And the winner of American Idol is…

OK, I realize this is not any sort of official voting metric the producers use to determine the winner of the show, but if YouTube views convey anything about the direction voters are going, and I think they do, Hannah is alone at the top at this point in the season (which is right after the first live voting episode). There are currently 14 contestants and the top YouTube clips from the most recent airing are:

Hannah: 295,000

Keyla 185,000

Brooks 147,000

Kyndal 113,000

Hannah and Keyla have been separating themselves from the rest in the last few episodes, and then comes Brooks, then everyone else. It’ll be interesting to see who goes home in the upcoming episode. They originally said they were eliminating 2 and then at the end of Monday’s episode, they said they’d go down to 11. Of course, that supports my theory that American Idol just does whatever they want without really explaining (first it was 2 going home, now it’s 3?) but personal pet peeves aside, I’m a big fan of Brooks winning it all. His voice is mesmerizing no matter what song he sings. Reminds me of how the audience just stopped in its tracks every time Iam Tongi performed on his season.

It might be easier to pick the bottom few singers. Based on performances, YouTube views, and overall vibe… My guess is the following 2 (or 3) to be eliminated are: Julian, Lucas Leon, and Daniel Stallworth.

Who’s your favorite? Comment below!

-Out of the Wilderness

What is American Idol doing??

It’s 2026. A moment in the history of mankind where all of the world’s information is available with a few taps on the phone or computer. Events unfold as people watch in real-time. In fact, with artificial intelligence, FAKE events happen in real-time and look as legitimate as the bird chirping outside my camper this very second. What I’m saying is that in media, nearly anything is possible because of the advancement of technology. So what does American Idol do?

They make viewers wait two weeks to find out the voting results of contestants on the show. Two weeks. That’s 14 days. That’s 336 hours. It takes less time to pick a President (barely). You could travel around the world and be back home in your comfy clothes in that amount of time.

I just don’t get how or why they reverted to an by-gone era this season. There are a few other things I don’t like about the show but the silver lining is Brooks. Remember when he performed a whopping 8 days ago and when Idol airs again, it’ll be 14 days since we’ve seen him? He’s got my vote for #1 because his voice is simply unexplainable. Using YouTube views as a barometer, Hannah is in front, then Brooks and Braden. From the most recent episode, Keyla is standing out from the crowd with her fun performance.

It’s a fine season with a few stars. Not like seasons past but with Brooks, Hannah, Braden, and Keyla, it’s entertaining enough if we ever get to find out the voting results. 🥴

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol – 10 Perform in Hawaii

I’m not afraid to say that this season of American Idol is not nearly as good as the last couple of seasons. Last night’s episode was… how do I say this… BORING. It’s not that the contestants aren’t talented. They can all sing really well. But none of them stand out. That is, until the last 3 singers of the night took the stage. Hannah then Braden then Brooks. Those were the only the three worth listening to and even Hannah was not super great. I kept wanting her to really let go. Make us believe what you’re singing. She was good but I just didn’t feel moved like I wanted to. Braden, on the other hand, is unassuming but belts out lyrics like it’s the last day on earth. He may surprise us all and make it really far. Brooks, on the OTHER other hand, wouldn’t surprise me at all if he were to become the next American Idol. His voice is so unique, even the judges couldn’t find the perfect words to convey their feelings, although they did a pretty good job of encouraging him and sharing their disbelief in what they were hearing.

Ten more contestants perform some time later– I have no idea if it’s tonight or next week because Idol is not great at communicating to the viewers what the heck is going on– and I have my fingers crossed that the episode won’t be so boring. There’s Philmon, and that gives me hope.

-Out of the Wilderness

McArthur – A Nod To Great Country Music Storytelling

I absolutely love this new song from Hardy (and friends). It features Tim McGraw, Eric Church, and Morgan Wallen. Take a listen then scroll down for more…

As someone on YouTube comments, this is 20/10 storytelling. I’ll admit I didn’t listen to the lyrics the first time I heard the track. But on a recent car ride, I had time and attention for it. And yes, I listened to the song about 5 times in a row. It’s THAT good. Vintage McGraw sound, classic Eric Church, and relatively new (compared to the others), Hardy and Wallen sounded great. Hardy wrote/co-wrote the song while he was at his beach house in Florida. I wonder if that house is on The Forgotten Coast? Hardy, if you’re reading this, pick up some of my one-of-a-kind designs representing the best coast in Florida!

My cool and beachy designs aside, what do you think about the song? Where does it rank in order of best country songs to hit the airwaves in the last few year?

-Out of the Wilderness

Misty the Cat is Too Cool in Temptations Commercial

They say trends go out of style for a while then come back for a new generation. Welp, this commercial is making a comeback in 2026 from when it first aired all of 2 years ago. That’s a fast turnaround! In the ad, we catch up with Misty the cat who’s glow-up is not unlike Josie Grossy in the movie Never Been Kissed. Josie leaves her real friends behind when she gets a taste of popularity and here, Misty is making the same mistake. Take a look then scroll down for more…

It’s the side eye from Misty that turns a good commercial into a great one. Watch it again as the window slides up and tell me you haven’t seen your cat or dog do the same exact thing. I know my pups have wanted to distance themselves from me many times and given a side eye to let me know. By the end of the commercial, Misty has come to her senses with a lot of help from cat treats. Don’t worry, Baby, they always come back.

Sometimes it just takes them forever to get there.

-Out of the Wilderness