The ‘American Idol’ Top 12 Revealed!

OK, American Idol fans. Brace yourselves. Which news do you want first regarding this season’s newly anointed top 12 — the good, or the bad?

Let’s start with the good. With one exception, which will soon become obvious if you keep reading, the right contestants went home this Wednesday, based on their overall body of Season 14 work: sleepy Mark Andrew and shouty Adam Ezegelien among the boys, the inconsistent Alexis Gomez and Loren Lott among the girls. So America mostly got it right went in came to the vote. But please note, I said “mostly.” Because here’s the bad news: Two of the best contestants only made it to the top 12 as Wild Cards. And that’s very troubling.

[Photo Gallery: Your American Idol Top 12]

So this is how it worked: First, Ryan Seacrest revealed the top 10, aka the highest vote-getters out of last week’s top 16. Rayvon Owen, Daniel Seavey, Nick Fradiani, Qaasim Middleton, and Clark Beckham were the top five boys, and Sarina-Joi Crowe, Maddie Walker, Tyanna Jones, Jax, and Joey Cook were America’s chosen girls.

Notice any names missing there? Yes, Adanna Duru, who stunned last week with her compelling cover of Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” shockingly almost said goodbye to the show this Wednesday; she only survived thanks to the judges, who elected her this season’s female Wild Card.

Even more surprising? [punches Caps Lock key] QUENTIN ALEXANDER WAS A WILD CARD, TOO. [punches wall]

Yes, despite getting the pimp spot last week and being this season’s most fascinating (and certainly best-dressed) male contestant, a real Lenny Kravitz-meets-Adam Lambert showman, Quentin received fewer votes than little milquetoast teen Daniel. Thankfully, the judges realized the error of voters’ ways and saved Quentin, but still this does not bode well for this man’s future this season.

I know all hope is not lost for Quentin (or for Adanna). Jessica Sanchez was almost eliminated in her season, but thanks to a reprieve via the Judges’ Save, she made it all the way to the finale. Last year, a Wild Card contestant, Jena Irene, made the top two. And both Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson were Wild Cards back in their Idol days. But I worry that my dream of a Season 14 Jax/Quentin finale will never be realized, and that my nightmare — that the mainstream viewing audience just won’t “get” Quentin — is already coming true. If Quentin goes home too soon, I’ll be crying the way Quentin was at the end of his “Royals” performance this evening.

Well, we shall see when the votes are tallied yet again. This Wednesday, all 12 contestants performed their original audition songs, and on Thursday, another one of them will be voted off, leaving us with a lopsided top 11. Will Thursday’s castoff be Quentin? Adanna? All I know is, I have a feeling it won’t be the bizarrely unstoppable boy wonder Daniel. Sigh.

Sarina-Joi Crowe – There’s a new format this season, in which thecontestants are called to the stage by Ryan Seacrest, one by one, and asked to sing on the spot. It seems to bring out the worst in some contestants: They’re either totally rattled and off their game after waiting to learn their fate (that happened to Quentin and Alexis last week), or they’re so elated by Ryan’s good news that the subsequent adrenaline rush hampers their vocals. The latter happened to Sarina this Wednesday. She’s been one of this season’s most consistent singers, but her performance of OneRepublic’s “Love Runs Out” was a breathless, overexcited mess. She started off wildly pitchy, and never quite regained her footing. Maybe the producers should let the contestants chill out and collect themselves during a commercial break, before they have to actually sing? Just a suggestion.

Rayvon Owen –Rayvon is a pretty chill dude anyway, and he benefitted from a mellower, slower song choice, Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake,” which allowed him to catch his breath and steady his nerves. This was sublime. No pitchiness here. He really told the story of the song through his exquisite phrasing, his facial expressions, and his entire onstage demeanor — without any of his usual excessive smiley-ness, which in the past has detracted from his lyrics. He was totally in the moment, and Jennifer Lopez could see that, telling him, “You knew it. You felt it.” I felt it too, and I have a feeling so did America’s voters.

Daniel Seavey – Daniel reprised his cover of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up,” and I’ll be straight-up: This was not top 12 material. Or even top 24 material. In fact, Daniel should have never made it past Hollywood Week. He was pitchy, dawg, and he actually flubbed some of the lyrics (which even Paula Abdul, despite all her infamous loopiness, never did back in the day). Harry Connick Jr. was definitely straight-up in his critique. “I’m going to be honest: You’re young and inexperienced… your inexperience is really showing, man,” he grumbled. Harry was right, but he should have told Daniel that weeks ago; now, it’s too late. Now Daniel has a fawning, squealing tween fanbase, and he will likely make it much farther than he deserves. And then he’ll end up becoming this season’s punching bag, the Sanjaya Malakar of Season 14. (Then again, Sanjaya at least had cool hair.) Daniel seems like a nice and thin-skinned kid, so I don’t know if he’s ready for that kind of nationwide backlash. He’d really be better off leaving in 11th place, then going home and taking some time to work on his craft.

Maddie Walker – This week was definitely an improvement over last week’s bland Jackson 5 cover; clearly, Maddie is a country singer through and through. Keith Urban said it was “tricky” for Maddie to do a lesser-known song (“Suitcase,” which ironically was first recorded by a Voice contestant, Gwen Sebastian), but admitted that the tune suited her well. Here’s my bigger issue with Maddie — can she adapt? You know, she won’t get to sing country every week (unless she’s creative with rearranging non-country songs to fit her genre, and I’m not quite sure if she has that talent). So she could be in trouble come Rock Week or Disco Week or Polka Week.

