Von Smith opens the show. He pointed out that he was the screamer during Hollywood. He sings “You’re All I Need to Get By” and he has breath issues in the verses. The chorus seems strong enough. The bridge continues to kill him, as he forgets to breathe. He just over-acts and makes these funny faces. His falsetto is really grating. He actually reminds me of Matty from Survivor: Gabon, even with the same positive attitude. Randy thought that the show was started off well and he was better than Randy remembered. Kara repeats the same exact thing. Paula likes his seasoned showmanship. Simon is reminded of Clay Aiken, which is a compliment.
Overall – 7/10

Taylor Vaifanura is from Hurricane, Utah. That’s just cool. She was in Danny and Jamar’s group in Hollywood and she flubbed the words. She decided to sing the ever popular “If I Ain’t Got You” and her low is a little better than most. Her breathing and nasality is a little annoying. She over sings a little bit in the chorus for my taste, but it’s on key. Kara starts first and she knows she has the voice, but lacks personality. Paula points out that she sang this in Hollywood. Simon’s problem is that she’s forgettable. Her singing is generic and bland. The music cuts off Randy, but they turn it off quickly. Randy thinks that there is nothing special. Taylor inadvertently holds up two “two signs” on each hand, telling America to vote for number 4.
Overall – 6/10

Alex Wagner-Trugman suffers from that deer in the headlight look while interviewing with Ryan. He talks about being dorky and attempting to do weights. In his clip show, he had tiffs between Simon and himself. He sings “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and the tempo seems a little weird, but I assume it’s because I haven’t heard the song in a while. He then gets raspy, and seems drunk on the stage. The weird glaze in his eyes, his back and forth with raspy and smooth, him dropping the microphone stand, it’s all signs of being drunk. The whole thing is just flat out weird. Paula loves the showmanship and his “inner rock star.” Simon thought that the growling was stupid and calls him a “hamster trying to be a tiger.” It didn’t work for Randy either, and calls it “Buckwild.” Somewhere Becky “Buckwild” from Flavor of Love is smiling. He screamed the song. Kara points out that he’s an individual and is fun. In post interview, Alex just wanted to have fun. Ryan then proceeds to break the microphone stand even more.
Overall – 5/10 – But very, very funny.

Why does Arianna look like she’s been wearing the same clothes for the past month? Her clip show reminds us how she has a great voice and was taken seriously. She thinks she looks like a button; I think she misunderstood the saying. She attempts the first ABBA performance ever, singing “The Winner Takes It All.” I think that it fits her voice well. She plays with the melody, but her chorus is beautiful. She has wonderful control and this great control between full voice and falsetto. She hits the high note in the end as well. Simon thought that it was ironic and terrible. He thought the song was too big for her. Randy points out that she’s only 17. He thinks that she did too much on a song that doesn’t need vocal runs. Kara wanted the sunshine back; she thinks the performance was depressing. Paula thought that there were bright moments, but the song was old-fashioned. She suggests sticking to the melody.
Overall – 6/10 – I’m in the minority that liked it.>

Ju’Not Joyner is a business owner. His son was the convincing vote in his original audition; he improved in Hollywood and didn’t need his son as a cheerleader. He decides to sing the overly abused “Hey There Delilah.” This time the song is slowed down and he sings it in an airy fashion. It’s decent, but flat at points. His high key seems flat as well. He does have a strong falsetto, but didn’t use it. Randy liked how he turned the song R&B. Kara loved the smoothness. Paula wonders where his son is. He’s at his grandmother's. Either way, Paula thinks that it was good. Simon thought it was better, but should have been more stripped. Ju’Not points out that he got a shot for his voice. It was administered from the bum.
Overall – 8/10

Ryan talks to Kristin and Nathaniel about the group situation in Hollywood. Nathaniel points out that the biggest drama factor isn’t here anyway. Kristin thinks that Nathaniel is a nice guy. Kristen points out that she had a boo-boo and why her hair was purple. She suffered from group drama in Hollywood. She decides to go the Jordin Sparks direction and starts with “Give Me One Reason.” Kristin’s version has a little more country/style. It’s decent overall, but she doesn’t show a lot of range. She hits an interesting whistle high note, but then crashes a little. Kara likes the hair, but the song wasn’t really doing it for her. Paula thought it was safe but it showed range. Simon is still trying to figure out who she is. She has a good voice but bad fashion. Randy thought that she tried to sing too much with the song.
Overall – 6/10

