American Idol Top 7 "Shocker"
So, big news last night on Idol. Jessica Sanchez, an obvious judge favorite was nearly sent home. After receiving the lowest number of votes, the judges cut her off while she "sang for her life" and used their only save of the season. My question is this: Are we really so shocked by this outcome?
Anyone who has watched American Idol these 11 seasons as I so faithfully have will attest to the fact that this ALWAYS happens EVERY season. Maybe not this early, but it happens. The way I see it, it's a formula. The judges, these three in particular, rally behind their favorite contestants and shower them week after week with praise. They bound out of their chairs as if catapulted to deliver repeated, often unwarranted, standing ovations. When overused, the standing O certainly loses its punch. The constant on-their-feet applause leaves me pining for the days of Simon Cowell. Likewise, they are often rendered speechless by the contestants they deem less worthy and offer meaningless morsels of appreciation such as "You look beautiful tonight." The audience gets complacent and/or lazy and doesn't vote as as much as they used to for the "apparent" leaders. Also, fans of the underdog come out in full-force and power vote for the save. The fact that Joshua Ledet, the absolute clear favorite, was also in the bottom three tells me that this is likely the case.
But I have another theory that is likely to be less popular. Jessica Sanchez simply doesn't connect with the audience. Admittedly, I had tears in my eyes when she sang I Will Always Love You in the Top 12 show. That performance was flawless. But so is that song. And in my opinion, she did very little to stray from Whitney Houston's interpretation and arrangement. For a 17-year-old, or at any age for that matter, she is a technically superior singer. She is truly gifted, and there is no denying it. Still, I feel a disconnect when she sings and haven't voted for her since that first week. Her performances don't touch me the way some others do. Could it be that I'm not the only voter who senses this?
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