American Idol 7: Why Syesha Lost

Syesha really came on like gangbusters just when it counted. Week after week she was near the bottom, but kept hanging on. But when the bottom three and the top three are the same thing, it gets a bit more difficult – especially competing against the two guys who have dominated the season. So why did Syesha lose?

We’re just a week before the finale, but we’ll still figure out our answers using the same methodology as we always do – by going through What ‘American Idol 7’ Contestants Need to Know to see where Syesha did the right things and where she went wrong.

The first and most important rule is to show singing and performing talent. In recent weeks, Syesha has certainly done that. This week, she received generally good reviews from on-site and off-site judges alike. Indeed, there was a general debate about whether she or David Archuleta took second place for the night.

But what Syesha was missing – indeed, all of them were missing – was a genuine Idol moment. That was what she needed at this point. She was the underdog, it was the bottom of the ninth, two outs. She had three pitches and she needed to hit a home run with at least one of them. She didn’t strike out, but she only hit a double, at best.

Part of the reason for this came down to the second rule, song choice. Overall, final three night was an interesting one, with bad songs picked by the producers for both Syesha and David Archuleta (and a somewhat predictable one for David Cook). It was not the producers’ finest moment. To make things worse, the judges criticized those same song choice like it was up to the contestants!

But each singer did get to choose one song, and they needed to make it really count. I think Syesha was trying to get a sexy little number (I’m talking about her song, not her dress, though that would qualify too) into the set with “Fever.” The problem is that, as Simon and others pointed out, it didn’t really show viewers what kind of contemporary artist she would be. I think Syesha took a strategic gamble, trying to attract (literally) the male vote, and it didn’t pay off.

The third rule is an interesting one for Syesha. It talks of the need to be consistent. Lately, Syesha has been doing okay in this regard. But earlier in the competition, not so much. You might wonder why it mattered how she did in the early rounds, given that she made it to the top three. But you’ll have to wonder a bit longer, as I’ll deal with that issue in a little while.

Fourth is to be unique. Syesha fit this bill in a number of ways. For one, she’s been the only female in the competition for a couple weeks now. But more importantly, even when there were other women left, she was really nothing like them. I mean, can we even compare Brooke or Carly with Syesha? They were all totally different, each talented but each standing apart from one another. Even going all the way back to the beginning of the top twelve, Kristy Lee, Ramiele, and Amanda were nothing like Syesha.

That said, Syesha didn’t necessarily stand out from the overall world of pop singers or many previous Idol contestants. Each of the Davids have something special about them that pushes them above and beyond. Syesha didn’t quite have that.

Which brings us to the fifth rule, saying to be memorable. This is again where the whole Idol moment thing comes in. David Cook and David Archuleta have each had at least one, and those stuck in viewers’ brains. I don’t think I can say the same thing for Syesha. She’s shown herself to be good, but not dial-your-fingers-to-the-bone memorable.

Syesha has also had a bit of trouble with the sixth rule, which says you are a complete package. Whether you like David Archuleta or not, you know the full package that he is. Whether you like David Cook or not, you know the full package that he is. I don’t believe I can say the same thing for Syesha. I don’t really know exactly what kind of album she would put out. Indeed, I think it’s more likely she will follow a path to Broadway. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but nor is it necessarily a way to garner votes.

The seventh rule was not an issue, as Syesha didn’t particularly argue with the judges. She sometimes had comments that I didn’t really think were necessary, but I can’t believe it really swayed the votes a whole lot.

The eighth rule is where we really get to the meat of the issue. As I noted with several past contestants (such as Michael and Carly), this season it has been absolutely necessary to collect a fan base early on. But Syesha didn’t do that. First of all, she wasn’t that great in the early rounds, hovering near the bottom. It wasn’t until the past few weeks that she really kicked it into gear and showed us what she’s capable of.

But during those early weeks, other contestants did pick up fans – especially David and David. Once those fans were locked in, the majority of them were not going anywhere. They voted for their contestant when he did well, to support him; they voted for him when he didn’t do well, to save him.

Earlier this season, we saw Michael starting to rev up, only to be cut down. Why? In large part because of the lack of a fan base. Then we saw Carly do the same thing for the same reason. I think Syesha would have actually been gone at least a week sooner if Jason hadn’t made it so clear that he wanted out. And if Brooke had just given one more week of good performances, Syesha could have been done two weeks sooner. Both Brooke and Jason pulled together early fan bases that kept them around when they arguably shouldn’t have been anymore. Syesha didn’t have that luxury.

I’m glad Syesha did have the extra time on the show to truly demonstrate what she can do. It’s only too bad for her that she didn’t do it sooner. I think if she had, she might have actually had a chance to take down a David.

But Syesha’s early stumbles eventually caught up to her. Without an Idol moment this week to make her stand out to the viewers who aren’t already locked in to voting for one contestant, Syesha could not overcome the David and David fan bases. That is why Syesha 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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