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American Idol Season 8 Episode 18

Tonight marks the return of the wild card round, something I felt was sorely lacking the past few seasons. Eight contestants have been given a second chance, and three of them will advance to the top 12 tonight, with the judges deciding.

Jesse Langseth
Song: Tell Me Something Good by Rufus and Chaka Khan
Randy: Interesting song choice. A lot of interesting (not good) note choices.
Kara: Some notes not on key, but you’ve got a swagger (I guess that’s intended to mean something).
Paula: Strong as can be. A lot of soul.
Simon: Glad you were chosen. Slightly indulgent.

Matt Giraud
Song: Who’s Loving You by Jackson 5
Kara: Thank you for bringing back the bluesy soulful Matt. Amazing riffs. A little over the top.
Paula: This is the right zone for you.
Simon: A billion times better than last week. Great song choice. Hate what you’re wearing. Bits of Taylor Hicks coming through.
Randy: Made everybody else scared.

Megan Joy Corkrey
Song: Black Horse & The Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall
Paula: Right song. Joyful.
Simon: Always liked you. Still like you. Current. Not the best vocal but terrific nonetheless.
Randy: Back in the right range.
Kara: Give some variety to what’s already up there. Hope you stay.

Von Smith
Song: Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word by Elton John
Simon: Didn’t start very well. Beginning to become a bit boring. Didn’t really get it from you. Mr. serious.
Randy: Too serious. Wrong pitch at the beginning but beautiful tone at the middle.
Kara: Serious and dark. You have what it takes, but you haven’t hit your stride.
Paula: Not letting the pure essence of Von Smith out. Thinking too hard.

Jasmine Murray
Song: Reflection by Christina Aguilera
Randy: Improved. Still too big for you. Some flat and sharp moments but some bright spots.
Kara: Didn’t even know you had that big of a voice.
Paula: Beautiful song. Determined. Some notes that fell off.
Simon: Pretty special compared to earlier. Brave song choice. Sounded at times like a young girl trying to sound grown up. Back in the running.

Ricky Braddy
Song: Superstition by Stevie Wonder
Kara: You can sing your butt off. Loosened up tonight.
Paula: Loved the way you loosened up. Nailed it.
Simon: Sounded good. But a bit karaoke and clumsy.
Randy: Not quite the song for you. A little self indulgent.

Tatiana del Toro (why?)
Song: Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston
Paula: Blah blah blah.
Simon: I think we’ve heard you sing that three times now. What happens if you make it through to the next round?
Randy: Mixed bag of tricks.
Kara: It’s like the adventures of Tatiana. Today this is a new personality. At least she’s not crying.

She’s got a good voice, but she’s just way too obnoxious to win this popularity contest, or even get very far.

Anoop Desai
Song: My Prerogative by Bobby Brown
Simon: Like an enthusiastic dog. Not the best singer, but people like you.
Randy: Better this time than the last time you sang the song.
Kara: Wanted to get up and dance.
Paula: Certainly are the showman. Everyone loved that performance.

The judges have made their decisions.

Jasmine Murray is advancing, despite a performance that was a little on the painful side.

Ricky Braddy has been eliminated. This is a joke, right?

Between Tatiana and Megan, Megan Joy Corkrey is the one advancing. Time for one last breakdown by Tatiana.

Jesse Langseth is out.

Von Smith is also out.

That means it’s down to Matt and Anoop. Matt Giraud gets the final stool. It’s not over yet, though. They’ve decided to make it a top 13. Anoop Desai is also through.

These four contestants round out the top 13.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of American Idol Season 8 episode 19, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox.

Survivor: Tocantins Episode 4

Coach wanted to convince everybody to vote against Erinn in Survivor: Tocantins Episode 3, but unlike last week, he was unable to force his team to do as he wanted. Instead, Jerry, who had been suffering with stomach problems, was voted out.

Coach believes he’s the better leader than Brendan, which gives him more ammo still for wanting to get rid of Erinn. So like after listening to him go on and on for two minutes, are we done with this already?

