American Idol 3 2/18/04: We Get Two More, And We're Up To Four

[lobeck]

Tonight's Results Show starts out as all the others ones have. We hear Dramatic Voiceover Man talk about how we have decided who stays and who goes blah blah blah, and the camera pans the faces of the group of contestants as DVM does his little speech. The one thing I notice is that not even one of the eight is smiling. They all look as nervous as a whore in church. However, can you blame them? I mean, after last night's fiasco of a show, can any of them really be pleased with their performances?

After the usual intro music and credits, Ryan runs out on the stage to start the show. He is wearing a jacket tonight, and his shirt is actually tucked into his jeans. I must say our host is looking rather dapper tonight. After he welcomes everyone to the show, he tells us that tonight's results are extremely close. The first-place contestant received 27.8% of the vote, and the contestant in second place received 27.0% of the vote. Now, two things jump out at me at this point. First, Ryan does not say how many total votes were cast, unlike last week when he told us that 11.5 million votes were cast. Hmm…could this be because there were significantly fewer votes cast this time around after last night's train wreck of a show? In addition, I am somewhat surprised to see that over half of all the votes that were cast (however many that was) went to only two people. Knowing that, I am a little more interested to find out who tonight's top two are.

Ryan next introduces the judges. What's this? Is Simon sporting a new knit shirt? Yes, he has now added a grey, ribbed one to the white/black/powder blue rotation. Paula is wearing a maroon pinstripe suit, complete with an obnoxiously large fleur-de-lis brooch on her lapel and a cheesy-looking fedora. I am not quite sure what look she is going for tonight, but it does not work. Randy's trying a new look out tonight as well, and he's put on a jacket for the occasion. Some things never change, though, as I think he throws in a "yeah yeahhhhhhhh" or a "wassup, baby" or two when he says hello. I guess I am so used to "Randyspeak" that it does not register with me like it used to.

After being introduced to the contestants and family members, we are all subjected to a recap of last night's performances. Thankfully, though, we only have to hear snippets of each performance rather then sit through them all again. Once the recap is done, Ryan talks briefly with a couple of the contestants. He asks Matt how he is feeling tonight after last night's performance. Matt says, "There are definitely nerves." Ryan asks him if he thinks he is going through, and Matt can only smile and say, "I hope I'm going on." Ryan then turns to Briana and asks her if taking a risk with her song choice was a wise decision and whether or not she would do things differently if she had the chance. Briana says she would definitely pick a song more in her style if she could go back, and she adds, "Trying something different was not the best idea." Unfortunately, I have to agree with you on that one, Briana.

Before we get to the results, we get to see the judges' predictions (on tape) of who will advance from this group of eight. Randy hems and haws a bit, but he finally chooses Camile and Lisa. Paula picks Camile based on her potential and then chooses Lisa, saying, "I think Lisa did a good job tonight." Simon, being the master of diplomacy that he is, says he thinks Camile will get through and then adds, "I'm not going to pick anyone else, because I don't care." We come back to the live show, and Ryan asks Simon to explain what he meant. Simon tells him, "I just wasn't passionate about it last night." He adds, "Look, millions and millions of people turn up for this show, and we might only find a couple of great singers. Thousands and thousands of people tried out to host the show, and we got you. That's just how it is." Me-ow! For those of you keeping score at home, that is Simon – 1, Ryan – 0. Ryan moves on to Paula and asks her about last night's show. Paula, in a surprising moment of bluntness (for her, anyway), says, "America is not going to accept mediocrity. This show produces millions and millions of sales of records, and you have to take this seriously." Finally, Randy tells Simon, "It's tough…but Cowell's right." Before moving on, Ryan turns to the camera and says, "Well, for the amount of money we're paying Cowell, I think he should care." Me-ow, indeed! The score is now Simon – 1, Ryan – 1. Anyway, Ryan then says, "What did America decide? We have the answer…after the break." Oh, don't act so surprised. You should know by now that they are going to drag this out as long as they can.

