'American Idol' 2014 Top 13 Results Review: Sam Woolf vs MK Nobilette vs Jena Irene, Are They Vying for Top 3? [SPOILER ALERT]
"American Idol" 2014 has announced its Top 13 on Thursday's Results Show on FOX. Judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr picked three out of five potential wildcards who did not draw enough votes to make it to Top 10. Sam Woolf got through, and he now has little competition for the teens' votes. MK Nobilette is among the strongest in the girls. Jena Irena is one of the judges-chosen wildcards after a compelling original song performance. Will they make it to the Top 3?
Spoiler alert: There are more results spoilers in this feature. The Top 13 will be named, wild cards included.
Sam Woolf is among the earliest favourites on American Idol 2014 - since covering Ed Sheeran's "Lego House" on his audition. Sam's take on David Gray's "Babylon" looked rather awkward (or perhaps cute for others) on television. But it sounded great! The quality of his voice and the "perfect pitch" that judge Jennifer Lopez noted more than compensate for the "confidence" that Harry Connick, Jr thought was not there yet.
With Spencer Lloyd gone, Sam has the tweens' votes all to himself. If Spencer had made a smarter song choice for the Rush Week Top 10 Boys night, he would still be in American Idol 2014. The judges would keep him for his fan base alone. Spencer's "Say Something" cover was above average, but he did not play up his strengths wisely after that.
MK Nobilette did not go for soaring, crazy notes on the first night of Idol Rush Week. It is one of the smartest decisions made by a contestant in American Idol 2014, so far. By singing John Legend's "All Of Me," she was able to showcase her emotional depth and connect with the voters. Sam Woolf has the gift of feeling the song (the best he can) through a performance, too. Jena Irene is not consistently connected, but when she does, she nails it.
Is it possible that MK Nobilette easily made it to Top 10 over solid LGBT votes? MK has been very open and honest about her gender orientation from the get-go. She's gay, but it would be unfair to link that to the voting results. One cannot deny her talent or authenticity especially when surrounded by overcompensating "kids" like Marrialle Sellars and Bria Anai Johnson.
It is a shame, however, that promising contenders Kenzie Hall and Austin Wolfe did not make the AI 2014 Top 10 Girls cut. Perhaps the judges saw something greater in Marrialle and Bria. But a lot of viewers are convinced that JLo, Keith, and "the" Harry Connick, Jr had been wrong. Maurice Townsend is another contender who should have been there at the Top 20, some Idol fans say.
One of the wildcards in American Idol Top 13 is Jena Irene Asciutto, who is obviously one of the most talented teens in the competition. At 17, this young lady is already poised to become a Billboard charter. The judges were so impressed by her performance during "sudden death" phase in Hollywood.
But if Jena had dished a weaker number on the first American Idol 2014 Results Night, she would have left the competition too early. Perhaps the experience has cemented her resolve to be better and more competitive in her next numbers.
Watch this fan-compiled American Idol 2014 video on Malaya Watson and Jena Irene Asciutto. A lot of Idol fans have said on social media sites that they wanted to download Jena's original song.
The biggest mystery on American Idol 2014 now is the creative rationale behind Randy Jackson's what-is-that-really-for "mentorship." As a judge, he says the same things over and over. As a mentor, he's not any better. Every frame with him was wasted time that could've been spent on Harry Connick, Jr - or of course, extra seconds in the contestants' performances.
Watch: Sam Woolf Sings 'Babylon' by David Gray #IdolRushWeek - American Idol 2014 (FOX) on YouTube
Now here are the voting results. American Idol 2014 Top 13 are: Malaya Watson, Ben Briley, Emily Piriz, Alex Preston, Jessica Meuse, Dexter Roberts, Caleb Johnson, Majesty Rose (York), MK Nobilette, Sam Woolf, Jena Irene (Wild Card), Kristen O'Connor (Wild Card), and CJ Harris (Wild Card).
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