Rising Star - Live Blog and Recap - Top 6 Perform, 3 Eliminated
Welcome to the live blog and recap of Rising Star! Last week featured the Top 8 performing while three were eliminated. However, one lucky singer earned the West Coast Save to return as the sixth member of our Top 6 this week. That singer was Maneepat Molloy, who now rounds out our Top 6.
Six singers will perform, and by the end of the night, three of them will be eliminated. However, the West Coast will be able to save one of the three eliminated singers, who will advance to next week's finale, where the final four singers will compete to see who will be named the Rising Star!
So who will survive the semifinals this week? Who will advance and who will go home? Keep it locked right here, as I'll be updating the blog as the night rolls on!
Credit: Twitter (@RisingStarABC)
Let's get this show on the road!
RECAP
-So Josh Groban opens the show to explain how it's going to work tonight: The Top 6 will perform, and the three singers with the lowest scores will be eliminated. However, the West Coast will save one of those singers, allowing them to advance to next week's finale where the Top 4 will compete for the title of Rising Star.
AUSTIN FRENCH opens the show!
-Austin talks about making it to the semifinals. In their mentoring session, Josh Groban notes that Austin actually topped the leaderboard last week, which Austin still seems to have trouble really believing. I'm convinced it's this low-key confidence that could carry Austin all the way to the title, provided that Jesse Kinch completely stumbles at the finish line and doesn't just waltz his way to the big win (which I'm almost certain he's going to).
-Austin sings "Love Runs Out" and I really enjoyed this! Austin has this strange "normcore" charm that makes every one of his performances so quirky and alluring. I just love it. And it certainly helps that he's an absolute killer in the vocal department. I'll be genuinely shocked if he's not in the Top 3 with Jesse Kinch and Audrey Kate Geiger. The man just has the goods to go all the way, and even though I enjoy Jesse and Audrey, I really wouldn't mind seeing that happen. Austin ends with 81% of the vote.
-Kesha says Austin is "infectiously cute," while Brad enjoyed the performance overall. Ludacris seems downright excited about Austin, saying he's the only contestant so far who's utilized the judges' side of the stage. He even gets out of his seat to congratulate Austin. Cool stuff. I dig Austin and hope he advances. And I can't imagine he won't, since he scored in the 80s.
WATCH/DISCUSS: Austin French sings "Run Loves Out"
MANEEPAT MOLLOY is up next!
-Maneepat recalls getting saved at the end of last week. Josh tells her that she needs to not compromise, telling her "You need to do you, no matter what." We see a bit of her mentoring session with the other experts, and Maneepat is mostly just trying to bounce back from her elimination scare. And I don't blame her for wanting to forge ahead, even if she does seem like her confidence has been a little shaken. Hopefully, it's not completely broken in the way Majesty Rose's was after appearing in the bottom 3 on American Idol XIII. She just never got it back, unfortunately.
-Maneepat sings "Chandelier" by Sia, and I was actually kind of disappointed by this. She's a great singer, but this was a case where the verses were much, much better than the chorus. This song is a tall order for any singer, and unless you're willing to fully commit to it, it's just going to fall flat. It doesn't help that she was singing this to a toothless arrangement that somewhat undercut the power of the original. She ends up with just 27% of the vote.
-Ludacris said Maneepat didn't seem as comfortable as he wanted her to feel, adding that there are so many vocal runs and tricks in the song that it just was never going to work unless she mastered it. Brad agrees with Ludacris on the vocal critiques, although he says she looks great onstage. However, he says he heard too much pitch, which is why he thinks the score is not higher. Kesha is supportive, because of course she is.
WATCH/DISCUSS: Maneepat Molloy sings "Chandelier"
JESSE KINCH is up next!
-Jesse Kinch is singing "Billie Jean," and I would imagine he's doing the Chris Cornell version. I'm not sure how this is going to work, since Jesse has more of a classic rock voice, as opposed to the modern rock voice that pairs so well with Cornell in his version. But I'm stoked to see what he can do.
-Yup, I was silly to be nervous about this. This may have been the performance of the season for me. Well, actually, I might have to think that over a bit. Either way, if it's not my top of the season, it's pretty damn close. Sure, "Bllie Jean" as a rock song has been done, but this actually felt like a classic rock song. It's a tremendous performance, and very unique. He finishes the performance with 83%, and I'm struggling to recall if Jesse has ever ended a performance in a sub-80s score. The dude just kills it every single week, and is the rare performer whom I think would be every bit as popular on a different show.
-Brad (who voted no, surprisingly) says Jesse is a very unique performer, and says that while that might not have been everyone's cup of tea, there's not a single person here who doesn't respect him. Kesha says Jesse always leaves her at a loss for words, and compares him to a rock god. Ludacris says Jesse is the rare performer who can sing a Michael Jackson song and make people forget they're listening to a Michael Jackson song. I wouldn't go that far, but this was pretty fantastic, all things considered.
