American Idol – Singers Disappoint and Audience Boos in Hawaii

HelloOoOoOo and thanks for dropping by for a general recap of part 2 of the 26-singer voting round. If you need to see who performed in part 1 (including my favorites Iam Tongi, Zachariah Smith, and Lucy Love) check out this post… American Idol – The Good, the Bad, the Ugly in Hawaii.

Well, not more than a day after I posted about wishing the judges would stop being so “nice,” Katy Perry got booed! She told Nutsa to use less glitter and the audience wasn’t having it. I’m kinda with Katy on this one (but not this one) because glitter is THE biggest nuisance. If you don’t believe me, spread some on the floor in your home and let me know in which decade you finally get it all out.

Pet peeves aside, Nutsa was in my top two this episode, an episode where the confusion surrounding the 26 singers was finally sorted out… and the surprise addition wasn’t Fire. But still, except for a few the singers were stale, or boring, or just not on the same level as contestants in the first episode of this round. My top choices were Michael Williams, who reminded me a lot of one of my favorite singers, Jon McLaughlin, and Nutsa, who was very entertaining in her performance. Using my foolproof criteria, here’s how I rated each contestant in this episode.

I’m crossing my fingers (and I texted my vote) for Megan Danielle who has an incredible voice much more fitting of a seasoned and chronic smoker (I mean that in a good way). Her voice was fantastic but her body language seemed rigid and uncomfortable on stage. If she just had a spoonful of Nutsa’s energy, she’d be golden.

The only other contestant standing out was Wé Ani. Stage presence, voice, overall vibe, really good. But in my humble opinion, everyone is fighting for 4th place behind Lucy Love, Iam, and Zachariah.

What do you think about the episode? Who are your favorites this season? Comment below!

-Out of the Wilderness

Amazon woman has a hairy upper lip – Hot or not?

Amazon Prime has channeled their inner Greek mythological warrior in a recent ad called “‘Tache.” If you’ve seen it, you’re very aware the whole commercial revolves around the hairy upper lip of a high school student. Not a dude, though. It’s a woman sporting a ‘stache and by the end of the ad, she hates it no more. In Greek mythology, the Amazon women were warriors sharing similar characteristics as men. In fact, the women-only society only let men for breeding purposes. Some viewers of the commercial think breeding purposes is the only way this mustached woman would ever be able to get a date.

I had no idea when I first posted about the commercial how vocal people would be. Some take the ad on surface level… a woman with a mustache should just shave it because it’s gross. Don’t normalize something that’s not normal, they’d say. She could spend a few dollars for a razor but instead spends hundreds on clothes and music to build a personality around the mustache.

On the flip side, some viewers extract a deeper meaning: Love who you are and who cares what anyone else thinks! This can be a noble quality as seen in the movie Teen Wolf, which is a lot like the commercial. In the film, a high school guy turns into a werewolf every time his temper flares. At first, no one knows what to think. Eventually he (and his town) embraces his canine characteristics and everything is great. In the end, this type of mindset can go one of two ways for the Amazon woman. She’ll either spiral out of control with no limits because she’s just being her “authentic self,” or she’ll genuinely appreciate the way she was made, full of confidence with grace for those who don’t approve.

Perhaps the best way to be is the secret third option (because there’s always a secret third option). It’s a combination of the two ideas above. Take care of yourself so you’re at your best and healthiest and at the same time, care a little less about what other people think.

You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.

David Foster Wallace

I do think it’s interesting that Amazon hired a beautiful woman, who doesn’t have a mustache in real life, to play the part of the quirky student. Did they have any discussions about having a real woman (not an actress) with a real mustache play the part? Certainly there is something attractive about natural beauty that businesses use to promote products. Sex sells, right? So Amazon is walking the tightrope here. A lot of beauty with just a dash of ‘stache.

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol – The Good, the Bad, the Ugly in Hawaii

Hello and welcome to an American Idol reaction post as we finally get to vote for our favorites! The judges narrowed it down to the top 26 contestants (with some confusion, of course). Last night for part one of a two-episode round, 13 contestants performed everything from Little Richard and En Vogue to Adele and Minnie Riperton. Who were my favorites and who had the most forgettable performances? Well, to answer that I came up with a list of categories with which I’ll be rating each singer.

