'American Idol' Top 8 Boys: Former Frontrunners Get No R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Hey, longtime American Idol viewers! Remember that horrible top 16 week in Season 9, when Todrick Hall, Alex Lambert, Katelyn Epperly, and Lilly Scott were all eliminated — aka The Night Idol Died? Well, this Wednesday’s top 16 elimination show at Detroit’s Fillmore, focused on Season 14’s top eight boys, wasn’t quite as horrific as that. The amazing Quentin Alexander was safe, so at least a total disaster was averted (even though we had to wait until the final five nail-gnawing minutes of the episode to learn Quentin’s fate). However, three other favorites weren’t quite so lucky, failing to live up to the declaration of guest mentor Aretha Franklin’s opening performance, “I Will Survive.”

Savion Wright, Riley Bria, and Trevor Douglas (along with Michael Simeon) didn’t survive. Um, what? This was pure Motor City madness!

Yes, last week I had predicted that Trevor and Michael might be undone by their respectively manic and snoozy performances. I’d even criticized Savion’s lightweight song choice, “Hey Soul Sister.” But I still assumed Savion had a loyal fanbase from his Season 13 tenure. I also thought the adorable Trevor and especially Riley (the one country boy left on the show, and a very marketable one at that) had enough tween-baiting appeal to get through. And regardless, let’s face it: All four of these guys, even the Michael Bolton-loving Michael Simeon, deserved to advance over the undercooked Daniel Seavey and class clown Adam Ezegelian.

Is there a Wild Card this season? If so, I’m officially nominating Savion Wright for that honor, if only so he can come back to the show and perform one more time. But for now, I’ll just try to move on and focus on the eight contestants who were called, one by one, to sing the songs of Motown this Wednesday — while poor Savion, Trevor, Riley, and Michael warmed a Fillmore theater bench.

Daniel Seavey – Ugh. This kid should’ve just forfeited and given his spot to someone else. That would have been the noble thing to do. HE’S JUST NOT READY. He is talented and will probably be ready for Idol in a couple of years — assuming Idol is still on the air in a couple of years — but this simply isn’t his time. Daniel’s sing-songy, overly cutesy, amateur-hour “How Sweet It Is” performance only supplied more evidence of his lack of readiness. “You’re hangin’ with the big dogs now,” Keith Urban cheered supportively. I just think Daniel is a puppy among the big dogs, and he’ll eventually be eaten alive.

Mark Andrew – Shuffling onstage once again looking like Casey Abrams’s older brother, Mark tried to get his groove on during “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” It rocked, or soft-rocked, more than it rolled. The performance felt a little lazy, lacking the original’s anger and bite; when Mark sang about the song’s titular deadbeat dad, I didn’t believe a single word. The fact that his jam-bandy arrangement pretty much obliterated the tune’s melody did not help, either. “I’m not sure that song, in that way, was moving me… something about it just wasn’t connecting,” sighed Jennifer Lopez. I know Mark has a fanbase right now, but I agreed with Harry Connick Jr.: Too many performances like these will cause Mark’s momentum to wane.

Rayvon Owen – I had feared for Rayvon, so his advancement was actually a pleasant surprise, unlike the night’s other shockers. Wednesday’s Motown theme was perfect for this silky-smooth soul crooner, allowing him to really shine on “My Girl.” This time, the smiley persona that had marred last week’s “Jealous” performance made sense with the song, and his voice was a dream. Every run and ad-lib worked, without ever being indulgent or disrespectful to the melody. I don’t know why I ever worried about this guy; he’s one of this season’s best. “In this crazy world we’re living in, it’s great to see such a nice presence,” said Harry. Yes, Rayvon is a true all-American Idol.

Adam Ezegelian – I suppose Adam’s growly, loungey, campy cover of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” was enjoyable, in a David Lee Roth-does-“Just a Gigolo” sort of way — except, of course, not nearly that awesome. This was just comedy cheese. Harry told Adam he “nailed every note”; Keith told him, “That was the perfect song for you”; and the judges in general didn’t have a single negative word for Adam. This only proved that the judges are indeed insane. Adam is an entertainer, for sure, and he has some mighty pipes, but I just can’t take him seriously, and I can’t imagine him winning. And I certainly can’t imagine how Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta, this season’s new adviser and A&R rep, would react to Adam winning!

