Idol-Talk: Season 10 Hollywood Week Round 1

American Idol 10: Hollywood Week, Round 1
Air Date: Thursday, February 10, 2011 [8-9pm]

Round 1: Individual Performances

There are double the amount of contestants that have made it to Hollywood. Is it because new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez had a hard time saying no, or because the age limit was lowered to fifteen? Who knows...

This first round, taking up two days, was strictly individual performances (same as always). There would be no feedback from the judges. And it's Sudden Death, meaning after everyone in each group performs, the judges would immediately make their choices on who to cut.

Best of the Night:

• Brett Loewenstern - "Let It Be"
• Holly Cavanah - If I recall right, it seems like she improved upon her initial audition.
• Robbie Rosen

Good/Average:

• Lauren Alaina - The song had both soft and louder notes, and she knows how to control her voice well.
• Jacee Badeaux - Rascal Flatts' "Bless the Broken Road"
• James Durbin - His Siobhan Magnus/Adam Lambert high note was a little off tonight. He wasn't as good as his audition.
• Chris Medina - After the judges asked how his fiancée was doing, I knew they weren't about to cut him, no matter how his voice was.

The Couple and the Exes:

• Exes Rob Bolin & Chelsee Oakes - Rob was extremely boring. Chelsee definitely sang better. The judges should have only let Chelsee through and not Rob, though I bet the producers wanted to keep them in to see if any major drama surfaces.
• Couple Nick Fink & Jacqueline Dunford - I'm glad they split them up, because they don't need to be hanging on to each other all the time. Remember, this is an individual competition.

Where was the Automatic Elimination?:

• Scotty McCreary (low voice)
• Jackie Wilson
• Jerome Bell - "Let's Get It On"
• I would have automatically eliminated all three of them for singing the same song from their auditions. They're playing it safe by relying on what got them there, but it doesn't show us what they can do with their voices.

Should Have Been Eliminated:

• Tiffany Rios - Before her song, she said, "I'm tired of seeing others try to do what I already know how to do." That should have been an automatic elimination as well. As far as the performance went, she was so over the top and trying way too hard. Even that should have been cause for elimination, but, alas, the judges (and probably producers) kept her in.

Misc. Note: At one point, Steven got up and gave a pep talk to everyone, because there were contestants who were letting their nerves get the best of them.

168 advanced to Round 2.

Next Wednesday will be Round 2 of Hollywood Week, where the remaining 168 contestants will partake in the dreaded group songs! Out of everything from H'Wood Week, this is the round that provides the most drama; I can't wait! See ya then...