Everybody is concerned about Taj because she keeps going to Exile. Little do they know what she’s been up to. Stephen is about to find out. She asks him if he wants to be part of the biggest upset in Survivor history. He’s completely open to the idea of joining her alliance with Brendan and Sierra. I like where this is headed.

Brendan, however, has not yet communicated to Sierra what their plans are as they walk to the challenge. This could undo everything. For the challenge, three members of each tribe will have a pole over their shoulders with weight added at set intervals. Reward is to raid the other camp and steal two items. Sierra will sit out for Timbira. Stephen and Spencer will sit out for Jalapao. Jalapao’s weight bearers are Joe, Taj, and JT; Timbira’s weight bearers are Brendan, Debra, and Tyson. The remaining team members will merely be deciding who to add weight to, and then adding it. Brendan and Joe get weight first. Each round is 20 pounds. JT and Tyson are next. Brendan and Taj are next. As time passes, Brendan gets to 180, JT 160, Tyson 120, Joe 140, and Taj and Debra at 80. Brendan and JT get the next weight. The record is 220 pounds, set by Rupert in Pearl Islands. Brendan and JT get the next weight. That puts Brendan at 220. He’s out. JT and Tyson are next. JT’s now at 220. Tyson is out at 140. JT holds strong for a while but is out. Joe drops at 140. That leaves just the women, both at 80 pounds. Both go up to 100. Debra is out. Jalapao wins reward. Sierra is going to Exile Island. She picks Taj to go with her. Now it’s just a question of whether Taj can work things out.

Joe and JT arrive to raid the camp. Unsurprisingly, they take some of the beans and a water can. They know better than to take both sets of beans (no need to completely anger the other side, and no need to screw over your own people in the event of a shuffle). Sandy doesn’t like this strategy. Sydney’s growing more and more tired of her. Sandy is, likewise, growing tired of Sydney because she’s attractive.

Taj gets the clue this time. She knows for sure it’s the treemail based on this clue. Trying to figure out where her head is at, she realizes Brendan never had the time to fill her in. So Taj will do it for him. Sierra’s up for it.

Erinn is an outcast. Before she came on the show, she went through a bad break up, so she doesn’t want to talk to anyone because it will come out. Oh geez. Go ahead and vote her off.

At the immunity challenge, one tribe member from each team will race out, untie and grab a puzzle piece, and return. When they have all 8 pieces, they will put them in the correct spot and rotate them to reveal the winning phrase. Taj is sitting out for Jalapao. Joe takes a lead over Coach. JT and Erinn are next. JT extends the lead. Spencer and Brendan are next. Brendan picks up a bit of ground. Stephen and Tyson go next. Jalapao’s still got the lead. Sandy and Sierra are next. Sandy retains the lead. Sydney and Debbie are next. Sydney struggles, and Timbira takes the lead by a good margin. Brendan and Joe are next. The final people to run are Tyson and JT. It’s pretty close, with Timbira having a slight lead. The puzzle will decide this. A lot of phrases are almost right, but only one is absolutely right. Timbira wins immunity.

This brings Jalapao’s 4 challenge winning streak to an end.

Joe is happy to be getting rid of someone in particular (Sandy). Sydney, however, fell apart in the challenge, which Taj brings up.

Sandy brings up at tribal council how Sydney is wearing JT’s boxer shorts. She defends herself saying she doesn’t have shorts and is wearing jeans. Jeans? On Survivor? She acknowledges, however, that she flirts with Joe the most, in addition to flirting everybody else, regardless of gender.

Votes
Sandy
Sydney
Joe
Sandy
Sandy
Sandy

With 4 votes, Sandy has been voted out. Unless they can pry the boys away from Sydney, the others may run into trouble here.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: Tocantins episode 5 You’re Going to Want That Tooth, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.

American Idol Season 8 Episode 17

Last night, the final 12 contestants performed on American Idol 8 Episode 16, and tonight we will find out who America voted for, unlocking contestants 7, 8, and 9 from the top 12.

