Season 11’s Top 8 face elimination tonight as we prepare for the American Idol results to be revealed. While we wait for the lights to be dimmed, let’s take a look at your votes in our poll which continues to be a reliable indicator of the bottom placed contestants. Things are starting to shift as we approach the American Idol 2012 finale so it’s interesting to see how the finalists are sorting out.
In the “definitely safe” category we’ve got Jessica Sanchez, Skylar Laine, and Joshua Ledet. Jessica has maintained her top spot all season, so no surprise there. Skylar is the surprise rocket this week and I’d say that’s thanks to the pimp-spot on last night’s show. The final performer has routinely seen a boost in his or her rankings each week and it happened again this time. Joshua recovered in to the double digits this time around after falling from his previous pimp-spot ranking. All three of those singers shouldn’t bother to pack this afternoon.
Moving on to the “safe, but not too safe” category offers up Colton Dixon and Phillip Phillips. Colton is a frequenter of this category, except for last week when he had the pimp-spot at the end. I don’t think Colton is in any danger this week, but he’s still not too far from the bottom once again. Phillip is making his debut in the near-danger grouping and I’d attribute that to his consistently unadventurous approach to doing the same shtick each week. Like Branden pointed out last night, Phillip knows his wheelhouse and he does very well in it. I just question if his audience will grow weary of the same “shrug one shoulder, scrunch face, hold” approach week after week.
Now we’ve arrived at the Stools O’ Sorrow section which looks to feature DeAndre Brackensick, Hollie Cavanagh, and Elise Testone. Week after week we’ve seen DeAndre sing his way to the bottom of our polls and he didn’t let up this week either. But for whatever reason he avoids the hangman each time as well. I’d have to guess that he’ll do it again this week and carry on. That leaves us with Hollie and Elise. These finalists seem to be charting an inverse course of one another. Elise has had to claw her way up from the bottom as a finalist while Hollie seems to be in a free fall. I’m expecting tonight’s elimination to be one of these two women, but if forced to pick I’m tempted to say Elise, but it’s more likely Hollie.
Who do you think will be in tonight’s American Idol 2012 Bottom 3 and is most likely to go home? Will the judges finally use their save?