Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Just Sam performs during the Top 20 show on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

American Idol voters selected a Top 10 consisting of six guys and four girls after last Sunday’s Top 20 show.

Guys advancing included Louis Knight Jr., Jovin Webb, Jonny West, Arthur Gunn, Dillon James and Francisco Martin.

Ladies advancing included Just Sam, Sophia James, Grace Leer and Julia Gargano.

That meant the end of the Idol road for the following: Nick Merico, DeWayne Crocker Jr., Franklin Boone, Lauren Spencer-Smith, Faith Becnel, Aliana Jester, Kimmy Gabriela and Cyniah Elise.

None of those cuts came as a shock based on the popularity of last week’s Top 20 performances. Personally, I felt Kimmy Gabriela had massive Idol potential, but she never really got a chance to show off her bilingual skills on the show.

Some random notes:

* Is it cute boy Idol again? Season 18 featured a massively talented female cast. More females than males made the Top 20. But fans favored the guys over the guys.

* The singer-songwriter edge. In the at-home performance setting, it’s not surprising that the singer-songwriters would excel over the pop singers. That was certainly true Sunday night. Louis, Jonny, Arthur, Dillon and Francisco all fit the singer-songwriter mold. So do Sophia and Julia.

* Meanwhile, contestants who probably would have flourished on the big stage would up being cut at the semifinal level. That would include Olivia and Kimmy, who were lighting up the stage during their earlier live performances, and Faith, one of the most experienced live performers on the show.

* Minority contestants certainly didn’t fair well in the fan voting, with Cyniah, Aliana, DeWayne, Franklin and Olivia all failing to advance Sunday night.

* Next week, there are no more judges saves. Of the Top 11, only seven will advance. And, hopefully, we’ll get to hear everyone sing twice.

See also …
Song by song grades for the Top 20Song by song grades for the Top 20
Most popular performances from Top 20 nightMost popular performances from Top 20 night

Disclaimer:
Producers, coaches, judges and hosts on American Idol and The Voice will pretend they are hosting a legitimate singing competition over the next few weeks. Having blogged about singing shows for more than a decade, I can assure you they are not.

You cannot go from a Top 20 to a winner in four weeks (American Idol) or a Top 17 to a winner in three weeks (The Voice) and call it a fair and legitimate singing competition.

So have fun watching. Vote if you want. Put very little stock in the results because they will mean virtually nothing.

Most of all, support the singers when their time on the show ends. They deserved a better showcase for their talent.