Lil Rounds is the first one to advance to the next round.

Arianna Afsar, Taylor Vaifanua, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Kendall Beard, and Scott MacIntyre all stand up. One will go through, presumably Scott. Arianna can sit down. Taylor can join her. Alex can join them, but he’s okay that he lost being himself. Scott MacIntyre is the one who will advance.

Nathaniel Marshall and/or Nate McGee and Kristen McNamara are up next. They have been eliminated.

Von Smith and Felicia Barton are next. They are also eliminated.

Ju’not Joyner and Jorge Nunez are the next set. One of them will advance. I gotta go with Jorge Nunez on this, and he is indeed the one to proceed to the next round. Minus the accent, I’d put him as a serious contender to win this thing, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Now that we have our top 9, it’s time to talk wild card. Whoever didn’t make it from the top 36 is eligible. The judges will choose 8 people from that group. The wild card participants will be:

Von Smith
Jasmine Murray
Ricky Braddy
Megan Joy Corkrey
Tatiana del Toro (are you freaking kidding me?)
Matt Giraud
Jesse Langseth
Anoop Desai

These 8 contestants will perform in a special episode tomorrow night where we will find out live who the remaining three contestants in the top 12 are.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of American Idol Season 8 episode 18, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.

Jillian Harris Is The Bachelorette 5

The speculation started after she was the next to last one eliminated by Jason on The Bachelor 13, and it has now been confirmed. Jillian Harris will be The Bachelorette when it returns for season 5. She will have her pick of 25 men, who hopefully will be smart enough to put mustard on their hot dogs, or at least not sauerkraut.

The Bachelorette 5 will premiere Monday May 18 on ABC.

The Bachelor 13 Episode 11

Last night’s finale, which the show insists was not staged (and if anyone says it’s staged, they’ll complain to Ryan Seacrest and demand an apology and a retraction), certainly changed the tone of the season. First, Jason dumped Molly and proposed to Melissa. Then, he dumped Melissa and asked Molly out for coffee. Can’t wait until he dumps Molly (again) and calls Jillian. Aren’t there any women in Seattle?

It’s been 6 weeks since Jason dropped Melissa like yesterday’s tuna.

Naomi, Kari, Erica, Nikki, and Stephanie are back. Nikki found it heartbreaking. Stephanie thought he made the right decision (the second time). Erica says these are people’s lives, and this is a serious commitment that he should have thought harder about. Naomi wanted to punch him. Kari believes that doing this proves he’s got integrity.

An audience member asks: knowing what the pain and devastation feels like, how could he put somebody through that? Another one believes he made the right choice. She hopes they make it. Another angry audience member doesn’t get how he was crying on the balcony… then immediately after that proposed to someone else. The proposal bit was definitely unnecessary. If he’s that unsure, he should have chosen her but not proposed.

Jason says again things were different. Perhaps tonight we’ll actually get some clarification on that.

Molly challenges Jason and is his best friend, which is what he really is looking for (wasn’t that Jillian’s point?).

Melissa declined the request to be on the show tonight, but she says she’s doing well and has no regrets.

Molly did not consider not taking him back because her feelings were still the same as they were in New Zealand. She wants people to know they’re real people (they are?) with real lives.

Molly and Jason are happy now. She’s forgiven him for dumping her the first time. They are able to see each other about every other weekend, and she does plan to move to Seattle.

Now that this latest trainwreck of a season is over, it’s time for a new season. The Bachelorette 5 will be Jillian. I was hoping for Melissa after what happened to her, but Jillian should be good fun and was my pick after a couple weeks ago. She just hopes she makes the right choice the first time, and she doesn’t want her dad to see any more hot tub scenes.

American Idol Season 8 Episode 16

American Idol 8 Episode 15 added three more people to the top 12: Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, and Adam Lambert.

This week, we’ll know the complete list (three tomorrow, three Thursday), with 12 more contestants singing tonight.

