We are down to the Top 4 American Idol performances on season 13. The American Idol 2014 finalists know they have to put it all out on the stage tonight. This is the week that has produced shocking results when favorite contestants like Chris Daughtry and James Durbin were sent home. No one is truly safe at this point in the competition.
While it may seem pre-destined at this point that Jessica Meuse will likely be going home this week, based on the voting history so far, we would not be surprised by a big shake up this week. It’s happened quite a few times before in our American Idol recaps for the Top 4 results show. This is the week favorites often go home, or at least end up unexpectedly in the bottom two.
So let’s not just say Caleb Johnson and Jena Irene Ascuitto have the top two spots locked up because they’ve been riding at the top of the pack through most of the finals. Anything can and will happen on American Idol, and sometimes the votes change rapidly based on things that don’t even have anything to do with the performances. Plus, we have all of Sam Woolf’s votes out there waiting to find a new home, and that big voting block could change all kinds of things.
So strap in for the ride as we launch our live American Idol 2014 recap of the Top 4 peformances show tonight at 8PM ET!
>> Click to join our Live Chat during the show. (pop-up window) <<
We kick off the show with a flashback to the end of last week’s results show where Sam Woolf was eliminated after Jena and Alex voted no to keeping everyone around for another week. Now it’s on to the Top 4 and it’s “all in or nothing” on American Idol tonight.
Host Ryan Seacrest introduces the Top 4 and the American Idol judges. He apparently forgot to shave or something, because he looks like a scruffy mountain man in a suit. We do not like. It’s weird looking. Get that fuzz off that baby face Ryan!
Ryan talks about next week being ‘Hometown’ week and the Top 3 will get to return home in style for a big celebration. Then there is some more crap about stupid TV ‘selfies’ with the finalists later. We’re so over the selfie craze and even more so on American Idol.
More unimportant banter, blah, blah, blah and let’s get on to the performances!
American Idol 2014 Top 4 Performances (Round One):
Caleb Johnson: “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
Judges: Keith says the thing he really loved was at the end how he took it to the ‘Caleb’ place and made the song his own. JLo says she always feels like she’s at a Caleb concert and he is ready for prime time. Harry thinks it was fantastic and a great way to open the show.
Vote for Caleb Johnson:
- Text 13 to 83676
- Call 1-855-4-IDOL-13 (1-855-443-6513)
- SuperVote online at AmericanIdol.com or via app
Jessica Meuse: “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
Judges: JLo says that is one of her favorite tunes by Kelly and it is not easy to sing. She feels Jess had the right attitude on the song but the tune did not compliment her vocal style and ability. She did feel her in it though and that was a good thing. Harry says it was not her best performance and he is glad she had two more songs to do. Then he goes on a long ramble about how she needs to ‘show even more’ her emotive side and connecting with the song.
Vote for Jessica Meuse:
- Text 10 to 83676
- Call 1-855-4-IDOL-10 (1-855-443-6510)
- SuperVote online at AmericanIdol.com or via app
Alex Preston: “Too Close” by Alex Clare
Judges: Harry says he liked that performance very much. He spends so much time deconstructing the music and making it his own like a great artist. He took the tune to the bare bones and built it up to his own style. It shows he is a thinker and he is concerned about the music he plays. Keith Urban says he likes that too. Sometimes he feels like he misses a bit of weight to Alex’s performances and more command of the phrasing. JLo likes Alex’s originality as well, but he needs to think about creating a moment to help to win the competition.
Vote for Alex Preston:
- Text 9 to 83676
- Call 1-855-4-IDOL-09 (1-855-443-6509)
- SuperVote online at AmericanIdol.com or via app
Jena Irene: “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar
Judges: Keith says Jena has a great voice and great range, but he felt like she wasn’t fully committed to the song and the moves weren’t born of the music. JLo says she is going to go with the cheering audience. She thinks it was a controlled performance she loved it and it was a very commanding performance. Harry thinks vocally it was a ten out of a ten but he wishes the feeling would drive her more. There seems like there was a disconnect between the music and how she was moving. She talks about her heels restricting her and they tell her to just take them off. Or JLo says to just play up the heels in a dramatic way… and then the guys make her demonstrate.
