All season we have heard nothing but how good all the girls are … tonight we found out … differently.

The first hour gave us maybe two who were marginally OK.

Then came the second hour …and it wasn’t a whole better.

Here is what happened on Wednesday night. Tomorrow I’ll give you my Top 5 before the results show…I wasn’t real impressed…
1. Chelsea Sorrell – “Cowboy Casanova” by Carrie Underwood

– country, OK, not bad; not great; surely the judges will love it (Randy is a little hesitant on the song choice – good for him; JayLo said she was nasally – good for her; Steven says watch your phrasing, watch your timing) … maybe someone told the judges to be a little more honest.

Grade: C (and that’s generous)

Note: How are we gonna get through 2 hours of this, seriously…

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2. Erica Van Pelt – “What About Love” by Heart

– much better, you can tell she definitely picked the correct song … and she is keeping it in control, dynamic performance without going over the top and you have to like that … Steven: You just nailed it; JayLo: You could have gone even further; Randy: Confidence with restraint. You have an Adele vibe….

Grade: B (good job by the singing deejay)

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3. Jen Hirsh – “One and Only” by Adele

– California girl … another one trying an Adele song and that is probably a mistake going in … song is too much for her … terrible choice and if she is eliminated (and she will be) this song is the reason…and on top of it all she is a screamer (not a fan at all)… JayLo: I thought it was beautiful (what?); Steven: Something about confidence that makes a song fly; Randy: You have that R&B thing … what are they talking about?…

Grade: D-plus

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4. Brielle Von Hugel “Sitting on the Dock of The Bay” by Otis Redding

New Yorker … her mom is a like a mom to the other contestents (gag me…) … yuck to that performance from start to finish … Steven: Nice sense of the blues; JayLo: People underestimate you, you are a true performer (really?); Randy: When you first started maybe the keys were a little too low …

Grade: C-minus

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5. Hallie Day – “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone

Baltimore girl … a waitress … Michael Buble song … actually a good choice, for a change … she is putting a little pizzazz into this that we haven’t seen so far tonight … and she can actually sing (holy Adam Lambert!)… best so far without a doubt, not even close … JayLo: That had some really beautiful moments; Steven: You are old-fashioned and I like that; Randy: You got the voice, amazing great, big old voice.

Grade: B-plus (close to an A)…

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6. Skyler Laine – “Stay With Me” by Faces

Mississippi girl … didn’t understand how she made it this far to begin with … she’d do well in a carnival … hope she knows how to say, “You want mayo on that sandwich?” Randy: Praises her (puhhlezz); JayLo: Like Tina Turner went country; Steven: You were on fire, you are a pistol. (really makes judges look bad to have comments like this…)

Grade: F-minus

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7. Baylie Brown – “Amaze” by Lonestar

Another country girl from Texas this time …with that dress Steven will give her high praise … certainly better, at least by comparison…; Steven: Not sure it’s the best song you could have picked; JayLo: You aren’t pretty, you are beautiful. You were a little shaky all the way through; Randy: You never seized control of the song…

Grade: C-plus

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8. Hollie Cavanagh – “Reflection” by Christina Aguilera

Another Texan … good voice, not the greatest song choice … I hope she doesn’t scream at the end … well, she kinda did just that, but she can sing and I’d rather hear something else … Steven: You were my favorite from the start; JayLo: I still think you can win this. You are gonna be one of our frontrunners; Randy: You are still one of our favorites. You tried to slay one of the biggest dragons with that song.

Grade: B

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9. Haley Johnsen – “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics

Oregonian girl ..Beaverton ….weird dress … Mr. Blackwell would not have approved … odd performance but I’ll give her credit for tryin’ something different although it’s not really workin…JayLo: I hope America heard all the special things you were doin’ with your voice; Steven: You pulled it through. The money shots were spot on; Randy: It was a bit of a nightmare for me instead of a dream. It was a little train-wrecky for me..

Grade: C-minus

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10. Shannon Magrane – “There is a Candle in Every Soul”

Floridian volleyball player whose father pitched in the World Series once-upon-a-time for the Cardinals … she was good in the audition and Hollywood sessions … song is OK, but not that great, kinda repetitious too much … she has a bluesey kind of voice .. anxious to hear what the judges think; Randy: What a way to come out swinging. I’m a fan; JayLo: You sing with such passion for a 16-year-old. You gave me goosies; Steven: You took it upstairs and that was beautiful…

Grade: B

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11. Jessica Sanchez – “I Do” (Dreamgirls) by Jennifer Hudson

From San Diego … decent singer … too much screamer … voice was hurting …; Randy: That girl can really sing; JayLo: Whole thing is beyond your years; Steven: You have exceptional timing, voice and pitch are perfect..

Grade: B

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12. Elise Testone – “One and Only” by Adele

uh, oh, trying another Adele song … they need to learn not to touch her songs … she has a decent voice but you can’t tell from this effort … tough way to end the show … she might be a longshot though … Steven: You blew it out of the water; JayLo: You are one of the best singers here; Randy: It wasn’t your best performance we have seen.

Grade: B-minus

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