American Idol 6: Why Paul Lost

Paul Kim had some things going for him on Idol. Viewers had seen his initial audition and so therefore at least knew who he was – always a good thing in the first week of voting. But he was still sent packing. What happened? Why did Paul lose?

As we’ve done for the past several years, each week we will address this question about those voted off of American Idol (or, more accurately, not voted for to stay on). For the first three weeks, this is quite a task, as four people are sent home every Thursday until we get to the final 12, so they will end up spread out over several days. Paul was the first to be told he was heading home, so he’s the first one we’ll address. Of course, we will do this by looking back at the blueprints found in my article, What ‘American Idol 6’ Contestants Need to Know. Let’s see what we can find out.

The first and most important thing to remember is that American Idol is a singing competition. There are other factors, to be sure, but especially at this early date, singing and performing are key. How did Paul do?

The judges did not exactly respond favorably to Paul’s performance of “Careless Whisper.” Randy called it pitchy, weird, and stiff, with a failed falsetto attempt. Paula thought he oversang it. Simon thought it was merely “ordinary.” Recapper Betsy compared Paul unfavorably to George Michael, noting, “George Michael is sexy in this song, and Paul doesn’t sound remotely sexy.” Instead, he was “really weak and breathy.”

The Foxes On Idol panel at We’ll Be the Judge of That! had a fairly varied opinion – except for the falsetto, which was universally panned. I actually had the best comments, thinking he did a “good job” except the broken high notes, but now I think back and can’t really remember what I liked about it. Maybe the guys were, as a whole, so boring that my standards were low.

So, in general, it’s safe to say Paul’s performance was not one of the high points of the show.

The second rule talks about the importance of song choice. Many of the guys failed in this area. Randy particularly noted this point with Paul, saying it was time to show originality, not bland cover songs. Paul had an impressive initial audition, and must have done something right during Hollywood week. But this choice of song simply did not allow him to showcase his voice.

Which leads us directly to the third rule about needing to be consistent. Some of the semi-finalists (like Sundance Head) undoubtedly survived the first week based on their early exposure. As noted earlier, we did see Paul’s initial audition, so we were at least familiar with him and his voice. But in the first weeks, especially, it’s of paramount importance that contestants don’t screw up. Paul did. Whether you liked the rest of his song or not, his broken falsetto lodged itself into viewers’ memories – it was commented upon by the on-site judges and every Foxes On Idol judge!

Paul did well by the fourth rule. As the only Asian among the top 24, he was certainly unique – though obviously that wasn’t something he had planned! He also stood out for his vow to never wear shoes during a performance. The problem with that was that it really caused people to scratch their heads more than anything. Why wasn’t he wearing shoes? What are we supposed to get out of this? It was simply confusing. Maybe if he had stuck around a bit longer and we grew to understand him better, we’d have remembered him for it – but he never got the chance.

The fifth rule tells contestants to be memorable. Again, Paul might be remembered for being the naked-foot-Asian-guy. But frankly, I think it’s more likely he was remembered at voting time as the guy who couldn’t get the falsetto right and made people cringe. Being remembered for that was obviously not the way to get people to vote for him.

The sixth ties up the previous ones nicely, by explaining how each contestant is a package. At this point in the competition, though, few of the contestants have had a chance to show much of themselves. In particular, Paul did not really have the opportunity to show his personality, other than his confusing disdain for shoes. So the package could not overcome the performance.

Paul did follow the seventh rule, by not arguing with the judges. That wasn’t an issue here. But he was unable to pull together enough of a fan base to cover the eighth rule. That wasn’t so much his fault, as he can’t control what is shown in the early episodes, but he simply did not stand out as readily as some of the other contestants and cause a fan base to be created. When we compare Paul’s performance to Sundance’s, neither exactly hit a home run. But when we compare their fan bases gathered due to early appearances, we heard a lot more about Sundance’s than Paul’s.

The first week is a dangerous one for Idol contestants. In almost all cases, it’s the first time we’re really seeing them perform a full song. Paul’s initial audition looked good, and he had more coverage in the early goings than some. However, he was unable to turn that early good look into ongoing success when he gave an “ordinary” performance on a night filled with boredom. What was perhaps worse was that even in that ordinary performance, he cracked the notes – and our eardrums. Paul needed to come out and show that he was as good as or better than we saw in his initial audition. He needed to give people a reason to want to know more about him. While I still think he is potentially a good singer, on that night, he failed on all counts. That is why Paul lost.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:

David Bloomberg is the Editor of Foxes On Idol, and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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