This prompted Randy Jackson to remark after seeing Jessica in the Bottom 3 along with Elise Testone and Joshua Ledet: "In the 11 years I've done this show, this is the first time this happens. This is a ridiculous Bottom 3, America . They got it wrong tonight."
This has been a scary week for Fil-Am singers. Cheesa Laureta, our bet on "The Voice" was in the Bottom 3 last Wednesday and also faced elimination. Thanks to her soulful rendition of "All By Myself," her coach, Cee-Lo Green, saved her from being sent home.
Jessica's lack of audience support was surprising since the judges and mentor Jimmy Iovine gave her excellent feedback. Randy, especially, was full of superlatives for her rendition of Jazmine Sullivan's "Stuttering": "That was superb. That was of the highest degree. You slew the biggest fish of the night."
Steven Tyler was just as complimentary: "Every time I hear you sing, I forget where I am."
Jimmy said, "She sang that song like she wasn't even thinking about it."
Compare that to how the judges assessed the performance of other contestants who were safe. J Lo on Phillip Phillips: "Underwhelming." Randy on Phillip: "It wasn't that wow of a moment." Jimmy on Hollie Cavanagh: "Her performance was stiff and contrived." Steven and J Lo on Hollie: "It wasn't perfect."
In previous shows, Ryan would call two or three contestants then announced who among them was either safe or faced elimination. Last Friday, he called in two singers at a time. He then put them in two groups: Jessica, Elise and Joshua in one, Philip, Hollie and Colton Dixon in the other. He then told Skylar Laine she was safe. Viewers were led to believe Jessica's group was safe, which wasn't true, of course.
When Ryan finally announced Jessica got the lowest number of votes and had to sing for her life on the show, there was a loud howl of protest from the live audience at the auditorium. The Fil-Am singer looked dazed when she started singing but after she sang a few lines, the three judges, in an unprecedented move, rushed to the stage. J Lo grabbed her microphone and told her to sit down, saying "You're not going home."
The judges used their only "save" to allow Jessica to stay on "AI." Randy remarked: "We are saving Jessica without any doubt. This girl is one of the best singers in America ever." He even campaigned for her: "Everybody, please vote for the best." That last remark has some netizens complaining about favoritism. Others believe otherwise, saying that the judges were only reminding viewers to vote on the basis of talent and not popularity.
So Jessica will be back next week when I suppose two singers will be eliminated and the judges can no longer use their "save" option. But why did Jessica land in the bottom after doing so well in previous weeks and despite glowing feedback from the judges?
There are those who say that the American audience is biased against Asian singers. If that is so, how did Jessica not land in the bottom 3 in the past weeks? Others say "AI" has predominantly female viewers who prefer male singers. That's why Phillip, who got a lukewarm response from the judges, was safe. Still others reason out that Jessica's supporters got complacent and neglected to vote for her because she was doing very well and didn't need their votes.
Whatever the reason was, what happened this week exposed the weakness of all talent shows requiring votes from the audience. It's not talent that matters but popularity. This is what happened to Jennifer Hudson who ended up seventh in Season 3. Look at her now! She won an Oscar and a Grammy and has a thriving musical and movie career.
If ever Jessica gets eliminated before the finale, she can count on recording companies lining up at her door to sign her up. Randy himself said it, "This girl is one of the best singers in America, ever."
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this blog.
By Ed Sicam | Switching Channels
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