Tyanna Jones – Yasss! Now, this is more like it. This was a poised and perky performance of Little Mix’s “Wings,” reminding viewers exactly why they fell in love with this girl in the first place. (As if they even needed any reminders.) This was a total 180 from Daniel’s iffy performance; Tyanna may be young, only one year older than Daniel, but she is so ready for prime time. “What strikes me beside your undeniable vocals is your comfort onstage at age 16,” said J.Lo. “If you move like a star, dress like a star, and sing like a star, you are a star,” proclaimed Keith. Keith said it, all right. Tyanna Jones is a superstar in the making.

Nick Fradiani – Nick’s cover of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” didn’t exactly have me hoisting a boombox above my head in salute, but it was a solid, workmanlike, technically-beyond-reproach performance by one of the season’s most dependable and experienced contestants. “Nice job,” Harry said. But is a “nice job” good enough? Nick has the talent, but I am beginning to wonder if he has the charisma to stand out.

Jax – It was impossible not to notice how loud the audience’s screams were when Ryan announced that Jax was safe (many, many decibels above the screams that any other contestant garnered). And I was screaming right along at home. This girl deserves to go all the way; she’s the total package and the real deal. Her languid cover of the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was gorgeous and goosebump-raising, reminiscent of Jena Irene’s watershed “Can’t Help Falling in Love” moment from last season, and while I wish she’d stayed at the piano for the entire song (as did Harry and Keith), it was still a rock-star performance from beginning to end. “It’s very easy to see why America voted for you,” said Keith, while Jennifer said, “You’re just as compelling as the day you auditioned.” Quentin may not get to the finale, but I still think half my dream will come true — and Jax will make it. And then, she will win, she will actually sell records, Scott Borchetta will be thrilled, and American Idol will get renewed for a 15th season.

Qaasim Middleton – I loved Qaasim’s red suit tonight, but there was nothing else about this performance worthy of my praise. I’ve been a Qaasim fan from the start and have found his vivacious performances to be some of the best of this season, but oof, his “Sir Duke” performance Wednesday was downright appalling. If he had sounded like this back in the audition room, he would have never received a golden ticket. Actually, I would have enjoyed this with the sound turned off — Qaasim’s energy onstage is always fun to watch. But when started the song a cappella, it really put all the unwanted attention on his shockingly screechy, off-key vocals, and he never recovered, letting the backup singers do most of the heavy lifting from that point on. The panel went way, way too easy on him, which made me wonder if they accidentally thought they were judging an episode of So You Think You Can Dance instead. I think Qaasim is a better mover than a singer.

Clark Beckham – Clark has the personality of a house plant, but damn, what a great-sounding house plant. His version of “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” wasn’t on par with Joshua Ledet’s from Season 11, but as J.Lo said, it was the best vocal of the night. (All the unnecessary cutaways to Jennifer’s reaction shots during Clark’s performance indicated that she really meant this, by the way.) Keith called Clark “amazing” and “killer.” Now, if Clark could just take some personality pointers from, say, Jax or Quentin, or even Qaasim, there’d be no stopping this guy. It would Clark’s, Clark’s, Clark’s world.

Joey Cook – Anyone who wrote off Joey as a novelty contestant just needs to shut up now. I admit I had my own doubts about her place on Idol when she first tried out with Tallest Man on Earth’s “King of Spain,” but when she reprised it tonight, she toned down her quirks and affectations just enough to let her actual awesome vocals shine through. And she was still freakin’ adorable, of course. This was probably the most memorable performance of the night. J.Lo told Joey she “filled the stage.” She certainly filled my heart. Joey acted so surprised to be in the top 12, but she really deserves her spot. The show would be a lot less interesting without her.

Quentin Alexander – Speaking of interesting (and deserving), Wild Card Quentin made the most of his second chance, taking the stage resplendent in an oversized Goth poncho and stacks of tribal jewelry. (Seriously, I want to go shopping with this guy.) He was selling the drama, but it never seemed affected or fake. The tears he shed at the end of his magnificent “Royals” performance were genuine. “You know that you deserve to be here… your emotion is what makes you a great artist,” said Jennifer. “You are deeply in touch with your own artistry,” said Harry. “You brought spiritualism to that song,” said Keith. I hope this performance won over America. Quentin is the king bee, and he should rule, should rule, should rule Season 14. Let him live that fantasy, Idol voters. It’s my fantasy, too.

Adanna Duru – I’m glad Adanna got a Wild Card reprieve (she deserved it, based on last week), but I think she’s another contestant whose overexcitement hurt her performance this week. This cover of Lady Gaga’s “You and I” was just messy. I will give her props for not holding back — she really went for it, and she was clearly feeling it — but she let the song get away from her. “You have to find a way to take all that energy and channel it through a very specific musical place, because it was really, really out of tune,” Harry warned.

So now, it is prediction time. Who’s going home Thursday, after enjoying a mere 24 hours as a top 12 finalist? It should be Daniel — but I am worried for Sarina, who sang in the “death spot” and had a very off night, or for Adanna, who didn’t quite redeem herself after failing to secure the top 12 public vote. But, we could be in for another shocker like last week’s; you never know on Idol. Tune in Thursday and see what happens.

Parker out.

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