American Idol - Season 8 (1 Viewer)

[Phil Taylor]

They only have 2 more weeks to use the save?

 

[Greg_S_H]

As far as I know, they can use it any time except the finale.

 

[RickGr]

John Lennon did a great cover of it as well.

 

[RickGr]

I thought they can only use it thru the final 5. In fact someone made a comment that under the rules they COULD NOT have used it to save Chris Daughtry as he was knocked off when 4 singers were left.

 

[RickGr]

I would really like to hear Allison do a Mellisa Etheridge song. She has the same "husky" voice style that Mellisa does.

 

[EricSchulz]

That's true. Ryan even made a comment to that effect on Thursday's show (that they can use the save during the next three eliminations).

 

[chuck_b]

They now have two more shows to use the judges save. When used it will then set up a double elimination the following week.

I suspect they will use it for anyone left but LiL and based on the last several weeks dialing results, Anoop will test it very soon. They mentioned they would consider its use when the three were on the seal last night, I suspect it was for Anoop. I think Lil's constant promise to listen to their input about song choice and style and then her excuses the following week when she fails are moving her away from the judges favor.

 

[Hanson]

I think it is specifically for Lil. After she's gone, the African American demo for the show will plummet.

 

[Malcolm R]

It was explained in the first results show of the season that the Judges Save is only an option for eliminations outside the Top 5. Once they've set the Top 5, it's all up to the public vote and the save option goes away (if they still haven't used it).

I thought the delay and discussion about the save was very cruel to Scott last night. They also explained that the vote for the save must be unanimous. If the vote was 2-2, as Simon said, then they're not saved. Move on.

 

[Quentin]

They won't use it unless Allison is somehow booted prior to top 5. They should have used it to save Alexis and they blew their chance.

 

[RAF]

The more I see what's happening with this supposed "save" feature it's looking more and more that the only time they would use it is right before the final five. It really looks like they want the final five to include (in no particular order) Danny, Allison, Adam, plus two others. The only time I see this "save" being used next week is if one of those three -- or maybe Lil - - was to be voted off. In other words, it's highly likely not to be used next week. Do you really think that if Anoop is voted off by the public next week that they would save him and then risk the chance that Adam or Allison were to be voted off sixth? Probably the same goes for Lil (because I don't know how a 1 out of 6 women left scenario plays out in FOX's mind). A highly unlikely event in my estimation.

This was proven to me when Alexis left. I thought that she would probably be a "top five" member and the fact that the judges didn't save her shows me that they were not going to take a chance that Adam, Allison or one or two others left early. The whole thing is tenuous at best and the judges really don't seem to know how to play it (assuming that strings aren't being pulled and it really isn't "their" choice.) This whole thing might turn out to be similar to the unused immunity idols on Survivor. Indecision and poor play cause it to be wasted.

My 2 cents.

 

[Hanson]

New updates to Separated at Birth -- a couple of samples:




Also a new American Idol Misc Chops page:

American Idol Season 8 Chops

 

[Greg_S_H]

There was a moment in the Ford video right before Danny knocked over a car or something (I was FFing for the most part) where he looked just like Corey Feldman.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Isn't that the point of the Judges' Save? To prevent one of the judges' favorites from getting eliminated early?

Then again, I never really considered that it was supposedly based solely on the "last chance" performance. I don't remember how they originally worded it.

 

[AnthonyC]

Re: Adam's performance, I think it was the lightning that made it so "amazing." If he just sat there and sang it like that without the dramatic blue flourish on his face, it would've just felt...strange.

 

[OliverT]

Didn't need the lighting for Tracks of my Tears and the itunes studio recorded version of Mad World is just as amazing as the live version was...

But, yeah, production and arrangement are important!

 

[RAF]

Exactly, Aaron. The rule is obviously there so that a judge favorite isn't eliminated. But that's where the problems begin. It's probably hard for the judges to reach a consensus because each has his or her "favorites." And I also don't think that a "last chance" performance really changes a judge's mind about who is a favorite so what's the point? In my opinion this measure was put in place to prevent the audience from eliminating a ratings grabber too early in the competition. But the problem is that judges don't seem to want to use it too early in case the voters make an even bigger "mistake" later in the competition. Also, with only one "save" allowed it would take an awfully big voter's "error" to have it invoked in my opinion. And with the cutoff point being when five remain there still is a lot of room for a "favorite" being out before the finals.

It seems to be all about control and obviously FOX has been burned in the past by some of the audience votes and wants more of a say in the matter (even beyond song choice, order of singing, judge comments and other devices.)

 

[Hanson]

As stated in the past, this save would not have helped Daughtry or Gray since they both went in the top four. And the Jennifer Hudson thing is pure revisionist history -- Jennifer was not very popular with the judges, and it's almost inconceivable they would have used the save had the option existed back then. Michael Johns is a slightly more plausible candidate, but did they really adopt this cockamamie rule because of the horrible injustice given Michael Johns? Nope, not at all. Besides, think of the logic -- America wants you off, but we will keep you in only to be knocked off next week. They'd have to save someone then put them in the pimp spot the next week to hold on to them one more week. Then they're gone anyway. So using the save actually gives them less control the next week. Which is why they probably won't use it.

The save is really all about another knife twist in the lowest vote-getter's gut at the end of the elimination show. It's just fake drama. Like when Simon is asked every week if there's anyone in the bottom three worth using the save on. It's to get people buzzing about who he was talking about. Answer: no one in particular.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

The eliminated contestant usually had the opportunity for one last "goodbye" performance anyway. AI has just moved it up and attached this save possibility to it. Of course they're doing it to keep people tuned in, as that's the name o the game. No judge is going to be swayed by the goodbye performance, but assuming they don't know the results before the show, they pretty much have to do things in the order they do them.

As for the save only delaying the inevitable for a week, I don't think it works that way. Why, I can't tell you, but the voting swings wildly. A person can be in the bottom three one week and the top three the next week. So if a person has a bad week (from a voting standpoint), saving that person could very well have an on-going impact.

 

[Hanson]

It's because of performance order. Every time Matt is one of the first performers, he's in the bottom three. If he's nearer the end, he's safe. That's why I said that if they use the save, they will need to stash the saved contestant in the pimp spot just so they're not kicked off the next week.