble and everybody loves it.
9:27 p.m.Time for Caleb, Majesty and Alex face judgment next. Randy thought Caleb was “only OK” this week. Randy thinks Majesty should be out of the Bottom after last night's performance. Randy calls Alex “amazing” and says it was a great night. I had none of these three in the Bottom 3. I missed the apparently inappropriate joke that Caleb made last night that he's apologizing for. The peanuts thing? Really? Oh come on. That's insensitive? Get over it, anybody who was offended. Alex is safe. Majesty is back to the Bottom 3 again, sending Caleb to safety. “Again?!?” Majesty says, slightly incredulously. That means that either MK Nobilette or CJ Harris is going to evade the Bottom 3, which is wrong.
9:34 p.m. Harry's first time on the radio was in New Orleans. Like everything else. Speaking of… Welcome Royal Teeth. Of all of the relatively unexposed artists in New Orleans, this was who Harry wanted to showcase? Odd. The answer to your question, by the way, is “Nora Patterson.”
9:44 p.m. Ryan Seacrest can't sing. And he's not 6'0″. He knows these things.
9:45 p.m. Our last group to get evaluations is Sam, CJ, MK and Jena. Randy feels like Sam is growing every week. Randy loves Jena and things she's had two great weeks in a row. Randy liked the first half of MK's performance, but not the second. “It just fell apart,” Randy says of CJ's performance. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinls, though, because Hunter Hayes has sent a supportive video that was apparently sent before the performance.
9:48 p.m. CJ is safe. Jena's OK. Sam is off to the lounge, so MK is in the Bottom 3 with Majesty and Dexter.
9:53 p.m. MK, Majesty and Dexter are on the spot. Majesty can relax.
9:54 p.m. The person receiving the lowest vote total is MK. I don't hate MK at all, but that's the right call, America. MK had too many lackluster performances leading up to a real mess of a performance on Wednesday. After a consultation with Rickey Minor, MK launches into “All Of Me.” J-Lo is very emotional and the camera pretty much perches in her face. This is a much better vocal than most of what MK has done in recent weeks. This is also the best Sing For Your Life performance since we started the Top 13. It may give the judges something to think about.
9:57 p.m. MK insists she wants to be here. Will the judges agree? There's a lot of consultation going on as some portion of the crowd chants “Save Her!”
9:58 p.m. J-Lo was supposed to reveal the results and she cedes to Harry, who says that the decision was not unanimous. No save for MK. The Save is weird this season, because nobody really deserves it and the people who deserve it aren't likely to need it, but there's still a simple principle: If a singer has been in the Bottom 3 in three out of the four weeks of America voting, you can't use the Save on them. It's just throwing the Save away. So… farewell to MK.
Thoughts on tonight's episode and the results?