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American Idol 8, February 4 Recap: Group Therapyby Tyler Sandersfeld -- 02/05/2009
View Printable version of this article The eighth season’s Hollywood week started with a couple bangs, a number of whimpers, and another fight between Kara and Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell. Tonight, after a one-year sabbatical, the group round returns in all of its squalor. This… is… America’s Best Dance Crew! Whoops, wrong Randy Jackson show. 
Forty-or-so singers left after round one. This number included favorites like Jessica Furney and others like Dennis Brigham. Now, the 104 remaining must team up and conquer the strenuous group round if they hope to be the next Idol. Great, I had to get the group round recap. Oh, well, it could be worse. I could be forced at Brussels-sprouts-point to recap 13: Fear is Real. The contestants can choose who to team up with, and apparently group membership isn’t set in stone immediately. That’s good news for some who haven’t found groups yet. Megan Corkrey finally finds her group, as does Tatiana Del Toro. You know, the laughing hyena in the horrible tulle dress? Turns out she’s also taking over the group, and her groupmates aren’t happy about it. Otherwise, it’s a good scene in the group scene for the most part. One group, later known unfortunately as Team Diva, holds Rose Flack, Lauren Barnes, Jasmine Murray, and Katrina Darrell (Bikini Girl or BG for short). Naturally, BG rubs her teammates the wrong way, especially Rose. Actually, Rose doesn’t seem to like anyone in her group. Rose and Katrina aren’t the only ones fighting, as this round was designed specifically for drama. At least Danny Gokey and Jamar Rogers’ group is doing well. Tatiana, on the other hand, melts down. Seriously, how is she still here? She says her group is throwing her under the bus. Thus, Tatiana tries to ditch her old group for a new one. Nancy Wilson and Nathaniel Marshall won’t have any of it. After a long night of practice, some groups head to bed, while others still need some work. Tatiana is still having trouble working with any group. I’m terrible with groups, but I hope I’m not this awful. Tatiana finally settles in with her first group. Nathaniel, Nancy, and Kristin McNamara use this opportunity to call themselves Team Compromise. Tatiana’s group still has issues, but a Tatiana-free Team Compromise isn’t compromising very well. Nancy wants to work, but Kristin wants to rest. Nathaniel wants to get away as fast as possible. Kristin breaks down after a few minutes of Nancy berating her. Team Diva isn’t doing much better, especially with BG being BG. After more drama, she finally ditches her group and heads to bed. Rose doesn’t know if BG will even perform. Back at Team Compromise, Kristen is still moaning about her team’s difficulties. Nate is breaking down after trying to get Nancy and Kristen to reconcile. Nancy is still going on about wanting to study while Kristin wants to rest. Settle down, everyone. We don’t even know any of you very well yet. Anyway, the night is over. Rose feels like a pile of crap. Others got only about three hours of sleep. Some groups finish up rehearsals, while Team Diva must sort out the drama with Bikini Girl. Why are we wasting time on this woman? Meanwhile, Kristin is finding Nate a bit dramatic, and Nancy is still yapping. Are we supposed to feel for these people? Because I’m not. Team Diva tries to wake up BG, but Rose lets us know that she has quit. Thank you, cheeses! The run-throughs aren’t going well for Action Squad. Nancy is missing from Team Compromise. Things start to come together mid-morning for most of the groups. Tatiana’s group is getting along much more famously. Oh, no, BG is back. Rose will have to talk to her if she shows up. The other Divas aren’t feeling so great with Katrina back, and Rose feels they’ll be a train wreck. Can we please just get to the performances already? I can’t stand anymore of this drama! 
The judges arrive to say that forgetting the words is pretty much fatal. Yes, we know. Can we hear some singing now? First to perform is the group named White Chocolate with their rendition of the Jackson 5 classic “I Want You Back.” It starts with some beatboxing and a rap by India Morrison. Dueling piano player Matt Giraud sings up a storm, and teammates Kris Allen and Justin Williams follow suit. The contestants cheer for them after a great finish, as do the judges. They all advance. The same can’t be said for some performers who (surprise, surprise) forget the words to “Get Ready” and blow it vocally. They include Maryn Azoff, senior class president Austin Sisneros, J.B. Ahfua, Shelby Swartwood, and Florida beauty queen Julissa Veloz. Jorge Nunez and Nick “Norman Gentle” Mitchell advance, but their group’s girls get left behind. Go Norman! Yes, I really like Norman Gentle. If that surprises you, remember that I also recap America’s Got Talent. Can Action Squad make the day go right? They had trouble with the choreography last night, but they got the team cheer right. Thing is, can they get Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” right? Alex Wagner-Trugman doesn’t do too badly. Ryan Pinkston, in his first televised appearance, is weaker. Ann-Marie Boskovich manages. Emily Wynne-Hughes stumbles on the lyrics, and she doesn’t improve with her singing. It’s a bad number all-around. Alex and Ann-Marie get to go on, though. Emily will have to go back to her band. All things considered, that might not be so bad. Ryan, however, feels manipulated and insulted. He saw an evil in Paula’s eyes. The visual, featuring laser beams shooting from her face, is hilarious. Thanks, guys! 1 2 Next-->View Printable version of this article
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