The seven contestants were whittled down to six on Thursday night’s results show. Here’s how things went down.
Big Dexter’s Dreams Dashed
Dexter Roberts was sent home Thursday after receiving the lowest number of viewer votes following Wednesday’s show, when he performed Luke Bryan’s “Muckalee Creek Water.” The performance received average marks from the judges, who criticized the 22-year-old for sounding too much like the original version of the song, a criticism frequently lobbied at Roberts over the course of the season.
Roberts sang Montgomery Gentry’s “Lucky Man” at the close of the show, after telling host Ryan Seacrest, “I had a great time.” There were no tears shed: Roberts is too tough for that.
Roberts may have been done in by his song choice, which in this case was actually C.J. Harris’ choice for him. Harry Connick Jr. told Sam Woolf on Wednesday, “familiarity is your friend,” referring to doing songs that are big, instantly recognizable hits at this point in the competition. “Muckalee,” on the other hand, was never released as a single, and therefore may have been unfamiliar to many viewers.
And then there’s the small matter of Roberts’ performance with Harris and Jessica Meuse. The three did Lady Antebellum’s “Compass,” and although the performance was not meant to be judged, not only was it judged (“Guys, it just wasn’t good,” Connick told the trio), it was even judged by judges from other shows (Demi Lovato of “X Factor” weighed in with her disapproval as well). The harsh comments likely hurt Roberts, who had been in the bottom three once before but had been out of the gutter for the last three weeks.
Jessica Meuse Debuts In Bottom Two
Meuse, also a part of the disastrous Lady Antebellum performance, made her first showing in the bottom two and looked none too happy to be there. But she was spared, living to see another week.
Aside from the trio performance, Meuse took on Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder and Lead” and was knocked for lacking an emotional connection to the song’s fiery lyrics.
C.J., Caleb, Sam, Alex And Jena Are Safe
Everyone else sailed through to next week, and Sam Woolf has now survived two weeks after being saved by the judges.
Of the remaining contestants, Caleb Johnson and Alex Preston are the only remaining singers who have yet to taste the bitter sting of the bottom of the barrel.
Next week, each of the top six is on the hook for two songs: one rock and roll, one country. The theme favors Caleb Johnson, C.J. Harris and Jessica Meuse, though all six should be able to acquit themselves fairly well.
What do you think about Dexter’s elimination? Let us know in the comments!
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