Vote for Jena Irene:
- Text 8 to 83676
- Call 1-855-4-IDOL-08 (1-855-443-6508)
- SuperVote online at AmericanIdol.com or via app
American Idol 2014 Top 4 Performances (Round Two):
Caleb Johnson: “Travelin’ Band” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Judges: Harry says it was fantastic and he’s so lucky to be surrounded by such a great band who makes him sound even better. Keith says Randy Jackson’s expression said it all when he looked over and Randy was like “yehhhhhh!” It was great. Pretty much Caleb rocks, that’s what the American Idol judges all seem to feel about this performance.
Jessica Meuse: “So What” by Pink
Judges: Harry says it was “so hot” it was like he was at a Japanese steakhouse and the flame was in his face. However, although she has an amazing talent, he really doesn’t think either of her songs tonight were right for her. Keith agrees and says that when she finds the right song, she can tell her story like nothing else, but she needs the right song. JLo also agrees that the song was not right for her and hopes her third song will be better.
Jena Irene: “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga
Judges: Keith says he thought it was really, really good and we really do wonder about this because everyone in our Live Chat room was screaming that it was terrible. JLo says Jena came out of the song before it was really over and she needs to think about staying committed all the way through. Harry says it was a nice job and liked it too.
Alex Preston: “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
Judges: JLo says the audience loves him and she loves him to. But she worries about him in this competition. She feels like he needs to do something to surprise them in some way and take his performance up to another level. Harry thinks Alex didn’t do enough with the song to make his own besides playing a different chord in the song. He wanted to hear something different. Keith says there is a lot of stuff going on from lighting to learning songs. Taking it all into account, the last part of the song was a touchdown for him.
American Idol 2014 Top 4 Performances (Round Three):
Caleb Johnson: “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney
Judges: Another standing ovation for Caleb from Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez, but not Harry Connick Jr. of course because he doesn’t do that. Harry says he doesn’t have a whole lot to say. It was nice to hear him sing softly and it was absolutely phenomenal. Keith actually claps for Harry’s critique. He says his wife (Nicole Kidman) is probably at home freaking out because she loves that song. He nailed it, it was a killer performance. JLo says they kept pushing him to sing a slow song and the first one he did he sounded kind of out of his comfort zone, but this was maybe his best performance since the beginning.
Jessica Meuse: “You and I” by Lady Gaga
Judges: Keith says that was the perfect song for her! That’s you, he says, I heard you in that. Really killer. JLo says it was perfect for her and really highlighted all the strength in her voice. Harry says Jess came out swinging on a song perfect for her and she killed it.
Jena Irene: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley
Judges: Jena just needs to live behind the piano, she has Jennifer Lopez giggling with happiness. JLo actually goes up on stage because she “has to kiss” Jena! JLo says she has never gotten up before to kiss someone after their performance. Jena has actually ‘reinvented’ the King Elvis Presley. JLo is freaking out and overcome, it’s really wacky. Harry says it took immense courage to perform that song that way and it’s rare for people to get to see something like that. It was incredible. Keith says Jena is like a species unto herself, like a musical platypus. That was spell-binding.
Alex Preston: “Yellow” by Coldplay
Judges: Harry says Alex really needed that song and he’s so happy he is a judge because he doesn’t have to vote. There were some great performances tonight and that was one of them. Keith says Alex has a poetic vulnerability and that song was perfectly suited to him. JLo says it was a perfect song and he sang it beautifully. She thinks he is integral to this competition. Great job.
Can the judges hate for Jessica be any more obvious? Seriously! I recognize she is stiff but JLo couldn’t even give her a smile when she was at the judges table. Ugh – the judges and show are so predictable!
It’s awful, isn’t it? They are really intent upon making the top 3 Caleb, Jena and Alex, aren’t they?
And that top three is fine if voted on by the viewers but the blatant attempt to sway voters is insulting. They don’t have to say the same thing over and over, people can figure it out for themselves. Jessica will make it or not despite what the judges are saying.
I completely agree with everything you said. It would be okay if they critiqued everyone else equally but that hasn’t happened and I don’t think it will.
Go back and verify, my first predication was…
“Prediction: Caleb opens the show, Jessica buried in the dreaded
second slot, Alex third, with JENA being given the gift of the final
performance.”
Because the 4 could appear in any order, I only had a 4% chance of being right. A 96% chance of having it wrong. Yet I nailed it exactly right… how?
Did I get it right because I’m psychic, a genius, or maybe I work for the show? Nope.
