American Idol Recap: Talent Impediments

A couple more groups sail through with all members making it, and Seacrest tells us that everyone’s feeling invincible. Until we’re shown a trainwreck of a group where no one knows the lyrics to whatever song they’re trying to sing that I don’t recognize. Only two make it. 

The next group is called B-side, and they are the group with all the headwear. One is wearing a turban for what I assume are religious reasons, but another is wearing an inexplicable jaunty scarf, bow and all, just above his ear, that I guarantee he will regret five years from now when he looks at pictures of himself. The whole group, including both headwear guys, forget the lyrics of “Payphone” by Maroon 5, and the scarf guy even stops trying to sing at all and does that concert thing where you try to get the audience to sing for you. Except that there’s no audience, and this is a singing competition, so… not the best strategic move. Randy has to beg them to stop. Keith Urban has the BEST line of the night when he tells them “Adam Levine is still alive, and he’s still turning in his grave.” Hah! I smell conspiracy, though: AI would never have shown a group successfully performing a song by a judge of a rival singing competition show. Anyway, Randy describes the entire thing as a trainwreck, but Nicki complains that she likes the guy with the turban. The judges deliberate, and somehow, they’re all through. 

We don’t have to say goodbye to weird headscarf guy just yet, America.

Our next group, Last Minute, is pressing that special boy band button by performing One Direction’s “That’s What Makes You Beautiful,” and they even dedicate it to Mariah and Nicki. Unfortunately for them, Mariah used to perform with Boyz II Men, and she knows what a good boy band looks and sounds like, and this ain’t it. Keith again proves himself the most honest and observant judge and calls the performance the “wrongest.” They all go home.

Maybe they should have consulted this video before performing.

The next group is performing a capella, and we’re told it is a HUGE risk. They’re performing “Payphone,” and it’s far superior to the recorded version of the song, in my opinion. The judges put three of the four of them through. That’s gotta suck for the fourth guy. 

The next cleverly-named group is MoFlow, and they’re singing “Some Kind of Wonderful.” We’re shown footage of them rehearsing and having drama, trying to find the right key for everyone and trying to remember the lyrics. I think they’ve done a nice job, and Hell, I’d sleep with any of them except the skinny 19-year-old. Who is the same one that Keith thinks didn’t do as well as the others. However, he’s not either of the two that gets sent home.

Super 55, including stutterer Lazaro, are going to perform the Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t it Be Nice.” We see footage of Lazaro having trouble communicating with the rest of the group, and him frustrated because he feels like they think he’s stupid. They do pretty well except for the guy that goes totally off-key when he forgets the lyrics (not Lazaro.) As for me, I think they were insane to choose a song by the Beach Boys because it’s a band that is known for their harmonies and innovative, subtle compositions. So they all blame Lazaro if they get kicked off because they spent time teaching him the song, when really, song choice was their downfall. Two of them get booted, and Lazaro stays. One that is dropped gives Lazaro a really backhanded compliment as he leaves, and I’m irritated, so let’s move on.