|
|
American Idol 8: Why Alexis Lostby David Bloomberg -- 03/19/2009
View Printable version of this article OK, I sure didn’t see this one coming! To give props where they’re due, Joseph Banks did see it coming in his NGH Report. But there was no way I thought he was right. Alexis wasn’t even on my radar. So what happened to her? Why did Alexis lose? Even in somewhat surprising cases – perhaps especially in such cases – we can answer our questions by going through What ‘American Idol 8’ Contestants Need to Know to see where a losing contestant went wrong. So let’s get to it for Alexis. 
First and foremost, contestants need to show singing and performing talent. Alexis did not do a very good job of that this week, with many of the various judges and reviewers panning her. On-site, Randy didn’t think it worked well, Kara thought Alexis lost her edge, Paula enjoyed seeing a different side of Alexis, and Simon thought it was forgettable and “sound-alike” (which I think of as another word for “karaoke”). From the Foxes On Idol team, recapper Jenn had a few minor problems with it, but added, “for the most part, it’s great.” We’ll Be the Judge of That! judge Sandy pretty well agreed with Jenn, saying Alexis “sounded really gorgeous this week.” But the other three judges on the panel held very different opinions. Tyler thought this performance “knocked herself out of the favorites’ circle” and further noted, “It may even have sent her home.” Indeed. Preston was torn but said, “The first part was the worst I’ve seen from her this year.” He also picked her to be in the bottom three. As for me, I was kind of bored by it – and the whole country music week, to be honest. We already noted that Joseph Banks predicted Alexis’ loss in his column. He also ranked her as the second-worst of the night, saying, “There was no grit or life in this performance.” A big part of the problem Alexis faced was due to her choice of song. I was already sick of hearing Kara tell Alexis that she had to be “dirty” every week (because, of course, if she had been then another judge would have criticized her for doing the same thing in each performance!). But like it or not, “dirty” was apparently what America wanted from her (you may read that however you wish). Plaintively wailing about Jolene was apparently not what America wanted. In case I haven’t made it abundantly clear already, I pretty much despise country week. As Jenn noted in her recap, “why do we do country week with a bunch of non-country singers when they’re all going to be told that they’re not being themselves?” Well said. But there are ways to get around it. Adam certainly did, as did Anoop and Matt. But Alexis chose to play the genre straight, which was a mistake. As the second rule notes, “a smart strategist can figure out a way around” the category. Alexis didn’t. The third rule talks about consistency. This early in the competition, there hasn’t been much time to establish consistency yet, but what we saw of Alexis was consistently pretty good – until this week. The main problem here was in dealing with the second part of this rule – being able to sing different genres. Maybe there was a country song Alexis could have sung well, but “Jolene” wasn’t it. Indeed, I think her only hope was to do as I suggested above and find a way around the genre. Fourth is to be unique. I’d say Alexis did okay in this regard. She stood out somewhat in comparison to the other contestants, if only for the judges telling her to be dirty. But she also had a sort of generic blonde look to her as well. Say what you will about Megan Joy (and believe me, I will say what I will), nobody would call her “generic.” The same can be said of Allison and Lil. Alexis needed to do something to stand out more. 
Apparently, the same can be said for the fifth rule, which indicates the need to be memorable. I never had any trouble remembering Alexis, and I wouldn’t think any red-blooded man would – especially with all the “dirty” comments. But her performance, as indicated by Simon, was forgettable. And to be honest, even her personality and back story were somewhat forgettable – every time she was introduced as a mom, I said, “Oh yeah, I’d forgotten.” It just didn’t stick with me. That made it difficult for her to show herself as a package, in accordance with the sixth rule. She needed to show a bit more personality and charm – not just dirtiness (sorry, Kara). It’s not that Alexis had a bad personality or people hated her and wanted her to leave; it’s just that she didn’t have a personality that drew them in and made them want for her to stay enough that they hopped on the phones and voted. The seventh rule – advising against arguing with the judges – was not a problem for Alexis, as she actually tended to do whatever the judges told her. But the eighth one apparently was. She had not yet been able to pull together a viable fan base to keep her around in times of trouble – like country week. Contestants like Danny, Adam, Lil, and probably even Scott, Anoop, and Matt, could have an off week like Alexis’ was and still be pushed through by their fans. But Alexis didn’t seem to have that fan base set up yet – and now she never will. It’s been said before and I’m sure it’ll be said again, but on American Idol, you either want to do great or you want to suck so bad that it’s obvious you should lose. The worst performance possible is a boring one. Alexis didn’t suck, she was just a bit dull this time around. That meant people didn’t vote for her because they loved the performance; they also didn’t vote for her because they thought she was in danger and needed to be saved. In fact, they just plain didn’t vote for her. Why not? Well, I don’t think Alexis was the worst singer in the competition. But nor was she the best. Her main problem, though, was that she hadn’t given viewers enough of herself to make them want to vote for her no matter what her performance had been like. She had an off night but didn’t have a way to make up for it with personality and a fan base. That is why Alexis 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. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about American Idol, be sure to check SirLinksALot: American Idol and The Source: Reality TV Headlines! View Printable version of this article
| Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook! On Twitter, get up to the minute notifications on article postings and other reality TV news. And become a fan on Facebook, join discussions, and more! |
and 
and you can also 
