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American Idol S20 Power Rankings (Top 7)

May 15, 2022 by PowerRankings101

As happy as I was to correctly guess a prediction, I was also devastated to see both Jay and Christian go. Christian has been one of my top 3 all season (next to Fritz and Leah) and Jay had been giving us the best performances of his journey this past few episodes. Now we’re down to 5, which really makes these predictions difficult, but let’s first rank the top 7’s TikTok and Mother’s Day performances.

14. HunterGirl (1st Song)- I liked seeing HunterGirl take bigger risks with her song choices, but I think as the competition is going on, having great stage presence and a cool tone isn’t enough anymore. Her performances have been feeling a tad redundant in execution and pitch, save for two: her Disney and her original. In those, there was that extra spark, and I hope she rekindles the spark, otherwise, I think she may be saying adieu this week.

13. Leah Marlene (1st Song)- Honestly, this was the first performance of Leah’s where I just didn’t click with it. It was a tough vocal to sing, and she was able to navigate it well, but I do think she put the performance at the forefront, which did make some moments sound a tad out of breath or exhausted. She’s still awesome, but this wasn’t my favorite of hers by any means.

12. Nicolina (2nd Song)- Nicolina picked a song that was very pretty but ultimately felt a little boring to me. I think the contestants prioritized picking a song that was meaningful to them rather than something that would REALLY showcase powerhouse vocals, and honestly, I appreciate that. This was a personal moment for Nicolina and she should be happy with how it went.

11. HunterGirl (2nd Song)- HunterGirls’ second song was better than her first, but still didn’t grasp me the way I would’ve liked. I’m waiting for her vocals to match her performance quality and vice-versa. It always seems to me to be one or the other. She’s obviously super talented, but I think tonight showed to me that she’s probably the weakest one of the pack left.

10. Christian Guardino (1st Song)- This was an example of a brilliant vocal that just happened to be of a bad arrangement of the song. I think Christian picked the most trendy song currently of the 7 TikTok songs, but didn’t stay true to the melody of the song. While I don’t necessarily think you CAN’T rearrange something, I also think it needs to be justified, and I don’t really know if this new arrangement did anything to improve the song. If he had sang it straight up, with a few variations in the later moments, I think it would have been a much more effective performance.

9. Jay Copeland (2nd Song)- Jay’s Mothers Day performance was good, but in comparison to his first performance of the night, definitely felt underwhelming. I think he went a little overboard with the riffs, and didn’t really emotionally grasp me until the end. That being said, it was still better than some other performances tonight.

8. Fritz Hager (1st Song*)- I put an asterisk next to Fritz’ performances BECAUSE we have to judge it off of a rehearsal, where it’s clear that he wasn’t giving it his all. But even in a performance where he couldn’t give it his full 100%, he still knocked it out of the park and delivered another solid showing. It isn’t going to go down as one of his best of the season because it simply didn’t have the same effect as it would’ve live, but if this is a rehearsal Fritz, I can’t imagine how much higher he’d be on this list.

7. Leah Marlene (2nd Song)- Leah’s second song was way stronger than her first. But in comparison to the rest, I still feel a tad underwhelmed by this particular song choice. I think it’s because we’ve seen Leah do SO much better, really standing apart from the pack, that I think everyone else is slowly starting to catch up to her. I still think she’s the person I’m rooting for the most and still loved this vocal, all gripes aside. It was beautifully sung.

6. Noah Thompson (1st Song*)- I also put an asterisk next to Noah because he was in a different setting due to his COVID diagnoses. The difference between him and Fritz is that he still got a chance to give it his all and actually go full out with his vocal. And it showed. This was probably the best Noah has ever sounded. It’s still a tad boring, but I do think he is improving as a vocalist and it’s great to see.

5. Noah Thompson (2nd Song*)- I’m putting Noah’s 2nd song right next to his 1st. It was once again beautifully sung, perhaps his best vocal. Still a tad boring. I wonder if the technology of the hotel set up helped improve the overall sound of the vocal, since usually they have to compete with a band and the live theatre atmosphere sometimes swallowing some of the sound. I don’t really know if it’s a compliment to say that he sounds better in a hotel, but it’s true! He sounded excellent.

4. Jay Copeland (1st Song)- Jay is my second favorite of the TikTok performances, so clearly America messed up big time. This song choice really fit Jay’s skillset, but the best part was will.i.am’s guidance, having him pick a lower key and really sit in the sweet spot. There’s honestly nothing I can really criticize except for the fact that (and this is the total opposite of Christian’s problem) he didn’t do much to really change up the original. But hey, he didn’t need to.

3. Nicolina (1st Song)- I’ve been tough on Nicolina this season, but this totally worked for me, and was actually my favorite of the round 1 performances. She took a song that I love, belted it out, and kept it classic. It didn’t blow me away, but it was exactly what it needed to be to showcase the type of artist she will be in the industry while also giving some pretty impressive moments.

2. Fritz Hager (2nd Song*)- Fritz wins for the biggest tearjerker of the night. Jeeeeesh. Even in rehearsal, Fritz was able to convey so much emotion. Again, what IF he had been live? Imagine what a moment that would’ve been.

1. Christian Guardino (2nd Song)- Christian absolutely SLAYED his second vocal to the point where I couldn’t believe he was eliminated minutes after. It was his best vocal of the season, and perhaps the best vocal of the season PERIOD. Full of juicy runs and riffs, but also super emotional and heartfelt. I think tonight, a lot of the contestants prioritized the sentimentality over the “star power,” but Christian perfectly merged them both. Best of the night.

So now that we’re down to 5, it becomes so much harder to predict this. As for who I think is safe, I think Fritz is the odds on favorite and just seems to be crushing it to the point where I can’t fathom him going (but then again, who even knows anymore?). My favorite to advance is Leah, but Leah would have to compete against Nicolina (who has the biggest pre-live show edit of anyone) and the two country people (and we know they have a fan base!). So unfortunately, I’ve gotta predict a Leah elimination which absolutely crushes my soul. As for the two country people, I think I’m going to go with Noah for sure, I think his fan base is strong, but the question is, do I also predict HunterGirl or do I keep Nicolina in the predictions? I think I’m gonna stick with Nicolina since I think voters of Jay’s and Christians’ are most likely to pivot to her than HunterGirl. Only time will tell, but this is the most unsure I’ve been about predictions this whole season.

PREDICTIONS:

Going Into Top 3- Fritz Hager, Noah Thompson, and Nicolina

Going Home- Leah Marlene and HunterGirl

#casting

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American Idol S20 Power Rankings (Top 7)

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