Von Smith
Song: You’re All I Need to Get by by Marvin Gaye
Randy: This is the way to kick off the show. Very hot performance. Better than in Hollywood.
Kara: Coming into your own.
Paula: Memorable first. Quite the showman. Seasoned.
Simon: Reminiscent of Clay Aiken. Look appaling but sang very well.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-01

Taylor Vaifanua
Song: If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
Kara: It’s obvious you’ve got a voice, but left a bit cold by the lack of personality.
Paula: Talented, but why the same song again?
Simon: No idea who you were from earlier. Generic. Bland. Trying to be older than you are.
Randy: Great voice but kind of boring.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-02

Alex Wagner-Trugman
Song: I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues by Elton John
Paula: Certainly are the showman.
Simon: Fun to watch. Not fun to listen to. Ridiculous. Stupid. Like a hamster trying to be a tiger.
Randy: Crazy in a buck wild sort of way. Kind of screamed the song.
Kara: At least you do you.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-03

Arianna Afsar
Song: The Winner Takes It All by Abba
Simon: Certain irony to that lyric. Absolutely terrible in most parts. Song was way, way, way too big. Dreary. Like being at a funeral. Too old.
Randy: Really not the song I would have ever chose.
Kara: Not a beam of sunshine. Dark. Depressing.
Paula: Some bright moments… but.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-04

Ju’not Joyner
Song: Hey There Delilah by Plain White Ts
Randy: Switched it up. Loved it.
Kara: Smooth. Fluid.
Paula: Sang the same song as in Hollywood but changed it up.
Simon: Better than expected. Safe.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-05

Kristen McNamara
Song: Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman
Kara: Much better hair. Great singer. Great tone. Needs a little more rock edge.
Paula: Kelly Clarkson’s Because of You was a better choice, but the vocals were great.
Simon: Puzzling. Good voice.
Randy: Not sure who you are. A little karaoke
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-06

Nathaniel Marshall / Nate McGee
Song: I Would Do Anything for Love by Meat Loaf
Simon: Verging on excruciating. Weird. At least it was memorable.
Randy: Hard to imagine as a recording artist.
Kara: Pick a song that shows the more serious side if you want to be taken seriously. Want to go to karaoke with you.
Paula: Boy George version of the song.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-07

Felicia Barton
Song: No One by Alicia Keys
Paula: Unbelievable talent. Hope we bring you back again.
Simon: Certainly came back to prove a point. A bit copycat.
Randy: Amazing voice. Go with what’s different.
Kara: Best look. A few problems with some of the notes but noticeable.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-08

Scott MacIntyre
Song: Mandolin Rain by Bruce Hornsby
Randy: Not the most perfect vocal, but the parts that were great were really great.
Kara: Move mountains when you step on the stage.
Paula: Happy and proud that you’ve made it.
Simon: Not crazy about the song, but you’re starting to believe in yourself. Memorable, relevant.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-09

Kendall Beard
Song: This One’s for the Girls by Martina McBride
Kara: Big personality, right lane, but some issues. Likeable personality.
Paula: Prize on the best outfit. Good job. Adorable.
Simon: Probably did the right thing. Couldn’t wait for it to end half way through.
Randy: Not the best vocal performance, but everything else was good. Told us who you are.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-10

Jorge Nunez
Song: Don’t Let the Sun Go down on Me by Elton John
Paula: So proud of you.
Simon: Very good singer. Like that you sound different.
Randy: Not perfect but really really good.
Kara: Born to sing.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-11

Lil Rounds
Song: Be Without You by Mary J Blige
Simon: Brilliant. Favorite by a mile. Sounds too much like the original. One of the best singers so far.
Randy: Unbelievable vocals.
Kara: Still a powerhouse. Steady boat going the same way.
Paula: First class.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-12

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of American Idol Season 8 episode 17, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

The Biggest Loser Couples 2 Episode 9

The blue team fell below the yellow line, and Dane was voted out of the house in part two of The Biggest Loser Couples 2 Episode 8.

Bob’s old team is happy with this result, though Tara’s very emotional.