I got it right because the 2nd spot is where you would place someone you are biased against, and want to give them the worst possible chance of moving on. It is the worst possible position because you don’t get the first impression, you don’t get the last. Even Alex in 3rd is at least better than Jessica.
Everyone, I got it right because the show is fixed. They are just that betting you are too dumb to see it.
Jess – We feel terrible for what they are doing to you. The worst part is that some people can’t see it the obvious. Regardless, we see it and call out the unfairness. Go Jess!!!!
It’s a disgrace!
Jessica it much better than Alex!she is also beautiful! I hope she stays for the top 3…
And yet she can’t wait to make out with Jena the minute she finally has control of her screechy voice. It’s so biased I can’t even watch anymore. This show is rigged.
I agree with most of their comments about Jessica actually. However, I do think the judges really over-rate Caleb, even though I do like him enough. They do the same thing with Jena sometimes, I think.
yeah , bias thing
GO ALEX!
What a shame. I really want Jessica to do good, but she screwed herself tonight. Those songs are obviously not in her wheelhouse. Why tread on risky waters if she’s not gonna bring her artistic mark that her fans have fallen in love with? The last song is not even gonna bring her any redemption because it’s just not a great song. I feel awful.
She has had her confidence destroyed and her artistry mocked in front of millions people for several weeks in a row. I give her credit for withstanding it so well for so long. I don’t believe I have ever seen someone so methodically dismantled in my life. It’s awful.
I agree. I’ve been watching her YT covers (pre-idol) and after going through lots of it I’m almost in tears because I’m seeing a person who just wants to exercise her artistry, hoping she’s going to get a break. I believe in her and hope she continues to be great, but this competition, while it gave her a headstart, played her.
I didn’t see any of her YT covers until a few days ago and I was floored at her artistry. She’s written some great songs and her performances, wow!!!!
That’s exactly what I thought, Bob! She has been torn down. Jena has been built up. And it shows. At this point, you can tell Jess is like “screw it.” I love her and think she and Alex are the only two artists and will be on the radio after this is over. They’re charting best on iTunes. Jena and Caleb are way over-rated.
I love, love, and love Jessica. We haven’t had a female voice with that depth and range since Stevie Nicks.
At this point, she may need to avoid the winners contract, get through the summer tour, and move to Nashville.
I live in Nashville, and she’d be at home here. Just listen to her Summertime Sadness again… who else can do that? Nobody.
I believe Alex needs out of the AI show too, for his own good. They are not doing him any favors at this point.
Caleb is tricky, I love his sound, but can it sell today? He may need to win, and get the exposer.
Jena, is Taylor Hicks. Her voice is so garbled that many people will turn the radio station off if it ever plays. We may hear her sing the national anthem at a baseball game, but no way she’s a star. Christina Grimmie from The Voice is about the same age and way, way, way better. The JENA must win and continue to have the full force of the AI corporation behind her to have any chance at a career.
I thought what the judges are telling Jessica are a little accurate tonight, but please do the same to others. Jena’s ‘Bad Romance’ sucked balls.
I agree with you! As much as I may like or not like some singers above others, it is so clear that the judges are not being fair in their comments. I don’t really like Jessica a lot, but the judge’s bias against her and for Jena is just so noticable.
agreed the only reason jena is this far b/c of the judges there is a plotting going on. i’m trying to be very realistic jena is nothing people want to hear or if they do buy her music it will be very short lived. calebs stuff is still better by the originals and will be very short lived as well.
Loved her performance of “You and I”! Way to nail it, Jessica!
Go jessica… Go jessica
I love jessica so much…
LOVE JESSICA!!!
Totally. I vote for jessica…
In my opinion, Caleb’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” was great but not that great to be worthy of a standing ovation.
True… I hate caleb voice :/
So so so so so agree. Caleb is 90% yelling and 10% singing. Same thing week after week after week. If we’re talking beautiful voices and talent: Alex and Gena all the way!
Well no matter the outcome, I know my playlists will include songs by Jessica and Alex.
Judges should be impartial. Jennifer rushing on the state and kissing Jena was inappropriate. I hope that this type of behavior by judges will be addressed and that it doesn’t happen in the future.
yeah JLO is no longer acting as a judge, she should’ve not do that, its indirectly telling viewers to vote for Jena , damn, thats unfair, i really love the attitude of Harry each week
She crossed the line tonight as a judge. Talk about impartiality – NOT!!!!!