We come back from the commercial break, and it is time to get to the results. Just like last week, Ryan is going to call the top three vote getters forward, so let's get started. Noel, you sang "This I Promise You". After the performance you gave last night, this I promise you…you are not moving on. Jesus, you sang "Back At One". You need to go back to square one, my friend, because you are not moving on, either. Before going on, Ryan asks the brother which one of them they think received more votes. Jesus never says anything, and after a few awkward seconds, Noel reluctantly says, "I did". Well, Noel is wrong, because Jesus apparently received 70,000 more votes than brother Noel did. Those two must have a really large family, because I cannot imagine too many people other than close family members spending their time calling in votes for the two of them. Moving on, we now get to Lisa Leuschner. Lisa, you were the first one in the group to receive positive feedback from all three judges. America has voted, and…you are in the top three tonight. Lisa looks relieved and moves downstage to take a seat. Next is Kara Master. Kara, you sang "Out Of Love". Now, I don't know if you are out of love or not, but one thing you were definitely out of was talent. You are not moving on. Camile, you had a bit of a shaky performance last night, but the judges have all commented on your potential. America seems to think you have potential, too, as you are also in the top three tonight. Camile gets up from the couch and joins Lisa on the stools downstage. At this point, rather than continue down the couch, Ryan skips over Matt and Marisa and goes to Briana. Briana, you sang "Don't Know Why". I don't know why you sang that song, and America apparently doesn't, either. You are not in the top three tonight. That leaves us with Matt and Marisa. One of you is in the top three tonight, and one of you, well, isn't. Who will be joining Lisa and Camile in the top three? We will find out—yep, you guessed it—right after the break.

We come back from the commercial break, and Ryan does not waste any time. He announces that the final person in tonight's top three is…Matt Rogers! I am a little surprised at this, and Matt seems to be, too, as he heads downstage and stops to hug Ryan (albeit not like the bear hug he gave Ryan in his local audition) on the way. Before going to another commercial break, Ryan says he is going to end someone's agony of waiting right now. The first person through to the Top 12 tonight…with 27.8% of the vote…is…Camile Velasco! Wow, I am a bit surprised. I mean, I thought that Camile would advance, but I did not think she would be the top vote getter. Camile doesn't really show too much emotion…until she joins Ryan at center stage, that is. Ryan asks her how she feels, and she starts to cry and says she is "overwhelmed" by making it to the finals. Ryan then asks her to sing again, and she sings "One Last Cry", the song she sang last night. She does OK (except for one cheesy finger-down-the-cheek motion when she sings the word "cry"), but you can tell she is emotional, as her voice is very shaky during her song. When she's done, Camile joins the others on the couch, and Matt and Lisa join Ryan at center stage. Ryan tries to increase the drama of the moment, but everyone knows what he is going to say. We know it. The studio audience knows it. Even Matt and Lisa know it. We will find out which of these two people will join Camile in the finals…right after the break.

We come back from the commercial break, and, before announcing the second finalist from tonight's group, we see which eight of the remaining semifinalists will be singing in next week's show. It looks like it will be a good group next week. Of course, I thought that last week before hearing this group sing, so who knows what will happen next Tuesday. Anyway, it is time to find out who the second finalist from Group 2 is. Ryan tells us that the second person to move on to the Top 12 tonight…with 27.0% of the vote…is…Matt Rogers! Wow. I have to say I am surprised. It is not that Matt did not do a decent job, but I thought for sure Lisa would be moving on, and she is not. Anyway, Matt seems just as surprised as I am. His eyes widen, and he puts his hand over his mouth as if he has just been told he is the new Miss America. Ryan asks him how he feels, and Matt says he's "on the borderline of crying". Ryan then asks Matt to sing a bit of his song again, and he does (he actually even starts singing before Ryan finishes speaking). While I am sure Matt is quite emotional now, you cannot really hear it in his voice, and I have to say that I think he does an even better job with the song tonight than he did last night. As Matt continues to sing, the rest of the group joins him on stage, and the show ends as the end credits start to roll across the screen.

Well, we have now got four of this year's finalists decided. While I do not want to take anything away from Camile and Matt, I cannot help but wonder how they and some of the other people in Group 2 would have done if they were in last week's show (and vice versa). Will any of the people who did not advance tonight be back for the Wildcard Show? The only ones I could see being called back are Lisa and maybe Marisa, but it is not up to me to decide. For now, let's just focus on the next group of semifinalists and hope that their performances can get us back on track. See you next week!

To contact the author of this recap, send e-mail to lobeck@fansofrealitytv.com.

