And then there were 11...
What a night. Usually I'm thrilled when I'm right, even if I'm the only person who ever knows it. But tonight, I would much rather have been very wrong. I am disappointed that Jamie-Lee is now completely out of the game, but I can't say I don't understand why.
The Results Show was a dramatic one. There's quite a few things I want to cover. First, to clear up any confusion (and it existed amongst the press as well): The two groups were not a Top 6 and Bottom 6. They were two completely random groups, one containing the eliminated contestant. I started to suspect this when I saw that Jamie-Lee and Bonolo were in the same group as Karin, V and Kesha. There's no way I can believe that those three were in the bottom 6, and I found it hard to believe that Jamie-Lee and Bonolo were in the Top 6. It was confirmed at the press conference after the show: the groups were completely random.
I scanned the contestants faces during the show to see if I could get an idea of how confident they were feeling. Looking at Jamie-Lee, it was pretty clear that she was pretty sure (if not certain) she was going home. Especially after it was narrowed down to just her and Bonolo. And the setup tonight made the elimination feel much more heartbreaking, in my opinion. Usually there's three girls up, and two end up celebrating their victory. However tonight, the focus was on the unlucky one contestant who didn't make it through. It was hard for me to watch Jamie-Lee absorbing the news, even if she had already accepted it in her mind. And then Colin's Grade-A blunder - of epic proportions - only made it harder. Jamie-Lee was asked during the post-show conference whether that mistake had made her think there was some twist to the show and that she was actually staying. She admitted that she had, for just a few seconds, believed that she might be staying another week.
The girl has been through a lot in the last few weeks. First she was out. Then she was a wildcard. First week into the Top 12, she's out again. I asked her whether the rollercoaster ride had affected her confidence. "My confidence doesn't change. My emotions do." This was further evidenced by her response to the first press question of the evening: "What next?" Full of confidence, and head held high, she replied "Become a star!" And you know, I think she just might do it.
I also asked her whether she felt that the fact that she had gone first had affected her performance. I've read in the interviews that the contestants were caught a little off guard by the size of the crowd. Jamie-Lee said that she was surprised by the sheer size of the crowd, and that she thought it might have had some slight effect on how she did. It has to be unnerving, taking the stage in darkness (and virtual silence) and having the lights come on, a screaming, cheering crowd of over 1000 people greeting you... I know I wouldn't be able to write under those circumstances, much less sing. Good thing for me that writing is a solitary exercise!
I think that these eliminations are hitting the contestants harder as well. A decent amount of time has gone by between the Top 70 auditions and now. There are definitely friendships forming, and even though in the end, all of them want to be an Idol, it's clearly getting harder to watch their friends go. There were more than a few tears shed tonight, and I think that's only going to get worse as time goes on.
Unfortunately for us, there wasn't a photo shoot after the show so I wasn't able to snag any pictures this week. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify that next time. (Not sure when the next show I'll be attending is. The problem with attending these shows as independent press is, no one is footing the bill for my transportation, and it's definitely approaching the expensive side to hire a driver each week. But I'll do my best, because there's nothing like attending these shows in person, and I'm really working at getting more "behind-the-scenes" information for us!) However, from my stay at Gold Reef City last night, I can tell you this: these are seriously down-to-earth, everyday, normal people, who just happen to possess some amazing talent.
Oh and one other thing... I'm starting to wonder if one of the Powers That Be might not be reading my blog. I was pleasantly surprised to see "Family and Friends of..." inserts during the performances last night. How great is that? Sure, sure, you'll tell me it was just a coincidence, but hey, I can dream, can't I? (Of course, if they did this last year as well, let me know.) Either way, it's a great addition to the show, and now if they'll just add some content to Channel 37, we'll be all set.
And no, Instant Idols auditions do not count as Extra Content, no matter HOW painful they may be to watch. (Oooh, and are they ever painful...)
The Results Show was a dramatic one. There's quite a few things I want to cover. First, to clear up any confusion (and it existed amongst the press as well): The two groups were not a Top 6 and Bottom 6. They were two completely random groups, one containing the eliminated contestant. I started to suspect this when I saw that Jamie-Lee and Bonolo were in the same group as Karin, V and Kesha. There's no way I can believe that those three were in the bottom 6, and I found it hard to believe that Jamie-Lee and Bonolo were in the Top 6. It was confirmed at the press conference after the show: the groups were completely random.
I scanned the contestants faces during the show to see if I could get an idea of how confident they were feeling. Looking at Jamie-Lee, it was pretty clear that she was pretty sure (if not certain) she was going home. Especially after it was narrowed down to just her and Bonolo. And the setup tonight made the elimination feel much more heartbreaking, in my opinion. Usually there's three girls up, and two end up celebrating their victory. However tonight, the focus was on the unlucky one contestant who didn't make it through. It was hard for me to watch Jamie-Lee absorbing the news, even if she had already accepted it in her mind. And then Colin's Grade-A blunder - of epic proportions - only made it harder. Jamie-Lee was asked during the post-show conference whether that mistake had made her think there was some twist to the show and that she was actually staying. She admitted that she had, for just a few seconds, believed that she might be staying another week.
The girl has been through a lot in the last few weeks. First she was out. Then she was a wildcard. First week into the Top 12, she's out again. I asked her whether the rollercoaster ride had affected her confidence. "My confidence doesn't change. My emotions do." This was further evidenced by her response to the first press question of the evening: "What next?" Full of confidence, and head held high, she replied "Become a star!" And you know, I think she just might do it.
I also asked her whether she felt that the fact that she had gone first had affected her performance. I've read in the interviews that the contestants were caught a little off guard by the size of the crowd. Jamie-Lee said that she was surprised by the sheer size of the crowd, and that she thought it might have had some slight effect on how she did. It has to be unnerving, taking the stage in darkness (and virtual silence) and having the lights come on, a screaming, cheering crowd of over 1000 people greeting you... I know I wouldn't be able to write under those circumstances, much less sing. Good thing for me that writing is a solitary exercise!
I think that these eliminations are hitting the contestants harder as well. A decent amount of time has gone by between the Top 70 auditions and now. There are definitely friendships forming, and even though in the end, all of them want to be an Idol, it's clearly getting harder to watch their friends go. There were more than a few tears shed tonight, and I think that's only going to get worse as time goes on.
Unfortunately for us, there wasn't a photo shoot after the show so I wasn't able to snag any pictures this week. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify that next time. (Not sure when the next show I'll be attending is. The problem with attending these shows as independent press is, no one is footing the bill for my transportation, and it's definitely approaching the expensive side to hire a driver each week. But I'll do my best, because there's nothing like attending these shows in person, and I'm really working at getting more "behind-the-scenes" information for us!) However, from my stay at Gold Reef City last night, I can tell you this: these are seriously down-to-earth, everyday, normal people, who just happen to possess some amazing talent.
Oh and one other thing... I'm starting to wonder if one of the Powers That Be might not be reading my blog. I was pleasantly surprised to see "Family and Friends of..." inserts during the performances last night. How great is that? Sure, sure, you'll tell me it was just a coincidence, but hey, I can dream, can't I? (Of course, if they did this last year as well, let me know.) Either way, it's a great addition to the show, and now if they'll just add some content to Channel 37, we'll be all set.
And no, Instant Idols auditions do not count as Extra Content, no matter HOW painful they may be to watch. (Oooh, and are they ever painful...)
posted by Julie at
12:29 PM
