Spoilers for last night’s American Idol elimination coming up… after the break!
I don’t often predict surprises correctly on American Idol, so when I do, sorry, you’re gonna have to deal with a little gloating. Toldja! I totally called it!
OK, not totally. I missed Syesha altogether, and though she’s never going to win this competition I still don’t get why she ended up in the bottom two. And while I did guess who would be going home, that call was easy like Chikeze. We’ll miss you, big guy.
But I did anticipate that Jason Castro’s a-little-too-phoned-in take on Sting would give him a bottom three scare this week, and who knows?, it may turn out to be good for him. Simon had a point; he may have been coasting to this point. (It was kind of cute how he sheepishly admitted after the judging that he couldd have practiced more–like a kid apologizing to his Mom for skipping a piano lesson–but at this stage, as they say, he’s got to bring it every week.) Hopefully getting a little dread in his dreads will make him stronger.
I have to ask, though: did anyone out there notice a note of cockiness in his banter with Ryan this week? When Jason came out, he said that he was sure he was in the bottom three because, once they sent him out last with Kristy Lee, he could tell the producers were setting up a “shocker.” Now, I thought this was kind of cute; after all, he was right, and it’s always refreshing to see an Idol contestant admit that they’re gaming out the producers’ stunts the same way we do at home. On the other hand, I probably wouldn’t have thought it were so cute if I were Kristy Lee, and I’m curious how it played out there in America.
It’s like politics: there are just certain things that, though true, you don’t want to have come out of the mouth of the candidate himself. It may not be a big deal, since Jason didn’t seem mean-spirited, and his aw-shucks candor makes me inclined to cut him a break. But then, as we all know, the media is totally in the tank for Jason Castro, so I’m probably taking it easy on him. Was this a one-time only scare for Jason, or should he be nervous?