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[scooberoo]

I thought it was hilarious when Ryan asked the Romans who they thought got more votes between them, and Jesus said Noel, and Noel said himself... And then Ryan slapped Noel in the face by telling him he was wrong by 70,000 votes.

I was surprised that Camille and Matt made it without Lisa advancing. That's really rather disappointing, she was clearly the best last night. She didn't get any comments from the judges based on "potential" for coming weeks. :rolleyes

[opiumchild]

wow, great recap Lobeck as always...it's like watching the show live

[clay crazy]

I was surprised that Lisa didn't make it through. While I wasn't overwhelmed by any of them last night, I thought she gave the best performance of the group and deserved to go through from those performances. I was not impressed by Matt and Camille's performances tonight. I'm pretty picky, though.

[pinkieparrot]

Wow, I'm REALLY, REALLY surprised that Camille was top vote-getter. I thought she was pretty much horrible last night. She has NOOOOO stage presence at all and she cries far too much for my liking. I didn't think Lisa had much stage presence either, though I definetly liked her more than Camille I'm happy that Matt got through because there neds to be some testosterone on this show. Hopefully next week will be better!

[Roxanne]

I still can't figure out why they would tell the brothers who got more votes. A little obnoxious in my opinion. Also, the fact that they would get 70,000 votes between them, let alone just one of them getting at least that many, just floors me. Mama Roman's fingers must be bleeding.

I was disappointed that Lisa didn't go through. I thought her vocal performance was way above Camille's. I hear what Randy is saying about Camille's tone. If I close my eyes and listen, I can certainly hear the same underlying tone as Lauren Hill's, however, hearing that underlying tone is a far cry from being able to compete with the quality of Hill's strength, range, and fullness of voice. It seems the judges are confusing the two.

I like Matt. Matt has a quality I can't quite put my finger on. He's got a nice voice, good tone, and he's certainly fun to watch on stage (mainly because you can see how much fun he's having himself). I guess it's also because I'm a "big man" kinda gal (my husband is 6'3" and 240lbs, and I should also say is sporting the same facial hair as Matt)... so maybe, just maybe, I'm projecting a little?

I liked Marisa's voice as well. I think with more stage training, she will be awesome. She definitely needs to get away from that stance though. My husband and I were watching her last night and commented that not only did she answer the question about if a bear craps in the woods, but she demonstrates how it's done. Ick.

[Kariann1]

No Clay Crazy, your reaction was the same as mine. Kinda of a let down.

Good recap, Lobeck! I asked on another thread...do you think anyone reads these threads from American Idol 3?

[Mantenna]

Great recap, Lobes. I barely finished watching the show, and your recap is up!

The one thing I notice is that not even one of the eight is smiling. They all look as nervous as a whore in church. However, can you blame them? I mean, after last night's fiasco of a show, can any of them really be pleased with their performances?

You have such a way with words! I, too noticed the unhappy faces sitting on the couch. They all looked like they were sitting in the dentist's office awaiting root canals! Surprisingly, the only ones that mangaged to show any interest in the show or have a pleasant face when the camera wasn't directly on them were the Roman Bros.

Before going on, Ryan asks the brother which one of them they think received more votes. Jesus never says anything, and after a few awkward seconds, Noel reluctantly says, "I did". Well, Noel is wrong, because Jesus apparently received 70,000 more votes than brother Noel did. Those two must have a really large family, because I cannot imagine too many people other than close family members spending their time calling in votes for the two of them.

I couldn't imagine how one of them got 70.000 votes at all. It's very unfortunate, with their sad history and both of their parents being dead, but this definitely just wasn't their time or place. Hopefully something else can come up for them.

[Scillarella]

I am wondering if maybe Noel is a real pain in the patoot behind the scenes, cocky and all, and maybe Ryan was just dying to smack him down on camera.

Didn't turn out how I wanted it to, but I am just glad this week of AI is over! Time to look forward to some new singers!

[Wolf]

Ryan turns to the camera and says, "Well, for the amount of money we're paying Cowell, I think he should care." Me-ow, indeed!

I loved Ryan's little comeback. Simon needs to be publically caned.


Like others have stated, i was really surprised that Lisa did not advance. Camille wasn't that good, but neither were the others. At least, I like the sound of Camille's voice. I don't know but Matt's performances do nothing for me. He just sounds bleh to me.

As always, thanks for producing quality recaps, Lobes.