Reality Check - Is 'American Idol XIII' The Marrialle Sellars Show? - Video

TVLine.com's Michael Slezak returns with American Idol Season 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle for an all-new Reality Check, dissecting the week in reality singing competitions!

This week's episode centers on the Detroit and Atlanta auditions of American Idol XIII, a week of singing that showed that, perhaps, Idol has legs after all. Is the series turning over a new leaf by featuring talent over joke auditions? Who were some of the best artists of the week? And what the HELL was with the dual Marrialle Sellars auditions? You can watch the full video below via TVLine:

Thoughts

I like Marrialle Sellars a little more than these two did, but really, Majesty Rose does a better Marrialle Sellars than Marrialle Sellars. With that said, I have to disagree about Jade Lathan and Ryan Nisbett. They delivered solid auditions, but neither one really blew me away, although I suppose that, of the two, Ryan is the one I could see going far. I'm not even sure why either, just a hunch.

Of course, I'm glad others are as thrilled as I am bout Jesse Cline, as he really is the kind of contestant that would only end up on Idol. I wonder if he might not be a serious dark horse in this competition, as he's likable and down-to-Earth in a way that makes him instantly memorable, despite his relatively straightforward appearance. Double agreement on, I'm also stoked about the return of David Oliver Willis, who really did get the shaft last season.

All in all, I'm super high on this season, but I share Michael and Melinda's concerns that the show will end up picking a contestant and pimping the hell out of him or her, to the point where the show stops being fun. That'd be a real shame, given that this is the most fun Idol has been in YEARS. And this is as close as the panel has ever been to matching the chemistry of The Voice panel (although they're still, admittedly, a long way off. But yeah, "lightning in a bottle" and all that).

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Michael and Melinda? Who were your favorites from the Detroit and Atlanta auditions? Sound off in the comments!