Final Rankings
Yeah, this was a terrific season.
So... here are my final rankings for the Idols (aka how the competition SHOULD have gone... watch for a shocker in the top 3):
8) ACE left when he should have... his voice didn't match his Idol looks, apparently.
7) PICKLER was always very good (and very sexy, at times), just never fantastic.
6) PARIS was consistently amazing week after week after week, if it weren't for her age and her looks, which were in total contrast to her booming voice, and I think that made her hard to be convincing. But she was nearly, if not, their equal in her vocal ability to the top two females, IMHO. In fact, any of the top 6 could be argued to be the next American Idol, but this is the way I see it.
5) ELLIOTT... ah... Elliott... everybody loves Elliott. The boy was technically the best male vocalist of the competition (he sang the most difficult songs, and sang them all convincingly), but it's a lot about presence on stage, and he definitely had the least out of the top 7-8. I hate to rank him 5th, since he's vocally better than or equal to everybody above him, but his star quality wasn't as large.
4) TAYLOR was an odd choice for American Idol... he was terrific at a lot of things, and his energy and variety really carried it through for him. But judging solely based on voice, he seemed like a standard 3rd or 4th place fan favorite type that would break hearts when he was eliminated (Kings, anyone?). Though his Joe Cocker was great. Still, it was his dance moves and his personality (especially compared to Kat's lack thereof on both accounts) that won it even moreso than his raspy tenor.
2t) I feel KAT could have blown the competition (at least the females) out if she weren't so nervous and "pose-y" on stage. She had the looks and the amazing voice. But there were rumors that she was actually a self-centered diva off stage (compared to the others), and I can absolutely see that... in fact I know a girl who sings and looks like her, and... yep, total diva. You could see her transform personality-wise more and more as the competition wore on, and I think it had an effect on her likeability.
2t) CHRIS was really, really good. Should have been with Kat for the finale (well, since my #1 was already gone), or likely The American Idol himself. Such power and smoothness in his voice... he was not "pop" material... but much more. Hearing him sing "Love Me Tender" in that Elvis medley, I could see why so many people are fanatical about him. He was a really good singer, no doubt.
1) MANDISA should have stuck around MUCH, MUCH longer (like, 8 episodes). I was ready to crown her Idol when she was there. She matched Kat in impressiveness of vocals, with her unbelievable power and range and Kat's pitch precision and superb control. The girl was out of this world. Ultimately, it comes down to preference, and unfortunately, Mandisa didn't fit America's image of an idol, but she deserved to win just as much as Chris or Kat. I put her up here because she completely blew my mind, and I would've loved to see her shatter the stereotype of the American Idol (I guess Reuben kind of did, too)
The rest didn't really deserve to be in the competition, IMHO.
So:
1) Mandisa
2t) Chris
2t) Kat
4) Taylor
5) Elliott
6) Paris
7) Kellie
8) Ace