Do I like the song choice? Yes/No

Does the performance move me? Yes/No

Am I entertained? Yes/No

Overall Rating: 1-10

The Good. 27 levels above everyone else was Zachariah Smith singing “Lucille” by Little Richard, Lucy Love with “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”, and Iam Tongi’s take on “Don’t Let Go” by Spawnbreezie. Each of those got high marks because in their own way, they were entertaining and captivating. In other words, they were incredible. I was also impressed with Nailyah. Love her style and her voice got crazy high. Matt Wilson serenading his wife was sweet. OK, you’re about to get an inside look at my little black book where I write down grocery lists, sermon notes, and triathlon training times. Now it’s also where I scribble Idol notes…

The Bad. As you can see in my notes, I thought Oliver Steele really missed the mark with his performance which is a shame because I really like his voice. He simply picked a song that showed off none of his soulful, smokey vocals and that might hurt him when the votes are announced. Haven’s quirky take on “The Middle” is still not sitting right with me. I get it that she can’t always sing the heart-wrenching ballads but without her songwriting, her voice doesn’t stand out. Major kudos on her wardrobe, though. She always has awesome outfits. I just don’t know if earth big enough for two Taylor Swifts? Other forgettable performances were Elise Kristine, Mariah, PJAE, and Warren Peay.

The Ugly. Using the definition of ugly as “disagreeable or unpleasant,” I have to comment on the judges. I actually wish they were MORE disagreeable and unpleasant. There’s a difference in being nice and having kindness and, while they’re definitely kind, they’re just too nice! It’s possible to dish out some critical comments while still being kind (see: Simon Cowell). With that said, I think Katy, Luke, and Lionel did their best to give some helpful advice last night. Hopefully the singers can sift through some of the more thinly-veiled praise to hear real critiques.

Feel like arguing with me about who did well and who didn’t? Comment below and let’s fight.

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol has 24 or 26 in Hawaii?

American Idol airs tonight, the first episode from Hawaii and just like last week, I’m pumped. But there is a little bit of confusion about how many contestants are actually there. Of course, the original plan (because American Idol rules matter?) was to have 24 singers. But if you kept track last week as the judges sorted through the keepers and the rejects, you already know the magic number was 25. This is where it got a little messy. There were 23 confirmed for Hawaii when the final 3 contestants sat in front of the judges awaiting their fate.

This meant one would go through and two would go home. Or so we thought! Judges pulled a fast one and let all three move on to the live shows. That means 26, then, right? Wrong-o! Every list you’ll see of the top 26 actually only shows 25. This is because one contestant (who hasn’t been named) dropped out. There are spoilers out there so I won’t ruin it for you here. You can find out if that’s what you really want. The question now is… who takes that 26th spot!? Of course, there are spoilers for that, too, and deep down I hope it’s Fire. I guess we’ll all find out at the same time (unless you couldn’t resist those spoilers 😛).

I really like the stats on TV Insider that show the social media numbers for all 26, wait, 24… no wait, 25 contestants. Nutsa is at the top of that list with the most Instagram followers (383,000) and the least amount of followers is Nailyah (1,900).

Only time will tell if social media is an accurate indicator of fan participation. Who is your favorite contestant? Chime in below and let’s chat!

-Out of the Wilderness

Redheaded woman gets cancelled in new Freshpet commercial

I once dated a woman who didn’t like my dogs. Eventually there was a proposal, an engagement, and a wedding. I hope she and her new husband are happy! Not a chance I’d stay with any woman who didn’t take my dogs as her own, too. That’s the sentiment behind a funny, new commercial from Freshpet. Take a look… and if you have a moment, consider donating to my blog site to help me continue posting every day at 1pm!

Make a small donation to Out of the Wilderness here

Hi there, I’m Ben and just like the guy and the lady in the ad, I’m single. Do I enjoy the modern dating game? Sometimes. But if anyone I date is not a “dog person” or she’s allergic to dogs, I’ll be showing her the door. On the flip side, I’m allergic to cats so that’s a deal-breaker, too. Maybe my requirements are rude, I don’t know? *sniff*sneeze*

I love this Freshpet commercial, although slamming the door in the face of a red-head is like pulling the pin from a grenade. Do you really want to take that chance? OK, OK, our pets are worth it. Dogs are the best. Here are my two pups, Piper and Asia. I’ve had them for over a decade and while it’s not always easy (see: dog gets head stuck in treat jar), I love the companionship and laughs.

See you tomorrow!

-Out of the Wilderness