And her comment to Jena saying “you’re giving Caleb a run for his money…”
She blatantly admitted her favorites.
She’s lucky she caught herself.
Too late!
she did that because Jlo thought that jena might be in the bottom? i guess? im not sure, but as long as jessica is in the top3 , that would still be ok
If that is the case, I hope it backfires and either Jena or Caleb is sent home tomorrow.
Loved Jenas last performance it was great! Last round was really good for everyone
I realize I’m prejudice…to me, there is nothing sexier than a Southern man but darn, Caleb….”Maybe I’m Amazed” was simply gorgeous and sexy…loved it dude.
YELLOW <3
jessica killed it, NO DOUBT,
She’ll get all of my votes tonight!
me too, im creating a tons of google accounts, how bout ya?
how many votes dya have already for her
Let’s just say I have more than one FB account.
better,
This could be a shock boot coming up. The only one that wouldn’t surprise anyone would be Jess, but she has people fighting for her. Jena has the judges’ pimping, Caleb always brings it, and Alex is so unique and his music is so interesting. I think if Jess doesn’t go, Alex will, but then again with the over pimping Jena could go, and Caleb could go just because people think he is safe and people are trying to save another. It’s time to vote for just one, but I can’t do it. I’ll stick mostly to Caleb and Alex and toss in some votes for Jess.
i can no longer stand for caleb this time esp he called his fans as a retards, then he just simply apologize that he didnt mean it to all his fans, damn that guy.. thats the perfect example of having NO ATTITUDE, like you’ve always telling on Jessica, SHE HAS THE REAL ATTITUDE OF AN ARTIST she cares of her fans #muses
don’t really like Jena performance…esp. bad romance, don’t know why judge think it’s really good…don’t think that good..I enjoyed Jessica’s voice more than her
me too, esp the YOU and I, i could listen to that voice all day long , so better vote for Jessica,
I was worried about her singing that song because Elise Testone’s version was amazing. It’s one of the only AI performances I have on my iPod but I loved Jessica’s as much if not more.
sorry for me TOP 2 is only for Jessica & Alex…please vote for them!!
i dont care of anyone else, i only care for Jessica, as much as you do :)) go jess
Jessica is get better & better every week, she really fight for this…love her so much!!
ahyeah!! i think i got some pro-jessica here hahahaha, im after of her voice and artistry
she is strong even though she was never received the right comments from judges. Jena Irene’s Bad Romance is so suck.
jessica deserves a tons of votes,
I’ll second that .. the only one with character to go along with her amazing singing and song-writing
So pathetic the judges love affair for Jena…can’t wait until show is over and she falls flat.
yeah esp JLO, she’s desperately wants jena to be on top, when she kisses jena , thats the sign that tells people to vote for Jena..urgh, damn..go jessica
that would be cool……….why so suddenly this jena love…….foul play!
To be honest I think the only real judge on the show is Harry connick Jr. because he doesn’t have favoritism towards anybody and he really likes raw performances I feel jlo favors Caleb because he’s a entertainer anything he does is awesome even if it is karaoke at times as to Alex who is in my opinion a true artist she dislikes everything because he’s not out there screaming and throwing his microphone on the floor or hitting high notes that’s not what idol is about its about bringing different types of styles of music together not just screaming high notes and getting praised for it and like I said not to take anything away from Caleb he’s great but if anybody humble and deserves to win is Jena she’s both Alex and Caleb combined .
i love the attitude of harry, consistent every week he doesnt move like doing some head banging, just to motivate viewers to vote for that contestant
Yeah like I said he’s the only judge that actually sits back and critiques performances and if more judges were like that it wouldactually be a competition not a favoritism contest you know it must suck as a contestant like Alex or Jessica to hear jlo and Keith basically saying Caleb is gonna win and Jena with be second it’s messed up
right on and i hope america will have time to realize this before the next show.
I believe they hate Jess too. Nothing she did is right ever. I mean really their music isn’t always a #1 hit either. Caleb is highly over rated. I think he should go home for not having respect for the very American voters that has been keeping him there.
I’m not a Jena fan. At all. In fact, I rooted for Jessica because of it. However, Jessica, simply has not improved, and does not earn my vote anymore. There is no major difference between top 30 performance versus top 4 performance (she’s an awful performer). Period. At this time, I have to say, a top 4th placement is awesome.
bring back malaya
proven. not all winners become famous, think of daughtry for example,jessica sanchez etc.
