Reality Rocks’ Best Singing Show Performances of 2016

The year is coming to a close, and sadly, American Idol won’t be coming back in 2017. But the show left me with a lot of great musical memories in 2016 — and on top of that, there were some fantastic performances from The Voice, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and America’s Got Talent to fill the Idol-shaped hole in my heart. So it’s time to look back at the best talent show moments of a 2016 that was so utterly performance-packed, I couldn’t cut off this list at an even 25.

Kieran, dim the lights, and … cue music.

28. Jason Warrior, “One Dance” (The Voice, Season 11)

Jason, the underdog of Season 11, was a revelation during the first week of Live Playoffs. I had no idea he even had this in him. Suffice to say, he totally embodied his surname. After going through two Steals and three coaches before the Playoffs even began, he must’ve known he was at risk. But he wasn’t going home without a fight, so he gave it his all. He bent his back. He dropped to his knees. He sang his face off. He got all up in the coaches’ faces and sang their faces off, too. He gave one of the best performances of the season, and proved he deserved to still be in the competition — and in the top 12. I’m still shocked he didn’t make it farther than the top 20 semifinals.

27. Sophia Urista, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (The Voice, Season 11)

This was another top 20 week disappointment. While I’d assumed Sophia’s borderline-novelty song choice would be a disaster, it wasn’t. It was actually awesome. Pure glamour. Sophia looked like a Prince protégé in her spangled disco onesie and fierce asymmetrical hair, and she walked onstage like Diana Ross sashaying into Studio 54. The woman seriously needed a velvet rope draped across the front of the stage. The Rod Stewart tune really suited her sultry, androgynous rasp as well. Yes, Sophia, I do think you are sexy! It’s a shame America didn’t think so too.

26. Hannah Huston, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” (The Voice, Season 10)

The top-four semifinalist shed her small-town schoolteacher image for good when she ambitiously and diva-liciously took on Etta James’s classic. Something had a hold on her, for sure, because she hit the stage like a woman possessed. She was feisty, fiery, fun, fearless — all sorts of great F-words, really. Adam Levine called this “alien soul — so weird and cool and messed-up and perfect!” Proud coach Pharrell Williams praised Hannah’s “mountain ranges of notes.” Hannah definitely scaled new heights during Season 10’s top 12 week.

25. Jeneve Rose Mitchell, “Ring of Fire” (American Idol, Season 15)

Haters, back off. I loved me some JRM. Yes, she was a total spaz, but she was weird in the best and most authentic way. She was the real deal. In a self-conscious era when most 15-year-olds obsess over how many “likes” their Instagram selfies rack up, Jeneve was unapologetically, awesomely herself, never caring about what anyone, even the judges, thought of her. Her cover of Johnny Cash’s June Carter-penned “Ring of Fire” was fascinating and strange and full of wild-eyed passion. But as judge Harry Connick Jr. warned, she was also very polarizing. Idol fans ultimately didn’t connect to Jeneve’s throwback Hee-Haw vibe, so she didn’t make it past the semifinals. Too bad. Season 15 would have been much more interesting with her in the mix.

24. Grace Vanderwaal, “I Don’t Know My Name” (America’s Got Talent, Season 11)

This was the adorable, Golden-Buzzered audition that put this mini-Swift on the map — and reestablished the Got Talent franchise, now judged on this side of the pond by series creator Simon Cowell, as a real vehicle for launching music stars. Grace’s debut EP recently debuted in Billboard‘s top 10.

23. Brendan Fletcher, “The River” (The Voice, Season 11)

When the Jersey boy chose this working-class ballad, he said he hoped to make his hometown hero Bruce Springsteen proud. (No pressure there.) Well, Brendan accomplished that mission. This was a perfect match of singer and song. “The River” worked well with Brendan’s introverted tendencies, and felt natural and effortless. “You have a great storytelling voice,” noted an impressed Blake Shelton. “This is such an important and almost forgotten voice, a voice like Brendan’s. If you want to champion something that’s truly special, that is truly different, and that is truly just one in a million, you’ve got to vote for this guy, because he’s got it. He really, really has got it,” Adam Levine told America. I’m still surprised Brendan didn’t make the Season 11 finale.

