American Idol- Final 24!

The final cut to 24 usually produces a few surprising moments. Tonight, I only counted one. I felt as confused as poor Thaddeus Johnson when he was sent home despite being told he didn’t do anything wrong during Hollywood Week. To his credit, Thaddeus didn’t whine to the judges like the annoying girl who ended last night’s episode.


I split the final 24 contestants into different tiers.

Tier One: I’d be shocked if I didn’t see these people make it to the final 12:

DiDi Benami
Crystal Bowersox
Lilly Scott
Andrew Garcia
John Park
Casey James- Amazing how his first audition played like a joke thanks to the judges making him strip. He's really grown into someone who is a serious contender

Tier Two- I think these singers have great potential, but they have not been flawless. I can easily see them in Top 12 but would not be shocked if they fall just short

Janell Wheeler-
Ashley Rodriguez
Katie Stevens- For some reason she's forgettable. A mediocre performance can cost her more than others who naturally stand out.
Toderick Hall- talented but not likable. Will it matter?
Tyler Grady- Song choice will be huge. I like him a lot more when he's picking gritty soul songs than when he's covering Daughtry.

Tier Three- I have a feeling they can stand out during next few weeks but either I have a really bad memory or we just didn’t see a lot of these contestants so far:

Siobhan Magnus- my favorite glassblowing apprentice ever
Paige Miles
Katelyn Epperly- I must have a bad memory because Christina commented on her first audition.
Lee DeWyze

Tier Four- They might make it to the Top 12 but right now I’m not really a fan:

Haeley Vaughn
Lacey Brown
Aaron Kelly
Michael Lynche

Tier Five: Contestants I feel neutral on for now:

Everyone else except for Tim Urban. I didn’t see the appeal the first time I saw him and I’ve seen nothing to convince me otherwise yet.



Christina's Response

Like Mitch, I really didn’t like the way they ran the final cuts.  While it was always manipulating the audience, I kind of liked that.  This wasn’t as much fun.  I’ll follow Mitch’s lead with the tiers; my choices are pretty similar to his.

Tier 1:  Definitely should make it to the top 12

Didi Benami

Crystal Bowersox

Casey James

Andrew Garcia

Lilly Scott

Tier 2:  Very Good Chance of Making the Top 12

Katelyn Epperly

Todrick Hall – he’s really smart with changing up songs, inventing his own songs.  I think he’s got a lot of talent.

Tyler Grady

Janell Wheeler—I really liked her, but she picked the absolute wrong song.  “Love Story” has no range and she couldn’t show off her voice.  She has to make sure she makes good choices.

Katie Stevens

Ashley Rodriguez

Haley Vaughn

Tier 3:  Don’t Know Enough About

Paige Miles

Lee Dewyze

Joe Munoz

Michelle Delamor

Tier 4:  Not a huge fan

Jermaine Sellers—he was the one who, in Kara’s words, “threw the band under the bus”

Lacey Brown

Tim Urban

Aaron Kelly—even though I don’t like him, he does have a David Archuleta quality about him

Tier 5: Neutral

John Park

Michael Lynche

Siobhan Magnus

Alex Lambert—(although he might turn into a Kris Allen, nobody expects much from him and he comes out of nowhere)