The first cut is always the harshest. Some Idol seasons experiment with the Top 24 (like that season where they went from 24 to Top 13 in one round), but this season we’re getting the long route possibly because of Empire’s well deserved hold on Fox’s schedule. With this second round whittling the Top 24 to Top 16, I get flashbacks to early cuts like Season 9’s Todrick Hall or Lily Scott before we got to see how talented they really were. I was very worried for my favorites Quentin and Jax, because they’re great but they’re very weird.
Thankfully, the cuts weren’t too surprising overall (as only eight boys and eight girls performed this week) and I’m pretty happy with the results. But I’m not happy that American Idol is already having theme weeks. While “Motown Week” led to a great performance by guest mentor Aretha Franklin, these old fashioned themes always clash with Idol’s strive for relevancy. But, like in these previous weeks, all of the contestants had a few problems. The kids on Idol never quite gel with Motown.
But whatever. Praise be to our lord and savior, Aretha Franklin.