American Idol Season 12 Episode 6 was an insult to the intelligence of the audience and humanity in general. As bad as this show can be, I do not remember any episode being this bad before. If the Oklahoma auditions were really that bad, just don’t show them, or truncate them and put them together with something else. The good news is that at least they are done wasting time, and Hollywood week begins.
This year, Hollywood week is divided by gender. Tonight we start with the guys.
Micah Johnson, who has a speech impediment following his tonsils being removed, is advancing to the next round. Nate Tao, Gabe Brown, and Gurpreet Singh Sarin are as well.
Karl Skinner advanced because the judges had nobody else to put through in Oklahoma City, but he will not be going any further. Dustin Watts and Dr. Calvin Peters have also been cut.
Cortez Shaw’s annoying rendition of I Will Always Love You fails to annoy anyone other than Nicki. Curtis Finch Jr. and Frankie Ford advance to the next round with him.
Lazaro Arbos still has a better story than a voice, but he will be advancing. Trevor Blakeley, a tired Bryant Tadeo, and Charles Allen will, too.
Brian Rittenberry is in the last lineup of the day, and the good news stops with him. He and half the guys have been cut already.
Now on to group night, where we can start manufacturing some drama. Speaking of which, the contestants, who have already spent the day forming their own groups, will not have that luxury. For the first time, the producers will determine who is in which group, deliberately picking groups they know will clash.
Nick Boddington, Mathenee Treco, Matheus Fernandes, and Gabe Brown are in one of the few groups that actually got along. Their lack of drama shows through in their performance of Somebody to Love, and all four move to tomorrow’s solo round.
Johnny Keyser picked a song with lyrics he wasn’t really comfortable with, and after a “nightless sleep,” he still doesn’t know them. Kareem Clark seems to know the words, but he’s terrible. He is the only one of their group to be cut.
Charlie Askew is not feeling well for a few hours. He has one supportive team member at least. Curtis Finch, Jr., however, offers to pack his bags. I guess he’s trying to be funny, but it comes off unlikeable. In any event, all three advance.
Micah Johnson, Vincent Powell, Marvin Calderon, and David Willis are all going through. Zach Birnbaum, Nate Tao, Cortez Shaw, and Elijah Liu are, too.
Paul Jolly and Will White are in a group in which nobody knows the words, but they are the two who advance regardless.
Nicki doesn’t care that the next group consisting of The Turbanator and some other guys is terrible. They are still her favorite of the day because they brought their terribleness to the audience, like she does at her shows.
Jason Jones, Dan Wood, Jessie Lawrence, and some other guy try to do One Direction… and fail miserably. They are all eliminated.
Devan Jones and Devin Velez are in the only group of the night to sing a cappella. They advance along with somebody named Adrian.
Tony Foster Jr. and Burnell Taylor advance, but Darien Moses and Mario Jose are cut.
Lazaro has never heard of the Beach Boys, but he sings one of their songs along with Josh Stephens, Scott Flenor, and Christian Lopez. Their decent but somewhat rough performance results in the elimination of Josh and Scott.
Lee Pritchard, JDA (really?), Joel Wayman, and Trevor Blakney are in Country Queen, a group that’s half country and half queens. The country half of the group, Trevor and Lee, is out.
David Leathers (the final elimination last year), Kayden Stephenson, Kevin Quinn, and Sanni M’Mairura are the youngest guys remaining. David and Sanni have made it.
The group with the most bickering, who continue to argue as they’re walking on stage since Frankie still won’t shut up, get the final spot of the night. Papa Peachez, Adam Sanders, Frankie Ford, and Charles Allen participate in a train wreck, but the three other than Frankie continue. His group tries to offer some words, but he doesn’t want to hear from any of them as we close out the night with a meltdown.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of American Idol Season 12 Episode 8, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.