S10E37: It’s the cruelest of all Idol eliminations: the one right before the finale. It’s when they’ve built up the top three, treating them like rock gods, taking them to their home towns to meet legions of adoring fans and proud townspeople. They put these kids on top of the world and then in one five-minute segment at the end of the show, rip that fancy rug right out from under them. So who’s no longer standing? Well, we don’t have an all-girl finale, so that should give you a hint.
That’s right, Scotty McCreery, who I believe was told he’s never been in the bottom three or two, is the first finalist for season 10 of American Idol. But what about the others? We found Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart waiting anxiously for their fates. It makes sense that it was down to the two ladies. At this point, it really is the splitting factor. You’ve got Scotty, who’s got his unique, deep country timbre and two pretty, blonde girls with big voices, one more soulful and one that’s a little more sweet. We could have guessed that it would be down to Scotty and one of the girls, though I had hoped a little for an all-girl finale because I think these two ladies are great. Anyway, as we all waited for the announcement, Ryan finally says the name: Lauren.
Now, I don’t know about you, but the incredible tension was palpable 3,000 miles away in my tiny apartment on my tiny television. Lauren, the adorable thing she is, was torn in two directions, trying not to celebrate and squeal that her dreams were coming true while she stood next to Haley whose dreams had just ended. We watched as she tried to hug Haley, who looked like she’d been hit by a freight train. It was actually similar to when James Durbin was eliminated; I think they both thought they were immune, that they’d make it to the end. You could see the disbelief on her face and something a commenter said on one of these recaps came back to me. One person mentioned that Haley seems too cocky. Now this had never bothered me, but there was a certain lack of grace in her exit last night that makes me think maybe there was an element I wasn’t seeing. Maybe that’s why the judges were so hard on her? Maybe she is too cocky? Well, it doesn’t really matter now because her journey is over.
Now before we get to her swan song — she wisely chose “Bennie and the Jets” and rocked the hell out of it — I’d like to say that even though I’m a Haley fan, I am very happy with this top two. Lauren is just lovely, she sings beautifully, she’s genuine and cute as a button. As for Scotty, he’s not an artist I would buy albums from, but I’m aware that his style of music is very popular across the country and he does it well. They both seem like great kids, they’re both talented, and they’re both so, so young. According to Ryan Seacrest, this is the youngest Idol finale ever; Lauren is 15 and Scotty is 17. I’m not even going to be upset when one of them loses — making it to the finale is almost a guarantee for a record deal, especially with two folks who are already prepackaged for success like these two — but I will say, quietly, that I hope it’s Lauren.
