‘American Idol’: Hollywood Week Ends On A Soulful Note, Thanks To Jacob Lusk
One hundred contestants survived American Idol‘s group round on Wednesday, but by the end of last night only a humble 50 remained. It was the show’s final stint during Hollywood Week, and many of the hopefuls seemed to have Georgia on their mind when they took the stage. Let’s see what happened below! One singer who braved the Ray Charles classic “Georgia On My Mind” was Clint Jun Gamboa, aka the one who kicked Jacee Badeaux out of his group on Wednesday. The judges seem to love this Long Beach karaoke bar manager, but we think he often just sounds kind of scream-y.
A far better rendition of “Georgia” came from quirky California dude Casey Abrams, who pulled an Idol first and brought a stand-up bass on stage with him. He proceeded to knock out a smooth performance that startled the judges and further proved that he’s here to stay. It’s looking more and more like scruffy Casey will no doubt be a main contender in Season 10.
And then there was 23-year-old Jacob Lusk, who has swiftly become a viewer favorite. The man basically took it all to church with an emotional, soul-wrenching performance of “God Bless The Child.” He earned a standing ovation from not only his fellow contestants, but also Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson.
Awkward moments from the night included emotional Ashley Sullivan painfully fumbling Michael Buble’s “Everything,” a song she dedicated to her boyfriend (who cheered her on from the the audience). There was also Chris Medina, who like Malibu surfer Carson Higgins, chose to sing Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.” Both contestants gave oddball performances of the ’80s R&B jam, but each had enough charm to get through it all.
Country teen Scotty McCreery, an early fave, completely tanked with “I Hope You Dance,” a song he just couldn’t seem to remember the lyrics to. And Jacqueline Dunsford, who was partnered up with Chelsee Oaks and Rob Bolin the night before in the group round, completely bowed out of the competition after “getting sick.” (Yeah, right—maybe love sick, since her boyfriend, recently-cut Nick Fink, was ousted a week ago.)
At least bubbly Tennessee teen Lauren Alaina had her song down pat. The 15-year-old showed off her singing talent—or at least her talent to kiss up to Steven Tyler—by once more performing Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.”
After the solos, the judges deliberated while the contestants were split into groups and sent to four different holding rooms. And in the end, those who survived another episode included 15-year-old Jacee Badeaux (who seems to be coasting by at this point on sympathy), Ashley Sullivan (ditto), Casey Abrams, James Durbin, Julie Zorilla, Scotty McCreery (what?!), Carson Higgins and Brett Loewenstern.
Those who got the axe included Mark Gutierrez, Chelsee Oaks and Brielle Von Hugel.
Next week: our pack of singers head off to Las Vegas, where they’ll tackle the Beatles catalog and will eventually be pared down from 50 to 24.