Clark Beckham – Speaking of Borchetta, Scott said Clark is one of this season’s best vocalists, and I have to agree with that. Clark’s “Tracks of My Tears” (a song famously covered by one of the best Idol singers ever, Adam Lambert) featured a sublime, perfect vocal, right down to the killer falsetto, and even though this was a throwback theme night, I think this was Clark’s most current-sounding performance yet. That’s why I was baffled when the judges came down a little hard on Clark, in a way they totally didn’t with Adam Ezegwlian. J.Lo said she thought the performance needed more “heart and soul.” Harry didn’t think it had a “beginning, middle, and an end.” Keith thought Clark should have played solo, without the band. Maybe they didn’t want to build up Clark too much (an underdog persona often helps on this show), but it’s safe to say Clark is not an underdog, and no amount of inane, undeserved criticism will change that.

Nick Fradiani – Nick definitely deserves to be in the top 16, but his cover of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” (a totally overdone song, even among Motown songs) was a bit karaoke, with an uninventive arrangement and wooden delivery. For the first time this season, Nick seemed kind of… uncool. I don’t think it was the right song for him; I was expecting the David Cook treatment, the soul-song-turned-rock-power-ballad shtick. I didn’t get that, so I was disappointed. Harry actually liked the arrangement and song choice, but said he wanted more smiling from Nick; this was ironic, not just because Harry is the least-smiley Idol judge since Simon Cowell, but also because the judges had just finished scolding Rayvon for smiling too much. Keith said he wanted more movement and looseness from Nick; I agreed with that comment. Anyway, I still think Nick could go far this season, but he should probably steer clear of Motown covers after this.

Qaasim Middleton – It was at this point in the episode that I realized there were only two slots left for the top eight boys — and that three of my favorites, Qaasim, Quentin, and Savion, were still awaiting their fate, which meant that no matter what happened, the night would end in disappointment, tears, and angry recaps. Thankfully, Qaasim getting through calmed my nerves a bit. This born showman was so in his element on Motown Night. What a vibey performance of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish”: fantastic dancing, that cool mic-stand dip, the Willow Smith-worthy hairography, everything! The mood in the Fillmore instantly elevated when the charismatic Qaasim hit the stage. “So good, man! Watching you in front of an audience is what it’s all about,” howled Keith. “You so damn funky, its crazy!” raved Jennifer. Qaasim’s uptown funk made me so happy, I almost forgot that I’d soon be saying goodbye to at least one of my other favorite contestants.

Quentin Alexander – I was crestfallen to see Savion go, but I heaved a massive sigh of relief when Ryan Seacrest uttered Quentin’s name. I don’t know if I could have handled both Quentin and Savion going home in one night. Quentin’s “Master Blaster” was not nearly as spell-binding as last week’s “I Put a Spell on You” tour de force; in the future, I’d prefer it if Quentin stuck to darker, more dramatic fare that lets him show more flair, rather than happy-go-lucky, boppy numbers like this. I think being called last spooked Quentin (it certainly spooked me!), but thankfully, he got his groove back by the song’s end and closed the show in style. “You know you’re one of my favorites,” gushed J.Lo. He’s one of my favorites, too.

So we never got to see Savion, Riley, Trevor, or Michael perform. Oh well. Maybe we can see them on that “Better Luck Next Time Tour" they tweeted about Wednesday night. I’m glad to see that, unlike me, they haven’t lost their senses of humor and are being good sports. We’ll see if I cheer up after Thursday night’s top eight girls show… but let’s just say if Joey Cook, Tyanna Jones, or Jax don’t make it through, my terrifying flashbacks of The Night Idol Died will spring anew.

Parker out.

Follow Lyndsey on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Amazon, Tumblr, Vine, Spotify