Daughtry has done extremely well for himself even though he may not have hit super stardom like Carrie or Kelly. I don’t think he’s complaining about the path his career has taken.
Does anyone else feel it was inappropriate for a judge to get up and kiss a contestant? I’m all for having a good time and even thought it was funny when Harry was carrying around a teenager that one time he seemed to be off his meds or something, but when you break it down, the judge-contestant relationship needs to be more professional.
The judges don’t make the final decisions, but they have a lot of influence and instead of being objective (Harry) you get a lot of favoritism (JLo).
I said below that impartiality went out the window when JLo did that.
yes they do. jlo is so unprofessional and her fans think she’s so cool, don’t get it. she used the f word wed. and then goes to kiss a girl………its too sleazy for me. hope she does not come back next year.
Omg. Jena….Now watching this show for the second time….that was one of the best performances I’ve heard….Had me in tears…Absolutely Magnificent!!!!!
jena was soo amazing….loved caleb as well….everyone was good tonight….would not critique their styles…they were all great!!!
Oh no, Jessica said the famous last words “I had fun.”
Best performance of the night was Jessica
Well, I live in California and DVR’ed the show to watch later, so my comments come later, too.
Here are the engineer’s two cents…
On a scale of 10:
Ryan – scruffy look?! no, just no. – 5.
Caleb — You Give Love a Bad Name – 9.95 Was fun. Ran out of air at end of some phrases, so knocked off 0.05
Jessica – Since You’ve Been Gone – 8.5. (Death spot #1.) Band too loud in spots. Jess had no energy at start, then made eye contact and arm movements. Judges threw her under the first bus.
Alex – Too Close – 10. So listenable, what I would turn up while listening to the local independent jazz/blues/alt radio station here in town.
Keith – falling off chair after trapdoor comment – 10.
Jena – Heartbreaker – 9.4 (Pimp spot #1.) Love this classic by Pat Benatar; this cover, not so much. Couldn’t recognize song at start; Jena garbled a lot of words, hit some flat/sharp notes. Strong second half.
J.Lo – squats on high heels in pink dress?! no, just no. 2.
Caleb – Travelin’ Band – 10. Really was on for this performance; could front CC&R. Voice gave out a bit in spots; maybe prepping three songs with full-on screaming is not wise?
Jessica – So What – 9. No guitar, +. Attitude, +. (Death Spot #2.) Smiling, bouncing around, + Arm thrusts, +. Judges throw her under the second bus.
Jena – Bad Romance – 7. Not convincing, not crisp. Voice faltered on low parts. Voice breaking everywhere. Flat. Forced. Where’s the bus??
Alex – I’m Yours – 10. Nice pompadour, a la Bruno Mars, Elvis, and the Fonz. Cool, or what?! Ukele?! Never thought I’d see that on AI. Perfect performance. Judges throw him under third bus.
Caleb – Maybe I’m Amazed – 11. Rocked it, touching at the end.
Jessica – You and I – 9. (Death spot #3.) Relaxed performance. Totally impressed by her perseverance in the face of undue criticisms from judges, week after week after week. Finally, no bus.
Jena – I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You – 9. On first listen, thought it credible, with some bright spots. On second listen with eyes closed, the swallowed words and slurring made the song unpleasant to listen to, for the most part. Would not want to hear on radio again and again.
J.Lo – hugs and kisses Jena – minus 100. Unprofessional. Uncool.
Alex – Yellow – 9. Had never heard this song before; color me old school. Very melodic and smooth. Put off by the “skin & bones” lyric, if that’s what it was… Alex kind of mumbled in places.
My final tally:
1st – Caleb
2nd – Alex
3rd – Jessica
4th – Jena
5th – Keith
6th – Ryan
7th – Harry
Dead last – J.Lo
America’s final tally: likely to be different!
maybe some but dead last jlo absolutely, should have put more in b/w grumpy cat band members audience etc…
Can Alex be any more one-note? Three slow love songs that sounded similar to what he’s done the whole competition. YAWN.
poor season.
Worst top4 ever in history.
Jena’s performance of Bad Romance was not that bad….. Anyway. I’m predicting that Jessica Meuse goes home tonight. Top 3: Alex, Jena, and Caleb. Top 2: Jena and Caleb Winner: Jena Irene
please say it isen’t so.