Duets Recap: All the Right Movies
Memo to Duets‘ “superstar” mentors: Please stop telling each week’s Bottom 2 contestants that it doesn’t matter if they get booted, that their participation on ABC’s summer reality series is only the beginning of their careers in the music biz. Sure, such soothing talk cushions the blow of elimination (or near-elimination) and it may even be true, but as a viewer, it adds to the low-stakes vibe that’s pervaded this show ever since it tossed the first two weeks of scores into the dumpster (right next to GCB) and never mentioned ‘em again.
At the rate the show is going, I’m worried our sly host Quddus is going to go off script and tell the nervous contestants, “Relax, people! This show isn’t going to turn anyone into the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. So just enjoy the fact that 6 million people have you on in the background while they fold their laundry or play Scrabble on their iPhones!”
Anyhow, since Duets‘ special Wednesday showing put it up against another show I recap — So You Think You Can Dance — I’m a little tardy to the party, which means I’ll keep my reviews of each performance (gathered under a Movie Week umbrella) to a Twitter-esque 140 characters or less:
John Glosson (with Jennifer Nettles): “My Heart Will Go On” | For the first time in 5 weeks, I detected some flat notes from the bespectacled fella. Also: How come no one mentioned it was super boring?
Jordan Meredith (with Kelly Clarkson): “Take My Breath Away” | Plus 10 points for an unexpected arrangement, but minus 30 for tentative delivery, downward shifting eyes, and botched octave change. Sads.
Olivia Chisholm (with Robin Thicke) “Stayin’ Alive” | Loved Olivia’s red romper, but this ain’t Fashion Star. JNet said she heard a different part of Olivia’s voice. The off-pitch part? Woeful!
Bridget Carrington (with John Legend): “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” | Bridget knows how to catch a groove & she’s got some power, too. Once in a while, though, I find her voice a wee bit unpleasant. Is it just me?
J Rome (with Jennifer Nettles): “I Will Always Love You” | He’s covered Grease, MJ, Sugarland & Whitney, and has yet to hit a bum note. Dude’s as good as J.Net’s high notes were HIGH.
Jason Farol (with Kelly Clarkson): “Come What May” | If Kelly is a champagne flute, Jason’s the dishrag. Or rather, her voice is the life of the party, while his is floating limply in the kitchen sink.
Anyhow, with that said, here’s how the leaderboard looked for Week 4, followed by my own personal ranking for the night:
Judges’ Leaderboard
J Rome
John
Bridget
Olivia
Jordan
Jason
My Rankings
J Rome
Bridget
John
Jordan
Jason
Olivia
The singoff was a little anticlimactic: Jason covered “Mama Knows Best” with some strange vocal affectations, while Jordan tackled “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” with a couple pitch problems and maybe only 30 percent of the necessary conviction. In the end, it was Jordan who got the boot, and overcome with grief, couldn’t even muster some parting words for the audience. If she’d found her voice, anyone wanna bet she’d have said, “Olivia, you got lucky!”?
What’d you think of Week 5 of Duets? Sound off in the comments, and for all my reality recaps, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSlezakTV!
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