American Idol Leaderboard: Who Are Your Faves From the Season 12 Top 20? Take Our Poll!
The voting lines are set to open tonight, which means the fate of American Idol‘s Season 12 Top 20 is back in the hands of people who have two straight hours to do nothing but “vote for contestant three” the Idoloonie Nation.
Nope, the wannabe successors to Phillip Phillips’ throne no longer have to worry about activating Nicki Minaj’s libido, only your speed-dialing fingers.
Who’s entering the Semifinals with solid momentum, and which singers still have a lot left to prove? We thought we’d rank the Top 20 in our weekly leaderboard feature, then turn the vote over to you. So click through the photos below for the whole shebang, then take our poll and vote for your own faves. And for all my Idol news, videos, interviews and recaps, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSlezakTV! Who are your Season 12 faves? Take our poll below, then sound off in the comments! (New This Week) Nicki thinks he's cute, but his gasping Bruno Mars cover during the Top 40 round was anything but. (Last Week No. 14) Tremulous take on “Rocket Man” hinted that the awkward teen who charmed in Hollywood may be at least a few years away from being vocally ready for this competition. Post-critique, “look at me!” banter with the judges getting old, too. (New This Week) Childhood stay at Camp Mariah will only carry her so far unless she works out the upper-register screechiness she showed on Natasha Bedingfield's “Soulmate.” (Last Week No. 16) Sweetie pie with good looks and a heartbreaking backstory proved utterly inadequate from a vocal standpoint with his rendition of “Tonight I Wanna Cry.” His Idol ship is quickly taking on water — and it'll take a dazzling Top 20 Week vocal to avoid a Titanic-esque trajectory. (Last Week No. 10) Began his cover of “Titanium” in a key that was simply too high to sustain, making the end result an intermittently alarming experience. When he hits his notes, though, Cortez has a clear, appealing tone. Song choice and arrangement will be crucial to his survival. (Last Week No. 4) Much-hyped (and with good reason) during the audition and Hollywood phases of the competition, but tumbled hard from her perch with a drab, off-pitch Lady Antebellum that almost made her the season's first shock elimination. Anything less than a stellar semifinal performance could land her more in the Baylie Brown category than the Carrie Underwood one. (Last Week No. 18) Sounded a tad strained when he reached for big notes on “Tonight I Want to Cry,” but he hit the bulk of his notes and dressed reasonably well — which was better than a lot of the male contestants in Vegas. (New This Week) Made a fine first impression during Top 40 rounds with a strongly sung version of “Ain't No Way.” Total lack of prior screentime and slightly pageant-y vibe, however, may limit how far she can go. (New This Week) Most folks either loved or hated her “Circle of Life” — which was a triumph of energy and emotion over actual singing — but at this early stage of the voting, it's sometimes better to be polarizing than middle-of-the-road. (Last Week No. 3) Early frontrunner among the Season 12 men swung and whiffed with a lackluster James Morrison in Vegas. A return trip to the piano — and a song choice with an actual hook — could return him to a contending position. (Last Week No. 11) One of Season 12′s most consistent guys wasn't at his best in Vegas — thanks to the “Mariah on Red Bull” hand gestures and a mildly janky tone — but my Idology cohost Melinda Doolittle begs to differ, and that's enough to get this fella into the Top 10 on this here countdown. (Returning this week) Hard to fault his old-school R&B version of “Superstar” — although, if you're going to, you could say it was too studied by half — but he's projected a smug, slightly smarmy attitude on screen that may come back to haunt him now that power has shifted to speed-dialing viewers. (New This Week) Gave an extraordinarily clean cover of “Sweet Dreams” — maybe just a tad too clean? — and earned raves from the judges for her commercial potential. Given the lack of screentime she's received to date, though, Aubrey really