After the emotional, tear-jerking, memory-laden montage of video, the judges arrive on stage. Look everyone, it is halloween! Randy is dressed like a leopard, J. Lo is dressed like an avacado, and Steven is dressed like a woman.
Super.
If only Ryan was dressed like a peach.
I imagine this will be another fun filled episode. After the requisite recap of the guys, Ryan gives the news: Scotty vs. Robbie are up first. Scotty made it, Robbie did not. Next up: Clint, Jordan, and Jovany. Clint and Jordan are out. Jovany didn’t make it either.
After the break, we get the obligatory girl recap, and now we are onto the female killings. Pia and Lauren A. are up first. They are both in (including Lauren, who is” just Lauren“).
Next up is Ta-Tynisia and Julie. And not surprisingly, both are out.
After the break, more girl results with Kendra, Ashton, and Karen. Ashton is out. Karen is in, and Kendra is out.
Back to the guys. Tim, Casey, and Jacob are up. Jacob is in! Casey is in, Tim is out.
Back to the girls (I’m getting dizzy). Naima, Thia, and Lauren T. are up. Naima is out. Lauren is out, and Thia Megia is in! Yay for Thia! Boo to Lauren getting the boot.
And finally, the boys. Paul is in! Go team flower jacket! Brett is out.
After the break, we get the last round of cuts. Haley and Rachel are up. Haley is in, and Rachel is out. I would have swapped in Kendra or Lauren T. instead of Haley, but come on now, America had to screw at least one thing up!
The last group of guys is Stefano and James. James is in, Stefano is out.
So tonight we have a wildcard episode rolled into a results episode, which kind of makes the no-group-song thing worthwhile. Six ousted contestants sing for their lives: three guys, three girls.
First up: Ashton. She sings And I am Telling You. Pretty good but not amazing.
Stefano sings I Need You Now – didn’t know the song, but it was pretty nice and soulful. Props, Stefano!
Kendra sings Georgia on My Mind, which starts out way too low, but the ending was awesome! I love this girl!!
The ripped Jovany gets the second guy spot – perhaps for his muscle-tastic physique. But he proves he has the chops with a Federov-esque song choice: Angel by Jon Secada. It was ok, but not thrilling. I think he was a throwaway spot.
The last second chance spot goes to Naima, meaning Lauren Turner gets ousted with a crop of girls she far exceeds. Go team Lauren Turner! I still like you…
Naima sings All We Know by Donny Hathaway. I thought her performance was less than thrilling for me. For me, the girl performance totally goes to Kendra.
The guys last shot goes to Robbie, which totally stunned and ego-bruised Clint. It also signaled to Brett that it was his last chance to feel up Ryan.
Robbie sings Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word. I really like this kid a lot. The guy spot is definitely between Robbie and Stefano. Stefano does have the hotness factor.
Conveniently, the judges ask for more time, so they can play J Lo’s new vid! Obvs. At least it is more legit than Paula’s vid a few years ago.
And finally…
The final three who round out the top 13 are: Ashton, Stefano, and Naima.
Robbed: Robby, Kendra, and Lauren T. I don’t hate that Stefano made it, but Robby was an equal. Ashton and Naima, to me, were far behind the likes of Kendra and Lauren T, who were much more exciting to me.
Overall, I don’t hate this top group. I do have a feeling that someone like Casey could take the cake. Or maybe even Paul if he plays his cards right. But I am rooting for girl power this season. Does Pia have the chops to pull this thing off? What about little Thia? I wonder if she has the stamina. I don’t think Lauren can pull it off, although I see her as a top six a la Pickler. I need to digest this group a bit, and will do my anual rank-a-thon sometime this week.
Here is the top 13:
