American Idol Finalists Get An Extra Round

By Stephanie Costantino
 
Since its Season 12 aired on January 16, the supremely talented contestants have enchanted viewers of American Idol. As the twelfth season comes to a close, Idol sees its final four contestants working hard to persevere and progress towards the semifinals. Potential American Idol Season 12 winners are finalists Angie Miller, Candace Glover, Amber Holcomb, and Kree Harrison, who were granted an extra week on the show thanks to an Idol twist.
   
In years past, Idol viewers were able to vote to save their favorite acts by calling or texting a certain phone number, and whichever contestant had the least amount of votes was sent back home. However, in its eighth season, Idol introduced a new concept called ‘the judges’ save,’ in which the judges were allowed to save only one contestant per season from being sent home, so long as they came to a unanimous decision. Last week, Idol shocked its viewers by putting a twist on the show that producers claimed would “turn the competition upside down.”
   
With three weeks left in the season, Idol judges Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, and Nicki Minaj had not yet used their ‘save’ on any contestant.  Had they kept up their streak of sending home the act with the least amount of votes, the season would have ended a week early. To prevent that from happening, and to grant finalists another chance, judges decided to save both Candice and Amber, who found themselves in the Bottom 2 as the acts with the least amount of votes.    

Viewers and various forms of media alike have been speculating over this “shocking twist,” wondering if the intentions of the judges were genuinely to give the ladies a second chance, or if producers’ main motives were to buy more airtime.  Some people were not very shocked by the “twist” at all, and some viewers even say that Idol is becoming too predictable. Others are simply happy that they get a chance to see their favorite acts competing in the competition for another week.
   
As the competition comes to a close, it is almost unpredictable as to which contestants will be in the bottom two, and who will be eliminated. Every single contestant exudes talent, and at this point in the competition, it is safe to say that all four remaining contestants will have successful careers in the music industry. That being said, contestants must fight for their spot in the Idol finals, and perform to the best of their ability in order to win over the hearts of viewers and avoid the bottom 2. Last week, unfortunately, for Candice Glover and Amber Holcomb, that was not the case. Glover took to her Twitter account to share her feelings about being in the bottom 2, stating that it “didn't feel too good, but once again no excuses. I have to leave it all on that stage next week.” She also assured fans that were voting for her that “Next week WILL be better.” Holcomb, however, did not post her feelings about almost being eliminated onto her Twitter account.
   
This week, the four finalists will compete again for America’s votes by singing live on Wednesday night. This week’s theme, according to online spoilers, is “Then and Now.” Contestants will each sing two songs: one song that was popular back in the day, and another song popular on the current charts. With Angie, Candice, Amber, and Kree all being women, Season 12 will produce the first female winner since Jordin Sparks of Season 6. It will also be the first season to have two female finalists since Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo in Season 3.

Viewers at home can vote for their favorite contestants by calling or texting their designated number, voting online at the American Idol website, or utilizing the T-Mobile American Idol App for iPhone users. Since nobody was eliminated the previous week, Idol will combine the number of votes from last week with the number of votes from this week to determine which finalist will be going home, and which three will be continuing on in the competition to be the next American Idol.

Stephanie Costantino is a freshman at Saint Thomas Aquinas College majoring in Communication Arts. She enjoys writing and would love to incorporate it into her future career someday.