needs to convey more personality — and fast — to forge a connection with voters. (Last Week No. 6) Went for a high degree of difficulty with Beyoncé's “Listen,” and while his cover could've used a little more oomph, his grasp of pitch and phrasing were solid. Plus, that switch to Spanish for part of the song helped him stand out from his mostly bland male counterparts. (Last Week No. 2) Has gotten more hype than any Season 12 contestant — and her original song in Hollywood Week certainly made it easy to see why. That said, she overbaked her cover of Jessie J's “Nobody's Perfect,” and the judges' failure to clearly call her out for it took away a bit of her luster — at least temporarily. (New This Week) Wasn't perfect on “Bust Your Windows,” but brought tempo, drama, and sass that was missing from most contestants of either gender during the Vegas Top 40 round. If she continues to set herself apart with hip, energetic song choices, she could easily find herself on the Season 12 summer tour. (New This Week) One of the few Season 12 guys to get the pulse racing — in a good way — from the Top 40 rounds, thanks to a gut-busting version of Lenny Williams' “'Cause I Love You.” Closest thing to a Mortal Lock to crack the Top 10 among male contestants. (New This Week) Another contestant who got the cannon-fodder edit prior to the Top 40 rounds — in other words, was hidden under a rock by Uncle Nigel — but her bold, pitch-perfect “My Funny Valentine” changed the game and made her a legit contender. (Last Week No. 1) “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” may have been a slightly expected song choice, but Candice took some nifty chances with the melody and imbued the classic ballad with a sexy, grown-up ferocity. The most consistently potent vocalist of Season 12 belongs right near the top of the pack. (Last Week No. 7) Showed promise in brief glimpses of screentime during Hell Week, then burst to prominence with a rendition of “Up to the Mountain” that was rich, organic and perhaps more emotional than anyone else during the Vegas rounds. Who are your Season 12 faves? Take our poll below, then sound off in the comments! (New This Week) Nicki thinks he's cute, but his gasping Bruno Mars cover during the Top 40 round was anything but. (Last Week No. 14) Tremulous take on “Rocket Man” hinted that the awkward teen who charmed in Hollywood may be at least a few years away from being vocally ready for this competition. Post-critique, “look at me!” banter with the judges getting old, too. (New This Week) Childhood stay at Camp Mariah will only carry her so far unless she works out the upper-register screechiness she showed on Natasha Bedingfield's “Soulmate.” (Last Week No. 16) Sweetie pie with good looks and a heartbreaking backstory proved utterly inadequate from a vocal standpoint with his rendition of “Tonight I Wanna Cry.” His Idol ship is quickly taking on water — and it'll take a dazzling Top 20 Week vocal to avoid a Titanic-esque trajectory. (Last Week No. 10) Began his cover of “Titanium” in a key that was simply too high to sustain, making the end result an intermittently alarming experience. When he hits his notes, though, Cortez has a clear, appealing tone. Song choice and arrangement will be crucial to his survival. (Last Week No. 4) Much-hyped (and with good reason) during the audition and Hollywood phases of the competition, but tumbled hard from her perch with a drab, off-pitch Lady Antebellum that almost made her the season's first shock elimination. Anything less than a stellar semifinal performance could land her more in the Baylie Brown category than the Carrie Underwood one. (Last Week No. 18) Sounded a tad strained when he reached for big notes on “Tonight I Want to Cry,” but he hit the bulk of his notes and dressed reasonably well — which was better than a lot of the male contestants in Vegas. (New This Week) Made a fine first impression during Top 40 rounds with a strongly sung version of “Ain't No Way.” Total lack of prior screentime and slightly pageant-y vibe, however, may limit how far she can go. (New This Week) Most folks either loved or hated her “Circle of Life” — which was a triumph of energy and emotion over actual