22. Austin Allsup, “Turn the Page” (The Voice, Season 11)

I could not have suggested a more perfect song for a grizzled road warrior like Austin than this Bob Seger classic. Austin felt every note, because he’s lived every note. He really should have only done road songs on The Voice, because clearly that was his forte. (Kiss’s “Beth,” Jackson Browne’s “The Load-Out,” Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” Journey’s “Faithfully,” Mötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” … Seriously, I would buy an entire album of this stuff from Austin.) Raved Blake Shelton: “I don’t know that I’ve been on the edge of my seat like that in, like, maybe ever. … There’s nobody doing what you do anymore out there. It’s kind of genre-less, and you’re a badass. You are an avenger with your voice. Congratulations, dude. That was huge.”

21. Les Chicken Wings, ‘New Wave Queens” (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 8)

Music fans, if you’d been sleeping on RuPaul’s Drag Race for the first seven seasons, 2016 was the year to shanté, stay, and start your DVRs’ engines. Season 8 offered not only a “Bitch Perfect” a cappella challenge guest-judged by superstar songwriter Ester Dean, and an Empire-inspired episode with Faith Evans, but also a“New Wave Queens” episode judged by none other than Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. It was totally atomic. Straight from the set of SheBGB, prefab drag band Street Meatz served lobster-rocking B-52’s fish, and the keytar-wielding Dragnometry brought the show to a Klymaxx with their R&B/new wave slow jam — but it was Les Chicken Wings (RPDR contestants Kim Chi, Robbie Turner, and Naomi Smalls) who really let the feathers fly with their punk-rock attack.

20. Laith Al-Saadi, “Make It Rain” (The Voice, Season 10)

Earlier in the season, this beardy guitar rocker may have seemed like a novelty act or also-ran, destined to fizzle in the Knockouts. But his swampy, growly cover of Foy Vance’s “Make It Rain” established him as a real contender, Season 10’s answer to Nicholas David. “Make It Rain” may be contemporary, but as Laith said, “it has the great components of old-school blues,” so it was the perfect choice for him all around. He brought intensity, heart, soul, and impressive guitar-shredding to the stage, and he actually seemed like a star. “I don’t know that much about the blues, but you are a breath of fresh air to this show,” Blake Shelton said. Laith eventually made it to that season’s finale.

19. Tatianna, “The Same Parts” (RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars, Season 2)

Tatianna was just a pretty, fishy, un-edgy queen when she first competed on Drag Race Season 2, but when she triumphantly returned for All-Stars six years later, she was a changed woman. This sexy, subversive spoken-word piece was one of the best moments in all of RPDR herstory. Who would’ve ever thought Tatianna would upstage flashy fan favorites like Adore Delano and Alaska that week? I hope she comes back for All-Stars 3.

18. Sonika Vaid, “Bring Me to Life” (American Idol, Season 15)

I spent much of this final Idol season criticizing Sonika’s stiff, deer-in-headlights stage persona and blank affect. So I am not sure what happened to her during the top 10 week. Was she reading my column or something? This was an entirely different Sonika. Guest judge Kelly Clarkson (more on her later) theorized it was having to follow the magnificent La’Porsha Renae (more on her later as well) that made Sonika step it up. Maybe it was that amazing Disney-villainess dress. But whatever it was, she belted Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life,” and she was brought to life indeed. As she worked the stage in her sweeping Goth ball gown and even dramatically fell to her knees at the song’s climax, it was magical. “It had the right drama, and everything played to your strengths,” said judge Keith Urban. “Baby, you’re dangerous!” howled Jennifer Lopez. Harry Connick Jr. loved Sonika’s “angst and passion.” I didn’t even know Sonika had that sort of angst and passion. If she’d kept it up, she could have been unstoppable in Season 15.

17. Kylie Rothfield, “Hound Dog” (The Voice Season 11)

In the Knockout Rounds, this sassy Team Alicia dynamo awesomely belted the original Big Mama Thornton version of “Hound Dog” and just completely owned it. As Blake Shelton might say, she was badass. Taking guest mentors Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s advice to keep the song “swampy,” “smoky,” and full of “whiskey,” she dug in deep — growling, snarling, raging on her guitar, and seemingly singing to some jerky ex-boyfriend who’d done her very, very wrong. She was a little bit KT Tunstall, and a little bit Bria Kelly from The Voice Season 6, and yet very much her own thing. “The impactful way you played the guitar made me realize you’re a real player and you’re really good. And then you did, like, a walk-off, which was supercool. I thought you were just gonna leave the building and disappear in a cloud of smoke,” said Adam Levine. Sadly, Kylie wasn’t this fantastic again, and she soon disappeared from the show altogether.

