American Idol: Chasing the Dream, But Coming Up Short

Every season on American Idol, some contestants that peak early, and then fail to live up to their earlier performances. That has been the case in a dramatic fashion on this season of American Idol. With an exceptionally talented cast of performers, weaker performances are noticed and pointed out with more severity than in seasons past. As the season winds down, it has become obvious who the early bloomers were as opposed to the contestants that have sustained or built upon their momentum as the contest progresses.

Michael Johns was one American Idol contestant who gave it his all from the early stages of the competition. In Hollywood week, he impressed judges and fans alike, taking on Queen in a way that has never been done on an American Idol stage. Something happened when Johns made it into the top twelve, though, and that something was not good. He got lost among the talent that was flowing on the Idol stage. He took to the sidelines in a competition that showcased more talent than ever before. Maybe it was nerves, or maybe it was song choice, but he quickly faded. His downfall started on Beatles night, when he did A Day in the Life. Johns was unfortunately never able to recover. Even though he was never in the bottom three, he was voted out a few weeks later when he tackled Dream On by Aerosmith. While he had vocally recovered after the Beatles fiasco, it did not matter at that point. He had failed to live up to his initial performances, and that killed him in the end.

Carly Smithson was another American Idol contestant who smothered under the comparison of her former self. While most of her performances were technically well done, it hurt her because the audience knew what she was capable of. She had shown that she could be a wonderful singer with an enormous range. She initially appeared to be a tough girl who liked to have fun on the stage. That quickly changed though. She turned into a scared little girl who wanted so badly to impress Simon. Her performances showed too much restraint, and failed to be as breathtaking as the initial performances. Her inability to live up to her potential got her voted off American Idol.

Brooke White suffered many of the same problems as Carly Smithson. Initially, White looked comfortable on the American Idol stage. She won fans over with her rich, sultry voice on songs such as Let it Be. However, White never again showed the same talent and emotion as she did on Let it Be. Her future performances paled in comparison. In a sense, the Beatles did her in. She was so good on that performance that anything less than great would be a death sentence. She peaked too early. Instead of getting better with time, she got worse.

American Idol does not kick off all of the contestants that peak early, though. For example, David Archuleta wowed the American Idol viewers with his take on John Lennon’s Imagine. The performance won over the better part of American Idol viewers. Everyone was amazed that a boy of only seventeen could invoke so much emotion into the song. After that performance, though, it has been as if Archuleta is chasing that type of performance, but coming up short. He wants to sing like that again, but he is a nervous wreck. He has become so stiff that he cannot bring anything new into performances.

Jason Castro is another American Idol contestant that has been able to stay, even though he bloomed too quickly and then faded. Castro’s best performance was, by far, Hallelujah. That was the song that made American Idol viewers sit up and pay attention. He showed so much emotion, and really connected with the audience. That was weeks ago, and he has yet to show that same amount of emotion or intimacy in any of his performances. Luckily for him, he has continued to get voted through.

While David Cook has maintained consistency throughout the American Idol competition, there is one performer who has managed to turn it up a notch and do what is expected of her. Syesha Mercado started off the season rather slowly. She did not have a huge fan base, and it was expected that she would be voted off quickly. However, Syesha managed to change things up and improve on nearly a weekly basis. Instead of giving her best performance out of the gate, she is building up to it. The American Idol viewers know that the best is yet to come. That has helped her tremendously.

In the world of American Idol, it is never surprising to see performers do their best work early on, and then fade. This season has not disappointed in that aspect. Even with the performances getting weaker, it is still a great season. There are a lot of talented performers who are capable of doing great things.

By: Amy Cox
Published: 05/08/08