American Idol 9 - Episode 17

3 Ratings: 1.7

The 17th episode of American Idol 9

The Top 10 female semifinalists perform live for America's vote. Tune in to see who sizzles and who fizzles. Performing Tonight Are: Crystal Bowersox Didi Benami Haeley Vaughn Katelyn Epperly Katie Stevens Lacey Brown Lilly Scott Michelle Delamor Paige … see full wiki

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Hospitalized Crystal Comes Back with an Outstanding Performance on American Idol

Mar 10, 2010

by Adrianna
posted in Reality Rehash

Exclusive to the Lunch Network

Rating:

Finally, the show is starting to pick up! This episode deserves a +5 rating merely because of Crystal Bowersox.

It was announced on Tuesday that the women needed to switch to Wednesday night because Crystal had been hospitalized. She was sick, and no one knew if she was going to continue the show. Even when the girls came out on stage, it was never fully explained why Crystal was in the hospital or how sick she really was. In fact, Crystal wanted the "show to go on" and refused to con the American audience out of pity votes. Even Simon Cowell complimented Crystal on not dwelling on her illness or trying to get votes through that means. Talk about class! This is a singing competition, and I enjoy it when America and the contestants remember this fact.

I did conduct a little research to figure out why she needed to go to a hospital, though. My curious nature demanded an answer. As far as I can tell from other news articles, she experienced complications from her diabetes. All she needed was a day to recover, and she was back on that stage!

From the moment she opened her mouth to sing the Creedence Clearwater song, I knew it was going to be a defining moment. Her tone and pitch were perfect. She took a song that I probably would never have listened to and breathed new life into it. I was impressed by her stage presence and performance. She truly is a dark horse in this competition, and none of the girls will be able to keep up with her after that performance.

The bar was set unusually high by Crystal, so most of the other performances fell flat. Both Haeley and Lacey were boring in comparison. In fact, the only person who compared was Siobhan, and even then, I didn't think it was the greatest rendition of "Think." It was impressive to see such a small frame belt out the notes for the high point. That's probably what made the song stand out rather than any of her musical talents. After all, the singer had problems, especially with her pitch. Still, she was leagues ahead of someone like Didi Benami.

Didi sang "Lean on Me," if you can call it singing. After hearing this song performed by a variety of large name artists as well as the entire cast of Glee, I didn't expect Didi to deliver anything unique or new. However, I was unprepared for her performance to be so comical, gaudy, and all around terrible. I had to agree with Simon even though he hurt her feelings. I was annoyed at Didi's inability to take Simon's critique. Instead, she refused to talk to Ryan because she was on the verge of tears. I knew that she was going to get a ton of pity votes because of her reaction. This girl, for she acted like a girl, had no reason to stand up there and cry. She delivered a bad performance, and she should have acted like a 23 year old receiving feedback rather than a 16 year old who was upset that not everyone liked her. Crystal, the singer who was hospitalized and probably had the least time to practice, didn't let her nerves get the best of her. Instead, she belted out an award winning performance (unlike Didi). The only thing keeping Didi in the competition is the unique tone of her voice. Unfortunately, I don't think it's worth keeping after this performance, thus, I will not waste any more votes on Didi. She does not deserve to be on that stage.

Even with all my harsh comments for Didi, my least favorite performance was Katelyn's. Why? Because she butchered a beautiful song. She looked cheesy every time she peered into a camera. Why couldn't she focus on her piano playing rather than giving the camera sappy looks because it's a sad song? The worst thing about the song, other than her ridiculous facial expressions, was the tempo and beat. She slowed down an already slow song way too much. It was boring. I was falling asleep. I can't believe she is being harolded as an unique artist and composer after that performance. Is America blinded by her bright blonde, shiny curls?

Overall, most of the women fell short. I did enjoy Michelle's version of a Creed song as well as Lilly's unique spin to her song and the stage. Still, I didn't feel like any of the performances were at the same level as Crystal's.

Here is the full lineup of all the contestants and what they sang for this episode. I included as much information as I remembered:

Crystal Bowersox, 24/OH, "As Long as I can See the Light" by Creedence Clearwater
Haeley Vaugh, 16/CO, "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus
Lacey Brown, 24/TX, "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer
Katie Stevens, 17/CT, "Put Your Records On"
Didi Benami, 23/TN, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers
Michelle Delamor, 27/FL, "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed
Lilly Scott, 20/CO, "A Change is Going to Come" by Sam Cook
Katelyn Epperly, 19/IA, "The Scientist" by Coldplay
Paige Miles, 24/FL, "Walk Away" by Kelly Clarkson
Siobhan Magnus, 19/MA, "Think" by Aretha Franklin

Most Improved Top 10 Female Idol Singers

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Pardolis March 12, 2010

That's great that Crystal was able to perform even though she had to go to the hospital the day before. That must have taken a lot of determination and effort. Good for her.

Adrianna March 12, 2010

I thought so as well. She seems like a real fighter and seems very different than most of the contestants on the show. I would have been sad to lose her before the top 12.

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