There is one thing that Chikezie, Ramiele, Michael, Amanda, and David H have in common; they fell before could-be country princess Kristy Lee Cook.
I was actually expecting Syesha to join that list on Wednesday night, but alas, Kristy was sent home to try and get her horse back.
Although I thought a blank wall was more interesting than she was in the beginning, I grew to not hate her anymore. If anything, I learned to tolerate the personality challenged contestant. One reason was her progress during the show. Although she was no Carrie Underwood (calling her Kellie Pickler would even be a stretch), she got better as the weeks went by. After her disastrous "Eight Days A Week" performance the first week of the Top 12, she performed better. Her best to date was "Anyway" by Martina McBride, followed by "Forever" by Mariah Carey. Her singing, if not increased in quality, was a bit more interesting and memorable than her during her wallpaper-like Top 24 showings. She attempted to instill some kind a personality in her songs and although it always fell short, her effort should be noted.
Kristy Lee Cook was also the smartest contestant, behind the other "Cook" David. She realized after her infamous Beatles week performance that the AI country fans were voting for her. It's safe to say that all of Middle America Idol watchers had her back. So, what's a girl to do? Appease her audience. She chose songs that would make her fans support her. Evidence? The genius-although-transparent choice of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" during the "songs when you were born" week.It was that performance that pulled her out of the Bottom Three for the first time.
Finally, Kristy gained sympathy (although no votes) from me with her self-deprecating humor. She was smart enough to know when she underperformed, and if we didn't, she sure as hell pointed it out for us. A week or two back, she even had a "Kristy's Seat" post-it meant for the dreaded stool. Her ability to laugh at herself is very endearing, moreso than another certain contestant who will remain nameless.
Why I titled this post the anti-Sanjaya is because Kristy Lee Cook, despite her way too-long stay, is nothing like that atrocity that damaged Idol's reputation. Although they both stayed the exact same time, that's the only similarity. Where Sanjaya was cocky, Kristy was boring, then endearing. When Sanjaya got worse, she grew as a contestant. As he embarrassed the hell out of the show, she didn't.
She may have been the worst, but she's nowhere near Sanjaya. In fact, I actually wanted her to stay one more week to see if she would continue her progression. Anyway, she definitely does have a career in music.
No comments:
Post a Comment