After Simon Cowell left American Idol, many people wondered if viewers would leave too. A number of changes were announced for the show’s tenth season; some of them, such as half-hour results shows, didn’t actually come to fruition. However, one change that was implemented, lowering the age limit to fifteen, gave us two contestants, Thia Megia and runner-up Lauren Alaina, who otherwise would have had to wait until next year to audition.
New Judges
New judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler added beauty to the panel, literally. (Jennifer Lopez was named World’s Most Beautiful Woman by People Magazine). And one of Steven Tyler’s favorite comments after many performances was “Beautiful.” If viewers hated Simon Cowell’s caustic critiques, Lopez and Tyler were a great addition to the panel. If people missed the sharp-tongued judge, they might be unhappy with how little criticism was given to the contestants this year.
Wide Variety of Contestants
This season’s contestants' styles included a little something for lovers of many different musical genres. James Durbin brought rock and heavy metal to the Idol stage. Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams gave off jazz and blues vibes. Jacob Lusk was a mix of gospel and R&B. Stefano Langone and Thia Megia were pop singers while Pia Toscano became queen of ballads. Paul McDonald had a raspy voice reminiscent of Rod Stewart. Naima Adedapo gave viewers some reggae and entertaining dance moves. Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina represented traditional and pop country respectively.
Shocking Eliminations
Early favorite Casey Abrams received the least amount of votes after his top eleven performance of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Fortunately, the fun-loving and risk-taking jazz singer was granted the judges’ save and lasted for several more weeks in the competition. One of the season’s strongest vocalists, Pia Toscano, wasn’t so lucky however, becoming a ninth-place finisher after her “River Deep Mountain High” didn’t resonate with voters. Many people thought James Durbin would take the crown, or at least make it to the finale, but the rocker was eliminated after reaching the top four, despite receiving strong praise from the judges.
American Idol Season 10 Finale
Ratings for the show’s Wednesday night finale were up 17 percent from season nine. The finale featured memorable performances from Lady Gaga, who jumped off a makeshift cliff at the end of “The Edge of Glory,” and Beyonce, who became full of emotion during “One Plus One.” The idols themselves also shined. Scotty McCreery held his own with country superstar Tim McGraw for their “Live Like You Were Dying” duet. The girls in the top 13 performed a medley of Beyonce songs including “Single Ladies” and “Irreplaceable.” And Lauren Alaina was joined by Carrie Underwood for the latter’s smash hit “Before He Cheats.” At the end of the night, Ryan Seacrest announced that after a record-setting 122 million votes, Scotty McCreery was the next American Idol. The teen from Garner, North Carolina grew emotional as he hugged his family and every contestant while he performed his coronation song, “I Love You This Big.”
The top two performance show the night before the finale was less exciting however. The hour long episode seemed rushed, and Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina had to wait until after both performed the second time to hear the judges’ critiques. King of country music George Straight and American Idol’s own Carrie Underwood chose a song for McCreery and Alaina respectively to perform that night, yet there were no introductory packages explaining why the superstars picked the songs they selected. And Taio Cruz’s performance of “Positive,” a song which American Idol fans helped write, could’ve been saved for the actual finale.
While American Idol didn’t always hit the high note this season, the show remained popular and near the top in the ratings every week, proving the show will go on after Simon Cowell has left the building.
Anne Marie Coar - Anne Marie graduated with a degree in communication arts and minors in psychology, journalism, and business. Some of her articles have ...
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