Nathaniel Marshall is next and admits that he’s a drama queen. He wants to show America his humbling, good nature. He attempts Meatloaf and sings “I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” He dances funny and his vocals suffer from the movement. I like the fact that he plays with the tempo and doesn’t get lost. Simon thinks that he “would do that.” He didn’t like the performance and mentions the Olivia Newton-John headband. Randy wonders why he picked it and apparently it is a family favorite. As a recording artist, Randy is confused. Kara knows that he has a voice, but should be taken seriously. His grandmother is quite sweet. Paula loved the “Disturbia” performance in Hollywood, but this song lacks relevance. Ryan makes Nathaniel greet Simon and he awkwardly shakes his hand.
Overall – 6/10

Felicia Barton was one of the girls cut in the dreaded chair. She thought that she could make it, but when she didn’t she decided to work hard for her dreams. She then got the call and is here now. She decided to sing “No One” by Alicia Keys. The tempo is a little too fast, but her vocals are mostly there. She holds the notes funny and then squeaks in the chorus. She doesn’t recover from there. She then yelps until the end when she actually hits a good note. Paula reminds her that all things happen for a reason and she’s a talented girl. Simon thought that the first part was better than the second and the performance was a little copy-cat-esque. Randy loved the different tone that she had. Kara liked the look, the presence, and knows that there were some bad notes, but she stood out.
Overall – 7/10

Scott Macintyre was nervous in the beginning auditions, but he’s progressed all the way into Hollywood and gained confidence as each step progressed. He chooses “Mandolin Rain.” They place him on a stool. He actually gets up and does a little bit of hand motions. Vocally, it’s not the strongest, but like everyone else, his high note seems fine. Randy didn’t think it was the best vocal, but the big notes were great. He feels the passion. Kara likes the passion as well, and she hopes that he makes it to the rounds where he can play the piano. Paula agrees and calls him one of the finest. Simon thought that it wasn’t the best song choice, but he likes Scott. Scott gives Ryan a high five.
Overall – 7/10

Kendal Beard decided to try out in Puerto Rico because it’s beautiful and she was going to take a plane ride anyway. Her foot was tapping horribly when she sat on the dreaded chair and it actually cut off Paula’s talking. She decided to sing “This One’s for the Girls.” She’s hoping she makes it just so that we can watch her father do the alligator dance. She’s vocally there in the song, but it actually seems Karaoke-boring. She’s a little flat on some of her lower notes. Her end half is better than her beginning. Kara loves the personality and song choice, but she points out the flat notes. Paula thinks that she had the best outfit. Simon thinks she made the right decisions, but he wished that it would end. Randy liked the package, but the vocals weren’t the strongest.
Overall – 7/10

Jorge Nunez has an interesting accent and he’s worked on pronunciation. His group performance was dinged for his bad dancing. He chose “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and although you can hear a little accent, you know he’s trying his best to keep the pronunciation correct. Some of his runs are a little flat, but his strength is when he holds his keys. Paula loved it; she’s proud of him. Simon regrets making the accent comment because it helps him stand out. Randy thought that the vocals were strong. Kara thinks that he was born to sing. He’s in tears after all the compliments.
Overall – 8/10

Lil Rounds loved the audition process and Hollywood. She decided to pick Mary J Blige’s “Be Without You.” She’s a little wavery in her lowest keys, but after the beginning she gets quite soulful. It’s actually the most professional performance out of all the contestants. She refers to herself at the end to vote in a cheeky fashion. Simon thought it was brilliant. He thought it sounded too much alike, but she has great prospects. Randy agrees and loved her “swagger.” Kara calls her a powerhouse; Paula calls her “first class.”
Overall – 10/10

Top female has to be Lil, and I’m going off on a limb but I think the top male is Jorge, but you really can’t count out Scott. The two will probably round out the three. Out of the rest Ariana deserves a second chance, possibly Von for the wild card round.


Talk to other readers about this story on our Facebook page.