16. Ali Caldwell, “Did I Ever Love You” (The Voice, Season 11)

When Leonard Cohen passed away in November, most fans would have expected Voice contestants to pay tribute with his ubiquitous “Hallelujah,” one of the most-covered tunes in reality TV history. Instead, this Team Miley powerhouse vocalist went with Cohen’s more obscure “Did I Ever Love You.” Looking stunning in a red Jessica Rabbit gown and Rihanna-red hair while brandishing a single red rose, Ali put a red-hot, soul-diva spin on the song (a very different take from the original, since Cohen’s sleepy, craggy, technically imperfect vocals admittedly probably wouldn’t have earned even a one-chair turn on this show). This was a brilliant performance. It was a testament to both Ali’s artistry and Cohen’s that she was able to make the song her own — and make it seem like she’d been singing it for years. “I’m just happy that Leonard could hear this,” Miley Cyrus said sweetly, pointing heavenward.

15. Alisan Porter, “Let Him Fly” (The Voice, Season 10)

Dedicating her acoustic rendition of Patty Griffin’s ballad to her late boyfriend (whom she dated during the darkest and most drug-addicted period of her pre-motherhood life), Alisan, Season 10’s eventual winner, had her most winning moment. Though she’d proven that she could be a total powerhouse and a badass belter, she was always at her best when she stripped things back and let herself be tender and angelic, like she was here. “I’m so proud of you for being courageous enough to show your vulnerability here on this stage tonight and share with us such a personal, heartfelt story. That’s one of the hardest things to do in the world. Sometimes it’s easier to hit the high notes and be bold … but then to pull back, and pull the curtain on you and your truth, that is commendable. I applaud you wholeheartedly tonight,” gushed Alisan’s proud coach, Christina Aguilera.

14. Adam Wakefield, “Soulshine” (The Voice, Season 10)

In his season’s top 12 week, this soulful country runner-up, cut from the same ragged cloth as Season 11 winner Sundance Head and obvious role model Chris Stapleton, went with an extremely personal pick: the Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine,” which he and his brother used to play in “crappy little bars” before his brother’s tragic drug-related death. Wakefield’s emotional connection to what he was singing was palpable, and his growly, passionate gospel/blues version of the Southern rock staple, which started with him playing a churchy organ, was at an entirely higher level than the amateurish performances that preceded him that night. Adam’s soul was shining, indeed — and I bet he made his brother proud.

13. Idol All-Stars, “One Voice” (American Idol, Season 15)

This year’s countdown just wouldn’t be complete without a few performances from the Idol series finale, a perfect emotional sendoff lovingly produced by Nigel Lythgoe and starring dozens of fan favorites from seasons past. The first musical number of that magical April evening was this magnificent choral rendering of Barry Manilow’s “One Voice,” which kicked off with Season 15’s top 10 finalists before a parade of past Idols started marching in — so many of them, in such rapid succession, it was hard to keep track of them all. Diana DeGarmo! David Archuleta! Katharine McPhee! Jessica Sanchez! Taylor Hicks! Jordin Sparks! Melinda Doolittle! Scotty McCreery! Allison Iraheta! Bo Bice! Pia Toscano! It was a sweet, simple, but stunning moment. Even the most hardened, Cowell-hearted curmudgeon must have teared up a little. I know I did.

12. Avalon Young, “Earned It” (American Idol, Season 15)

This easy-breezy tomboy had to be one of the raddest, most badass ladies ever to grace the Idol stage. She always radiated laid-back cool, she had swagger for days, and her rasp was even a little bit sexy (in an OK-for-Idol, PG sort of way, of course). And did I mention she was named after a Roxy Music song? Her gender-flipped covers of Usher, Shawn Mendes, and the Biebs were Season 15 highlights, but her confident take on the Weeknd’s Fifty Shades makeout ballad was next-level. Avalon should have earned a higher placement in her season.

