With Tony Lucca, Jamar and Juliet looking locked and loaded for next week’s semi-finals, there’s not much suspense to these second week of quarter-finals results.
The only real questions: Did America save Juliet or Jamar on Team Cee-Lo? And will Adam side with “power” vocals and save Katrina or “quirky” vocals and save Mathai?
Let’s get right to it…
TEAM ADAM
The remaining quarter-finalists are former Mouseketeer and current Christina Aguilera nemesis Tony Lucca, quirky cutesy Mathai and “I swear I’m not Adele and you’ll believe me when you hear me sing” Katrina Parker.
America’s save: (what a shocker) Tony Lucca.
Mathai is first up on the last chance performances, taking on Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova” (huh?). It’s a quirky choice for a quirky girl and if it wasn’t for her signature hand-on-the-hip wiggle I’d say this was kind of smart. The song doesn’t fit her entirely, but it’s surprisingly not a trainwreck either. That’s something.
What the coaches thought: Blake thinks “it’s hard not to love Mathai just because she’s so cute. I’m glad to see her embracing her hillbilly side and doing a country song.” Christina is happy Mathai was able to showcase some aggression, but she did feel some nerves come out. Cee-Lo agrees about the aggression and adds Mathai is “still very sweet.”
Katrina follows with Pink’s “Perfect.” She tries to make it passionate but the song doesn’t really suit her, she’s not controlling her mic very well and it’s ultimately little more than a collection of off moments interrupted by some very big notes.
What the coaches thought: Blake believes Katrina should’ve been America’s save (take that Tony!). Christina continues her crucifixion of Tony and agrees with Blake, adding that of everyone left on Team Adam she’s most interested in hearing Katrina sing original material. Cee-Lo tosses in his usual generic compliments about performing under pressure.
Who the coaches would save: (As if it’s not already obvious.) Blake thinks Katrina “came out here like a tornado.” Christina would save Katrina “with no doubt.” Cee-Lo claims it’s a split decision but he sides with Mathai.
Adam’s save: Adam wants to give us an idea where his head is: He remembers Mathai’s initial spark and her infectious spirit, while Katrina started as an unpolished diamond and found her moment on “Jar of Hearts.” It boils down to who he’s seen more from so far, and that’s: Katrina.
TEAM CEE-LO
The remaining quarter-finalists are HIV-positive rocker Jamar Rogers, raspy voiced rocker Juliet Simms and non-rocking balladeer Cheesa.
So America, is it Jamar or Juliet?
America’s save: Jamar Rogers
That makes it a perfect streak of male quarter-finalists advancing immediately to the semi-finals while the female contenders are forced to compete in last chance performances. And it guarantees we’ll have a perfectly split gender balance in the semi-finals.
Cheesa‘s last chance performance is first: Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone.” I don’t think Cheesa ever could have won this but even when she’s not in top form she’s still better at playing the power singing card than either Erin or Katrina.
What the coaches thought: They’re not going for it. They’re in agreement that Cheesa was flat most of the song (what an odd time to suddenly get technical on the evening’s performers) but pulled it together with a big note at the end. I guess they don’t even want to pretend there’s any suspense in this showdown.
Juliet throws down Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” an unexpected choice that works nicely to showcase a different side. I’m not loving how she’s styled, but — perhaps oddly — this is the first time I can see Juliet as a true solo performer and not someone who should be fronting a band (which would be a perfectly valid — and probably still ideal — option).
What the coaches thought: Blake wasn’t a believer in Juliet during blind auditions but now he loves her. Christina has always been a fan but she doesn’t love Juliet’s softer voice, she wants another “Roxanne.” Apparently Adam had enough to say during his elimination decision and he’s not asked to weigh in on Juliet.
Who the coaches would save: Blake thinks they’re two completely different type of singers but as a fan he wants to see Juliet perform next week. Christina thinks Cheesa has come a long way but she’s a Juliet fan. Again, Carson skips over Adam.
Cee-Lo’s save: Is Cee-Lo going to surprise us? He thinks Cheesa has the voice but America’s energy is invested in Juliet and so he saves (duh) Juliet.
And that’s that. No major losses, no major shockers. I’m already betting on Tony, Jermaine and Lindsey to move on to the finals, but who will prevail between Jamar and Juliet?
We’ll find out next week!
Have you ever seen a less surprising hour of television? Who do you expect to dominate the semi-finals? And how about a rule change allowing Blake to “adopt” Juliet so he’ll have a worthy contender for the finals?