The contestants end up in a cooking school called Chefs Inc, which means a visit from Rocco DiSpirito. He’s going to talk to them about the worst kind of food, fast food. The first lesson is just how horrible pizza is for the body, with 4000 calories for the whole thing. Stuffed burritos? Over 1100 calories each. A triple cheeseburger has 1230 calories. If you add fries, the fat spikes to 110 grams.

Both teams will make healthy versions of each of the foods they’ve seen, to be judged on taste and calorie content. The winner will get dinner cooked by Rocco, and one random person on the winning team will get an extra vote. They have just 30 minutes. Bison can be used in place of beef. No fat yogurt mixed with sweet chili sauce will have 1/4 the calories of regular sour cream. The burrito can be reduced using lean turkey.

Ron’s pizza wins (despite not being fully cooked), and his son Mike is not surprised. The reduced calorie version has 276 calories compared with 470 for the original. Black team reduced their burrito from 1100 calories to 417, so they win despite their equally bad presentation and flavor with the other team. That means it’s down to the burger. Black team’s burger tasted much better. Black team’s had 303 calories, compared with 525 calories for the blue team (the ketchup and mustard are the downfall). Black team wins the challenge. Whoever gets the right fortune cookie gets an additional vote. Laura draws the extra vote. Because they won, Rocco will be cooking the black team fried chicken (except it’s unfried). It’s made crispy with whipped egg whites and toasted panko bread crumbs. They also get mashed sweet potatoes. Blue team? They get to do the dishes.

Bob’s team will be doing some shadow boxing, and they’ll get some assistance from Sugar Ray Leonard. Former amateur boxer Aubrey is a big fan. Sugar Ray still works out as a boxer at age 52. He just doesn’t get hit any more.

It’s time for a visit from Dr. H. This is the time of the season that he gives good news. Mike has lost 134 pounds of hydrated fat, while gaining about 20 pounds of muscle in 3 months, which is a new record. Tara also has set a record, 29% weight loss in 3 months. When she first did the treadmill test, Mandi (Aubrey?) matched up with a fit 68-69 year old woman. Now, compared to fit 31 year olds, she was off the charts. Ron had stomach surgery 13 years ago, which didn’t work very well and has made his stay more difficult than normal. He was losing a bit of muscle, a rarity on this show, but he’s been improving over the last couple weeks. He also now needs less insulin.

Jillian pulls Sione aside to hopefully make the best of the situation with his whole Bob temper tantrum, but he says he’s good now and is past it now. Later, he’s having a good workout, but in the middle of it, he missteps and twists his ankle. He’s got a level 1 sprain, the best case scenario for a sprain.

The contestants now go to a food bank, an ironic place to visit considering how gluttonous they’ve been. Their challenge is to take the donated food, assemble it into a kit, and then take the kits across the warehouse to load them on trucks. This is the same thing the volunteers who work there do. They will load enough food to feed 1,200 people. Each member of the winning team will receive free groceries for a year. They will also be featured in a national Cheerios campaign. The cherry on top is letters from home. Laura will sit out for the black team. Black team gets off to an early lead, and they’re building on it. Black lets their 15-20 kit lead go, though, and at 109 the teams are tied. Black retakes the lead briefly, but blue manages to take their first lead at 124 kits. It’s anybody’s game as the lead bounces back and forth. Black team ultimately wins 150-141. Mandi and Aubrey are especially upset by this loss.

Having watched Aubrey cry, Mike gives his year’s supply of groceries to her. A nice gesture from Mike, but I’m not overly thrilled about this people with kids deserve it more trend we’ve been seeing this year.

Jillian wants to know why Laura sat out. Helen’s almost 50, and Sione’s got an injured ankle.

Mandi starts crying during the last chance workout. What if she works this hard and still goes home? Well, what if she works this hard and is The Biggest Loser?