11. MacKenzie Bourg, “Roses” (American Idol, Season 15)

MacKenzie got the rare opportunity to perform an original, self-penned tune on Idol, and “Roses” was so wonderful, it charted higher on iTunes (No. 3) than the actual coronation singles by winner Trent Harmon and runner-up La’Porsha Renae — after Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta wisely opted to release it. This kid is going to have a career long after Idol (and, come to think of it, after The Voice, on which MacKenzie was a Season 3 semifinalist). Check out his Idol performance below, as well as an acoustic version in the Yahoo studio.

10. Sundance Head, “At Last” (The Voice, Season 11)

Throughout his season, Sundance always took risks — risks that paid off handsomely — unlike other contestants, who opted for predictable song choices and/or uninventive arrangements. This was why Sundance was a genius to choose the sentimental Etta James staple “At Last” for his final competitive cover tune of Season 11. He definitely made the song his own, as they say in the biz — with a retro doo-wop arrangement that seemed to be a subtle, respectful nod to his father, ’60s singer Roy Head, who was sitting teary-eyed in the audience. Sundance, a failed American Idol also-ran from nine years ago, radiated pure joy during this unaffected and glorious performance, as if he realized his time to shine in the national spotlight had finally arrived. Life is like a song, indeed. “I could not be more excited, more happy, more proud. It’s literally like somebody reached back into time and found this classic, iconic vocalist that went undiscovered and plopped him down on the stage in front of us, man. It’s absolutely unbelievable,” said Blake Shelton, who must have realized at this moment that he’d clinched his fifth victory as a Voice coach.

9. Dalton Rappatoni “Bird Set Free” (American Idol, Season 15)

After connecting in rehearsal with top-four guest mentor Sia, as they discussed living with bipolar disorder, Season 15’s emo pop-punker seemed energized and inspired, and he gave a truly moving performance of Sia’s “Bird Set Free.” When he belted, “And I don’t care if I sing off-key/I find myself in my melodies/I sing for love, I sing for me,” he clearly meant it. He was totally connected, totally in the moment, and by the end, he was spent and sobbing. “You know what everybody is cheering for? They’re cheering for your bravery. That’s what everybody wants to do. We all want to let go, feel good in our own skin. We all want to have a moment where we just release and can be ourselves, find ourselves. Singing is obviously that for you. You’re such an artist. You touch our hearts every time you get up there,” said Jennifer Lopez. “It was the most powerful for me when you sang the line, ‘There’s a scream inside that we try to hide’ … I think it was something that you needed to do,” said Harry Connick Jr. Dalton not only gave the performance of his lifetime, but he admirably put the Idol spotlight on mental health issues, something rarely discussed on this happy, peppy show.

8. Kara DioGuardi, Colton Dixon, Justin Guarini, Jordin Sparks, Kimberley Locke, Tamyra Gray, Allison Iraheta, Pia Toscano, and Larry Platt, “Pop Medley” (American Idol, Season 15)

This was the most random, baffling medley of the Idol finale, but also one of the most wildly entertaining. It started with somewhat forgotten Season 8/9 fourth judge Kara singing (thankfully not doing the terrible coronation song she penned for Kris Allen, “No Boundaries,” but her more successful composition for P!nk, “Sober”), followed by CCM piano man Colton doing his own “Through All of It”; Justin taking on the Chris Brown role in “No Air” alongside Jordin; Kimberley crooning her hit single “8th World Wonder”; and Tamyra belting Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.” And then, the good General Larry Platt bum-rushed Allison’s fierce, fantastic cover of Meghan Trainor’s “No” with a brief, bizarre mashup of his viral Season 9 audition hit “Pants on the Ground,” before things got serious again with Pia’s “All by Myself.” None of it made any sense. All of it was amazing.

