'American Idol' Hollywood Week, Pt. 3: Since They've Been Gone

Last week, I complained that many early standouts of American Idol Season 14 were barely shown during the first two Hollywood Week episodes. Where was my beloved barista from Nashville, Kory Wheeler? Or my kooky piano girl, Jess Lamb? What about soulful Nigerian refugee Rocky Peter, affable blind cowboy Garrett Miles, crazy cat lady Katherine Skinner, and returning/robbed Season 13 semifinalist Casey Thrasher?

Well, this week, it was a case of be careful of what I wish for. I got to see most of those people (all but Casey and Katherine the Cat Lady, unless you count random, blink-and-you’ll-miss it B-roll footage). But I didn’t see very much of these singers, because they didn’t stick around for too long.

Jess Lamb thankfully survived, due to her impressive ability to somehow turn “All About That Bass” into an awesomely Fiona Apple-esque blues-pop workout. But Kory, Garrett, and Rocky were all shown the door.

And this was despite the fact that Kory, Garrett, and Rocky really hadn’t  performed any more poorly than Alexis Granville (the drama-queen fainter from last week’s cliffhanger, who I could’ve sworn was named Alexis Grendel); Joey Cook and Shannon Berthiaume (who committed the horrendous musical crime of forgetting entire verses of Queen’s “Somebody to Love”); or Hollywood Anderson (who blew off rehearsals, then sounded winded and flustered during his messy group performance).

The saddest cut had to be Rocky, one of THE best auditioners of this season, who’d excitedly told his long-suffering mother that their “life was about to change.” It was heartbreaking to witness his disappointment. I wasn’t heartbroken just because of his sob story, however; a sad backstory will only get a contestant so far with me, and only so far on this show. I simply thought the man was truly blessed with raw, unique talent. Perhaps Rocky isn’t right for American Idol. But I hope he doesn’t let this setback stop him from pursuing his American dream.

Eliminations are part of the Hollywood Week process, of course; some cuts just cut a little deeper than others. Also exiting the competition this Wednesday were young Amber Kelechi Walker, smarmy crooner Sal Valentinetti, pretty single mom Kelley Kime, and a bunch of interchangeable also-rans. But I was less upset about these cases. It was their time to go.

Side note: I never really liked Sal — I saw him as a one-dimensional character, a joke contestant, certainly not the best representative of the Idol brand if he were to win — but I have to say, I appreciated his kind spirit and sportsmanlike attitude when he got the boot Wednesday. After he’d nicely let Alexis the Fainting Girl join (and then nearly sabotage) his group, only to have her advance instead of him, I would’ve understood if he were just a little bitter. Instead, he left with a smile, seemingly sincerely wished Alexis well, and reminded Jennifer Lopez about how she’d supposedly promised him a date. Sal’s actually a cool dude. J.Lo should keep her promise.

But which of the remaining contestants have the most promise, so to speak? To figure that out, I’m going to list my favorite group performances of Wednesday night:

Blvd. – It’s not easy to do “Since U Been Gone” by original Idol Kelly Clarkson, but Harry Connick Jr. said it was an incredibly smart song choice that showcased all four diverse singers’ strengths. Cody Fry, who’s quickly shaping up to be my favorite male contestant this year, delivered a vocal that was impeccably pure and pristine, with no needless showing off. Conversely, when Rayvon Owen actually did show off, he did so successfully, totally slaying that high note. Piper Jones took her own vocal acrobatics/theatrics a little too far, and Kelleyann Rogers ended up sort of fading into the background. But overall, this group worked. All four contestants made it through.

3-1 Brunettes – A group comprising Riley Bria, Keri Lynn Roach, Emily Brooke, and Jake Black, these kids gelled well together. And, unlike some of the histrionic contestants on this show, they were total pros. Emily was in fact battling food poisoning, but she didn’t let that stop her from putting on a polished performance. Keri Lynn oversang her parts of “With a Little Help From My Friends,” but this group still lived up to that song’s title, working as a team. All four singers advanced.

LKYCO – Their name, which stood for Ladies Keep Your Clothes On, was terrible. Their beatboxing was wholly unnecessary. (3-1 Brunettes had some beatboxing too. Stop it, kids. No one is ever going to top Blake Lewis, so please don’t even try). And Trevor Douglas, Qaasim Middleton, and Daniel Seavey all totally overdid it with the runs and licks, adding about 17 extra syllables to each line of One Direction’s “Story of My Life.” (Savion Wright gave the most tasteful performance of this group.) However, there was no denying the boys’ star quality. All four advanced.

Mark Andrew’s Crew – This name was fitting, since Mark totally dominated the proceedings. Well, Mark and Katherine, really. I wish this had been a duet. As they belted “With a Little Help From My Friends,” that whole “I’ll try not to sing out of key” line made no sense, because of course they sounded perfect. I barely noticed the other two contestants, to be honest, and as it turned out, group member Vanessa Andrea was sent home. I’m not sure what will happen in the long run to fourth group member Alex Shier, who did make it through, but I expect Mark and Katherine will go very far this season.

So there you have it. On Thursday, we’ll find out our top 48. Will any of my other favorites get axed? Tune in and see. Until then, Parker out.

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