WATCH/DISCUSS: Jesse Kinch sings "Billie Jean"
-So now Maneepat is in the hot seat, and the Wall comes down. If our next performer can top 27%, we say goodbye to Maneepat, unless the West Coast decides to save her again.
DANA WILLIAMS is up next!
-Dana is thrilled to be in the semifinals, even despite all the close calls. She feels that, more than ever, she has to give it her all. However, she's very confident about her song tonight. Kesha gives Dana encouragement during their mentoring session, and this prompts Dana to tear up. She says, "Being saved was really stressful, and it's made it hard to be really confident." But despite having voted no initially, Ludacris says Dana absolutely deserves to be here. And I'd argue she does.
-Dana sings a bluesy version of "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5, and it almost sounds like a chanteuse rendition, as if she should be lying on top of a piano in a shimmery dress. I love this, actually. Dana does a remarkable job, earning upvotes and standing ovations from all three experts. She earns 75% of the vote, suddenly becoming a real threat to advance to the finals on points alone, without even needing the West Coast.
-Kesha absolutely loved it, and reiterates that she always felt Dana could win this competition. Ludacris says Dana showed him she wants this more than anyone on the show. Brad says this was the first time he felt she had a huge connection with the audience, and he thinks that's why she lifted the Wall. Honestly, I have no idea how America is going to make up their minds with the Top 3 performers so far.
WATCH/DISCUSS: Dana Williams sings "Sunday Morning"
-With 75%, Dana has knocked Maneepat out of the hot seat, meaning...
MANEEPAT MOLLOY is eliminated from RISING STAR!
Now Dana is in the hot seat with what is possibly the highest hot seat score of the competition so far.
AUDREY KATE GEIGER is up next!
-Audrey says her performance last week was a wonderful moment for her. "You can't describe that with words, just with feeling." (She nearly tears up again just thinking about it) We then see her mentoring session, and she says being mentored by Brad and Josh is priceless, and being complimented by Brad is like a dream come true. Kesha thinks Audrey's vocal tone is really attractive; however, Audrey is worried about what America is going to think about her performance. Audrey doesn't want this experience to end just yet. I don't want it to end for you either, hun!
-Audrey sings "Killing Me Softly," and it's so lovely and warm. A very nuanced vocal. However, that could be a bit of a problem if you're of the mind that needs to be more of a pained vocal. I didn't really get the pain of heartbreak from this. It was more like the kind of simple, understated-but-gorgeous performance you'd hear in a high-end cafe on open mic night. Which I love, but I worry it may not translate to a stage like this. And, unfortunately, it doesn't. For the first time in her run, Audrey fails to raise the Wall, getting 69% of the vote.
-Ludacris felt it was too slow of a performance, which is why America was slow to vote for it. However, Ludacris said he just had to vote yes. Kesha agrees with Ludacris though, and says it was a matter of song choice. Brad simply says, "We've got to save you." Here's hoping the West Coast rallies and brings her back! Audrey Kate is one of my favorite singers in this entire competition, and I'd hate to see her go, just shy of the finale. But she failed to raise the Wall so, unless the West Coast saves her...
AUDREY KATE GEIGER is eliminated from RISING STAR!
WATCH/DISCUSS: Audrey Kate Geiger sings "Killing Me Softly"
-Back from break with Brad and Ludacris sporting Kesha wigs. Brad seems far more into it than Ludacris, although both are begrudgingly accepting of the silliness.
JOSHUA PEAVY closes the show!
-Joshua was going to sing "Love Me Again" by John Newman, but when he went to his mentoring session, Brad suggested singing something country, since that's who Joshua is. So Joshua switched over to "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts, and it's actually a much better fit, all things considered. He feels it's a song he can really put his all into.
-I think this may have been Joshua's best performance of the entire competition, even though I don't think it was the best of the night. It's solid all the way through though, as Joshua is an absolute powerhouse of a singer. Unfortunately for Joshua, he comes JUST THREE PERCENTAGE POINTS shy of raising the Wall! And why? Because Ludacris votes no! (Or, in a different perspective, because America didn't give him the votes he needed) So Joshua ends with 72% of the vote, drawing heartbroken sighs from the audience.
-Brad says that if the West Coast Saves him, they'll see him next week. And if not, "Come on over to the farm, we'll record something." Ludacris said he voted "no" because, when it comes down to it, he felt Dana wanted this more. Kesha, meanwhile, is positive about Joshua's performance as the show comes to a close. Unfortunately, because Joshua did not raise the Wall...
JOSHUA PEAVY is eliminated from RISING STAR!
WATCH/DISCUSS: Joshua Peavey sings "What Hurts the Most"
-So, to recap, the Top 3 vote-getters are...
Austin French
Jesse Kinch
Dana Williams
And the three singers vying for the West Coast Save are...
Maneepat Molloy
Audrey Kate Geiger
Joshua Peavy
So who will get a second chance thanks to the West Coast? And who will win Rising Star in next week's finale? Sound off in the comments!
Videos are on the way! Until then, thanks for hanging out!