7. Aaron Gibson & Sa’Rayah, “I’ll Take Care of You” (The Voice Season 11)

Neither of these singers made it far in Season 11, but their smoking Battle Rounds duet was a tour de effing force. This was like one of those awesome Grammy-night mashups when Beyoncé sings with Dave Grohl or Mary J. Blige teams with Zac Brown. These opposites attracted and had crazy chemistry, with temptress Sa’Rayah playing the perfect foil for straight-faced straight man Aaron. Maybe these two should audition as a duo act in Season 12…

6. Wé McDonald, “God Bless the Child” (The Voice Season 11)

God bless this 17-year-old child. Wé was giving me some baby-J.Hud realness. She was ad-libbing. She was sassing and stankfacing. She was calling-and-responding. The girl had total command of the stage. This also felt like a Grammy-night performance from start to big, big finish. Wé was, granted, doing a lot — from the attitudinal talky bits to those crazy Mariah-high opera notes — and lesser contestants might not have been able to pull off something so bold and ambitious; it would have felt forced, affected, inauthentic, trying-too-hard. But Wé made it all look and sound charming and easy. I loved every second of this. It just might go down in history as one of the best Voice performances of all time.

5. David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Phillip Phillips, and Nick Fradiani, “David Bowie Medley” (American Idol, Season 15)

I’m not going to lie: I was concerned that a Bowie tribute starring the five “WGWG” winners — David, Kris, Lee, Nick, and prodigal Idol son P-Squared (who’s currently suing Idol’s parent company, 19 Entertainment) — would be a cringeworthy misfire. But instead it just made we wish there had been a Bowie Night during one of these guys’ Idol seasons. This worked shockingly well. Nigel Lythgoe joked in a Billboard interview that all five young dudes should go on a joint “WGWG” concert tour. And you know, I would pay good money to see that tour.

4. La’Porsha Renae, “Diamonds” (American Idol, Season 15)

La’Porsha, a grown woman in a season of little girls and boys, made Rihanna’s “Diamonds” entirely her own with this glorious, torchy interpretation. She came to slay. This was theater. This was modern, cool, and flat-out thrilling. And that smize! The audience was screaming so loud for La’Porsha, the judges’ critiques were barely audible, but guest judge Kelly Clarkson could be heard exclaiming, “If you don’t win, I just don’t understand!” La’Porsha ended up placing second, for reasons that will become clear if you keep reading this list — but with an enthusiastic endorsement from the Original Recipe Idol herself, La’Porsha secured her place in the Idol history books.

3.Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis, Chris Daughtry, James Durbin, and Caleb Johnson, “Rock Medley” (American Idol, Season 15)

No Idol finale number was more fun or fiery (literally; there was pyro involved!) than the “Idol rockers” joining forces for this freewheeling medley of classic rock jams. The only thing that could have made this performance better was the addition of a couple of female rockers. Why not Carly Smithson or Allison Iraheta? And surely Amanda Overmyer was available. But otherwise, this was such a blast, a total R-O-C-K-in-the-U-S-A good time. (I’d go see these guys on a joint tour, too.)

2. Trent Harmon, “Chandelier” (American Idol, Season 15)

This wasn’t just the best performance of American Idol Season 15. It was one of the best Idol performances of any season, ever. And it was a game-changer for eventual winner Trent — his script-flipping, Kris Allen-does-“Heartless” sort of moment. It was seismic. Now we can all look back and pinpoint this as the exact moment when La’Porsha Renae lost her frontrunner status. Trent was serving Thom Yorke/Jeff Buckley/Adam Lambert realness during this haunting performance, the perfect mix of technical skill, theatricality, and vulnerability. Yes, his vocal acrobatics were incredible, as he reached for practically off-the-scale, heard-only-in-space Sia notes and succeeded every time. But he paced himself perfectly, building the goosies-inducing drama until the song exploded at the end (when the notoriously hard-to-please Harry Connick Jr. gave Trent “100 out of 100”). Let’s all 1-2-3, 1-2-3 drink to the final, very deserving winner of American Idol.

1. Kelly Clarkson, “Piece by Piece” (American Idol, Season 15)

Normally I don’t put alumni on this year-end list, focusing only on current contestants. But as a full-circle tribute to Idol’s final bittersweet season, I have to give it up to the girl who put the show on the map in the first place. Season 1 winner Kelly, very emotional and “very knocked-up” with her second child, struggled through tears to sing “Piece by Piece,” a heart-breaking ballad about the father who abandoned her when she was just 6 years old. It was the kind of performance that makes the entire world stand still, and in that breathtaking moment, she made me realize what a huge part of my life, and so many lives, and of pop culture in general, American Idol had been since 2002. And as much as I adore Trent Harmon, if I could have voted for Kelly again this year, I would’ve happily elected her as the “Season 15 bookend” that Fox was was looking for.

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