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American Idol S18 Power Rankings (Top 7)

May 17, 2020 by PowerRankings101

The finale is….next? At top 7? Ah jeez. I long for the days when American Idol was about the week to week suspense and hoping your favorite survived the night. With four people eliminated from 11 to 7, and now going from 7 to 1, it just loses some of the novelty. I’d even be fine with two people going home each week. But this is excessive. I hope ABC changes up their method next year, and this was only because of the COVID situation. But with the COVID lockdown, don’t the contestants, judges, etc. have MORE time on their hands? Why are we not LENGTHENING the season? I get it, TV time slots, money, etc. But it just annoys the crap out of me. Anyway, here are the rankings of the top 7 after their Disney and Mother’s Day songs. At the end, I’ll make some sort of predictions for who will be in the top 5, and who will win.

14. Louis Knight (Disney Song)- Louis’ “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” was probably the most cringeworthy of the night, and even Katy Perry commented on it. I liked Louis, but he has been disappointing me since these remote shows began. This is no exception. It wasn’t completely in tune, he seemed a bit glossy eyed and disconnected, and his rendition itself just wasn’t inventive or exciting, especially coming off of Arthur, Sam, and Jonny who performed before him. Louis pretty much solidified himself at the bottom with this performance for sure.

13. Francisco Martin (Disney Song)- Francisco covered “You’ll Be in My Heart,” which is one of my absolute favorites. Unfortunately, he didn’t really bring anything new to it, and I felt like it was pitchy pretty much the whole way through. I don’t know how he made it this far on talent alone, but it was a smidge better than Louis’ from a performance aspect. So there ya go.

12. Dillon James (Disney Song)- Disney night was not where Dillon was going to shine the most, and I’m worried picking a fairly unknown song from Cars may have hurt him. It just didn’t have any sort of spark or excitement to it. It was laid back, but almost too much so. I think he could’ve been much stronger.

11. Julia Gargano (Disney Song)- I didn’t hate Julia’s song as much as the judges did, and I thought her low notes were rather impressive. But yes, I do think it was underwhelming considering how good she was with her Billy Joel song last week. I think Julia is an artist, it’s clear, and it’s all about song choice. Beauty and the Beast didn’t suit her as well as I’d hoped, but she redeemed herself later. More on that to come.

10. Louis Knight (Mother’s Day Song)- I think Louis’ song for his mom was much better than his first song. But even his personal best is still lower than a lot of the rest. He just needs to up his performance quality. This was his best of the live shows, so congrats Louis.

9. Just Sam (Disney Song)- Maybe a bit mellow and less exciting than her other stuff, but the vocals were spot on. Her Cinderella song was dreamlike and beautiful. Toward the end of the night, I forgot about it, but looking back, she did a good job and was one of the better singers in the first half of underwhelming Disney songs.

8. Francisco Martin (Mother’s Day Song)- His best performance easily. I didn’t love it more than the ones listed above, but I felt like he finally showed some uniqueness and originality in his cover. It was emotionally connected. Overall, not the best, but not his worst, and far from the worst of the night.

7. Just Sam (Mother’s Day Song)- Just Sam sang a beautiful second song. Do I think her song choices are truly standing out amongst everyone else’s? Maybe not. But it was still really nice, and she always proves why her vocals are amazing, even if the song choices aren’t. An emotional moment, and one of her best of the season.

6. Dillon James (Mother’s Day Song)- Dillon redeemed himself from the first round, I think. I felt like this was a better representation of him as an artist. Do I think it’s exciting enough to make it through the next round? I’m honestly not sure. But I do think he did a great job, and think he ended the show on a high note.

5. Jonny West (Disney Song)- Jonny was one of the only two people who TRULY showed up for Disney night (along with Arthur, who I’ll get to shortly). His rendition of “Almost There” was a surprising choice, but the way he made it his own and made it personal and soulful…I loved it. I think Jonny truly put his spin on it, and showed artistry and individuality. His stock rose after this performance.

4. Arthur Gunn (Disney Song)- Arthur rocked it on the Disney song. He took a spin on a recognizable “Kiss the Girl,” while still reminding us of the chorus, but making things unique enough to not sound like the song all the same. He’s an artist, I think he knows it, and he’s the winner of the first round of singing in my book.

3. Jonny West (Mother’s Day Song)- Holy crap Jonny. This rendition of Amazing Grace was one of the most jaw-droopingly original things I’ve seen all season. The vocals are always spot on, even if the performance itself needs a tad bit of work. But with an arrangement this good, it’s fine to be nitpicky. It may not be enough to win him the whole dang completion, but it puts him in the conversation for sure. I loved his rendition, and thought it was absolutely beautiful.

2. Arthur Gunn (Mother’s Day Song)- Arthur sang for his mom, and absolutely crushed it. It was emotional, artistic, and perfectly encompassed his talents, as well as his performance quality. It was subtle, but absolutely stunning, and it may have been enough to win him the whole damn thing.

1. Julia Gargano (Mother’s Day Song)- I think Julia completely redeemed herself with her second song. It was powerful, it sat in her sweet spot, it was emotional, it was connected. It reminded me of seeing Kelly Clarkson win the competition years ago. It was my favorite performance of the night, as it felt like I was watching Julia fully perform as an artist and a pop star. I thought she was incredible.

It’s going to be tough, as I felt like America was HEAVILY against Julia’s first performance, but her second performance was just SO GOOD. I think Arthur has been the top dog to beat all season, with Jonny impressing with both songs tonight as well, and Just Sam has a story that most will connect to and a lovely voice that will carry her through. I think between Francisco and Louis, the young heartthrobs, I think Francisco edges Louis out. This leaves Dillon, and Julia (who I spoke of earlier). I think Julia outsung him in both rounds, but Dillon also ended the show, which could give him an edge. I really don’t know how it’s gonna go, but whoever DOES make it I think gets fifth place anyway, so I’ll give it to my personal favorite. As for fourth, I don’t think Francisco is going to have the same appeal as the top three, who are much stronger in my opinion. As for the top 3, I’d like to put Just Sam there, but I think her story just resonates with too many people, so I’ll say Jonny gets third. Arthur and Just Sam is a toss up, but Arthur has been my favorite all season and I think he’s gonna take it home and win it all.

PREDICTIONS:

Winner- Arthur Gunn

Second Place- Just Sam

Third Place- Jonny West

Fourth Place- Francisco Martin

Fifth Place- Julia Gargano

Not making the top 5- Dillon James and Louis Knight

I WILL RANK ALL OF THE FINALS PERFORMANCES FROM THE TOP 5 IN ANOTHER POWER RANKINGS, SO THERE"S ONE MORE COMING FOR YA AFTER TONIGHT. THANKS.

#casting
#americanidol

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American Idol S18 Power Rankings (Top 7)

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