singing — but at this early stage of the voting, it's sometimes better to be polarizing than middle-of-the-road. (Last Week No. 3) Early frontrunner among the Season 12 men swung and whiffed with a lackluster James Morrison in Vegas. A return trip to the piano — and a song choice with an actual hook — could return him to a contending position. (Last Week No. 11) One of Season 12′s most consistent guys wasn't at his best in Vegas — thanks to the “Mariah on Red Bull” hand gestures and a mildly janky tone — but my Idology cohost Melinda Doolittle begs to differ, and that's enough to get this fella into the Top 10 on this here countdown. (Returning this week) Hard to fault his old-school R&B version of “Superstar” — although, if you're going to, you could say it was too studied by half — but he's projected a smug, slightly smarmy attitude on screen that may come back to haunt him now that power has shifted to speed-dialing viewers. (New This Week) Gave an extraordinarily clean cover of “Sweet Dreams” — maybe just a tad too clean? — and earned raves from the judges for her commercial potential. Given the lack of screentime she's received to date, though, Aubrey really needs to convey more personality — and fast — to forge a connection with voters. (Last Week No. 6) Went for a high degree of difficulty with Beyoncé's “Listen,” and while his cover could've used a little more oomph, his grasp of pitch and phrasing were solid. Plus, that switch to Spanish for part of the song helped him stand out from his mostly bland male counterparts. (Last Week No. 2) Has gotten more hype than any Season 12 contestant — and her original song in Hollywood Week certainly made it easy to see why. That said, she overbaked her cover of Jessie J's “Nobody's Perfect,” and the judges' failure to clearly call her out for it took away a bit of her luster — at least temporarily. (New This Week) Wasn't perfect on “Bust Your Windows,” but brought tempo, drama, and sass that was missing from most contestants of either gender during the Vegas Top 40 round. If she continues to set herself apart with hip, energetic song choices, she could easily find herself on the Season 12 summer tour. (New This Week) One of the few Season 12 guys to get the pulse racing — in a good way — from the Top 40 rounds, thanks to a gut-busting version of Lenny Williams' “'Cause I Love You.” Closest thing to a Mortal Lock to crack the Top 10 among male contestants. (New This Week) Another contestant who got the cannon-fodder edit prior to the Top 40 rounds — in other words, was hidden under a rock by Uncle Nigel — but her bold, pitch-perfect “My Funny Valentine” changed the game and made her a legit contender. (Last Week No. 1) “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” may have been a slightly expected song choice, but Candice took some nifty chances with the melody and imbued the classic ballad with a sexy, grown-up ferocity. The most consistently potent vocalist of Season 12 belongs right near the top of the pack. (Last Week No. 7) Showed promise in brief glimpses of screentime during Hell Week, then burst to prominence with a rendition of “Up to the Mountain” that was rich, organic and perhaps more emotional than anyone else during the Vegas rounds. Who are your Season 12 faves? Take our poll below, then sound off in the comments!
Follow @MichaelSlezakTV
20. Elijah Liu
19. Charlie Askew
18. Tenna Torres
17. Lazaro Arbos
16. Cortez Shaw
15. Janelle Arthur
14. Paul Jolley
13. Adriana Latonio
12. Zoanette Johnson
11. Nick Boddington
10. Burnell Taylor
9. Curtis Finch, Jr.
8. Aubrey Cleland
7. Devin Velez
6. Angela Miller
5. Breanna Steer
4. Vincent Powell
3. Amber Holcomb
2. Candice Glover
1. Kree Harrison
20. Elijah Liu
19. Charlie Askew
18. Tenna Torres
17. Lazaro Arbos
16. Cortez Shaw
15. Janelle Arthur
14. Paul Jolley
13. Adriana Latonio
12. Zoanette Johnson
11. Nick Boddington
10. Burnell Taylor
9. Curtis Finch, Jr.
8. Aubrey Cleland
7. Devin Velez
6. Angela Miller
5. Breanna Steer
4. Vincent Powell
3. Amber Holcomb
2. Candice Glover
1. Kree Harrison
Well, can’t even be mad at ya for that. Loved him before. Love him even more now.
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