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‘Idol’ 20 become 16: Alaina Whitaker, Robbie Carrico, AlexandrÃ©a Lushington and Jason Yeager head home

February

In case you missed it, Alaina Whitaker (top left) was eliminated last night from “American Idol” in dramatic fashion and Ryan Seacrest showed some class in her send-off. I covered every last gory detail about that elimination here.

Also getting the boot were Robbie Carrico (top right), AlexandrÃ©a Lushington (bottom left) and Jason Yeager (bottom right). And while Yeager was the only one of the four I correctly predicted as being sent off, I can’t say I legitimately believed the other three had a chance of winning the competition outright.

Carrico is a rocker dude. Or at least that’s what he wanted the judges and viewers to believe. But in the still-alive David Cook, Season 7 has a rocker who’s evidently more convincing to both the judges and audience alike. Carrico paid the price because his version of Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded” left viewers cold. Yeah, I went there.

Jason Yeager’s departure was long overdue. And, yes, I realize that Season 7 voters have only been at it two weeks. And while I will commend Yeager for being tuneful, it’s his schmaltzy style that just didn’t seem to fit the competition at all.

AlexandrÃ©a Lushington certainly had the vocals and the modern flair, but I also sense that America picked up a bit on what I did—that she had a bit of an attitude. Whether she was sniping over the pronunciation of her first name or changing her story on how good her ‘70s song was, she didn’t come across as a warm contestant. Her warmth, however, was evident when, after her farewell song, she bounded her way off the stage to hug a weepy David Archuleta. Had she shown more of that positivity, she might still be in the running.

After the break, a photo of the tenuous Top 16—so close to the coveted Top 12 and the touring Top 10!—and warnings for those who came perilously close to leaving this week.

I’m pleasantly suprised Luke Menard and Kady Malloy have another shot to prove themselves. For two straight weeks, I’ve been convinced they have more to offer than what they’ve displayed, especially Malloy. That said, if they don’t blow America away next week, they deserve to head home. Three strikes, y’know?

Someone who’s already used up all three strikes, three outs and nine innings in a losing cause is Amanda Overmyer, whose abysmal “Carry On Wayward Son” will forever be considered one of the worst Top 24 performances in series history. There’s something scary about the fact that after a performance so bad—during an episode in which Carly Smithson already proved that she can rock harder and still stay in key—the rocker nurse still has a pulse. VoteForTheWorst.com might have found their woman.

Also alive is Ramiele Malubay. The judges are pushing for her hard, but why? Will she have enough to earn another bye? Or will the cutie be the next one to cry?

Here are my locks for the Top 12, regardless of what they do next week: David Archuleta, Carly Smithson… and that’s about it. Everyone else better bring his/her A-Game.

(Photos: Michael Becker/Fox.)

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 12:56 am by Chris Serico.
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