Jillian asks Laura why she’s always last, and why she doesn’t believe in herself. To prove a point, she asks everybody else on the team who the weakest link on the team is, and they all willingly volunteer Laura’s name. Laura goes outside to cry, and Jillian says she gives up, though she admits what she did was mean. Tara believes Jillian went too far, although she agrees with her point. Nonetheless, Laura still thinks she’s giving it 100%. That night when they talk about what happened, Jillian is at least able to get some baby steps.

They will not be weighing in against each other. Instead, they will be weighing in with each other. They have the chance to win immunity for everyone. By losing a pound a day for the last week, everybody will be safe. With 11 people, that means they’ll need to lose a combined total of more than 77 pounds. If they don’t, one person from each team will go home. Regardless of what happens, for every pound they lose, The Biggest Loser will donate 100 pounds of food.

Helen: 193 pounds (-5, 2.53%)

Mandi: 195 pounds (-8, 3.94%)

Sione: 283 pounds (-3, 1.05%)

Aubrey: 203 pounds (-8, 3.79%)

Laura: 226 pounds (-7, 3.00%)

Ron: 343 pounds (-6, 1.72%)

Tara: 200 pounds (-11, 5.21%)

Kristin: 270 pounds (-9, 3.23%)

Filipe: 275 pounds (-8, 2.83%)

Cathy: 246 pounds (-3, 1.20%)

That leaves 10 pounds left to lose. It’s Mike’s turn to weigh in. To be continued…

Bloody hell.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Biggest Loser 7 Episode 10, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

The Bachelor 13 Episode 10

Now that we know who The Bachelor 13 winner is, it’s time to find out what happened after the final rose.

Chris opens the show in an eerie fashion. Out of respect for the parties involved, they will have an intimate gathering for the final show of the season.

Since this all ended, Jason has decided Melissa’s not right for him, and that the chemistry is just not the same. Fastest break up ever.

It doesn’t end there, though. Jason can’t stop thinking about Molly.

Jason is now ready to break up with Melissa. He feels like things are different, and she is not the right person to spend the rest of his life with. She doesn’t believe him and thought things were perfect. Instead of talking to her, he’s just calling it quits the second he starts having doubts. She wants him to be honest about what changed. He doesn’t have an answer what’s changed, except that he does still have feelings for Molly. She still doesn’t get it. I don’t get it either, but this is a reality TV show, so perhaps it should be expected. She wishes he would have just let her go that last day instead of stringing her along for a few months and then changing his mind. She hands back the ring.

Jason hates himself for what he’s doing to Melissa. She hates him, too. Nonetheless, he’s sure that’s the decision he’s going to make. She wants him out of her life and to just leave her alone. Is he now a bigger dirtbag than Brad Womack ever was? She says that she’s not angry, just hurt, but there’s someone else out there for her. She will just accept this as a learning experience and try to figure it out one day.

Now, Jason hopes that Molly will forgive him for breaking her heart, and all he’s hoping for is a chance, as they allegedly have not talked since the final rose.

First, Molly will give her side of the story. The week after he dumped her was the worst week of her life. There are still feelings there, and she will never deny that she feels he’s incredible. She’s still in love with him and hoping for closure. Every night, she wonders whether he’s changed his mind. She’s sounding like she’ll jump at the chance to get back with him.

Jason returns to continue his earlier discussion. Molly’s biggest question is when he knew he was not going to choose her. It’s unclear from his answer when he decided. With that said, maybe it’s time to break the news that he dumped Melissa. He wants to go out for coffee with Molly. Her response: what about Melissa? After some more explanation from Jason, Molly is still speechless.

Molly is confused, but she still has feelings for him. She’s willing to see where things go, and she’s happy this has happened. At least he didn’t propose to her. That would have just been ridiculous.

ABC, please don’t bring this guy back like you keep bringing DeAnna back.

Despite the continued trainwreck of relationships on this show, it continues to get more popular, and we can expect it back for The Bachelor 14. We can also probably expect either Melissa or Jillian back as The Bachelorette.

This season isn’t over yet, though. There’s a special episode on tomorrow night.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Bachelor 13 Episode 11, which airs Tuesday at 10/9c on ABC.