After last week’s eliminations, many referred to this group of boys as one of the worst in American Idol history. I think that title might’ve been a bit premature. While not the best ever, the boys came out swinging and gave the girls a run for their money. I can honestly say there wasn’t a Zoannette Johnson-like hot mess in the bunch. No one was really embarrassing. That said, I still think a girl is going to take it this year. Fingers crossed. Check out how I ranked the boys’ performances below.

American Idol 12 Top 10 Boys Ranked

10. Charlie Askew

Song: Mama
Original Artist: Genesis

Keeping it real. This wasn’t as bad as the judges said. Keith Urban called it disingenuous, Randy labeled it terrible and Mariah said it was an earful. Even his new look with the peach fuzz, earring and tank top didn’t bother me too much. That said, Charlie is not emotionally strong enough to keep going. That emo breakdown of his after the critiques was awkward to watch. This kid certainly has some deep personal struggles. I hope he has a strong support system to keep him out of any harm.

9. Cortez Shaw

Song: Locked Out of Heaven
Original Artist: Bruno Mars

To me, this guy is one huge cocky asswipe. His previous performances always tackled big diva tracks. Girl, you ain’t Whitney or Sia. Thankfully this time, he chose to say within his gender. While not perfect, his Bruno Mars cover was his best showing so far. That said, I really don’t want him to advance. I don’t think my stomach can handle it. On a side note: I thought the judges were unfairly harsh on his styling choices. Last time I checked, this is American Idol and not Project Runway.

8. Vincent Powell

Song: End of the Road
Original Artist: Boyz II Men

I was expecting Vincent to slay it since he was given the coveted pimp slot. Instead what we got was an overwrought overdone rendition. I predict tomorrow, it will be the “End of the Road” for this worship leader. Side note: Is it me or did this season have a plethora of worship leaders?

7. Paul Jolley

Song: Just A Fool
Original Artist: Christina Aguilera ft. Blake Shelton

Really??? His goal is to become the male Taylor Swift. Have higher goals buddy. Clearly, Paul is one huge country queen. The way he lights up when Carrie Underwood’s name is mentioned tells it all. LOL. Good song choice and I liked his country spin on the X-tina duet. It got a bit shouty at times, but overall one of the better of the night.

6. Nick Boddington

Song: Iris
Original Artist: Goo Goo Dolls

I’m still in shock that he once had long curly locks. It’s hard to imagine, given that he’s bald, bald, bald these days. Good to see he followed the judges advice to head back to the piano. While the judges didn’t like the way he tweaked the song, I personally liked the random falsettos and his inflections. It was a sweet and beautiful performance.

5. Elijah Liu

Song: Stay
Original Artist: Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko

Everything about this kid annoys the shizz out of me. The incessant talk about “his ladies,” that blond streak in his hair and mostly that voice. His last performance was God awful and I can’t believe he made it. That said, I’m almost thankful the judges put him through because tonight he was actually pretty good. He killed on “Stay.” Now that he’s found his niche, he stands a good chance of lasting a bit longer. After all, Rihanna has a pretty extensive catalogue ;)

4. Lazaro Arbos

Song: Feeling Good
Original Artist: Cy Grant (Popularized by Nina Simone & Michael Buble)

This guy isn’t going away anytime soon. His backstory earned him a legion of loyal hardcore fans. Just look at any message board. Personally, I think he hasn’t lived up to his potential yet. The key was a little too low, but was a much better outing than last week’s trainwreck. Unlike Cortez, Lazaro needs a bit of help in the styling department. Hopefully Idol stylists can talk him out of looking like a Miami lounge singer from the 80s.

3. Burnell Taylor

Song: I’m Here
Original Artist: The Color Purple Soundtrack

Love, love, love this kid. He’d be higher on my list had he not recycled his audition song. There’s no excuse to revisit a previous performance this early in the competition. It comes off a little lazy, IMHO. In future weeks, he needs to explore beyond The Color Purple’s songbook and more in the vein of John Legend, as he did last week. That was pure money.

2. Curtis Finch, Jr.

Song: I Believe I Can Fly
Original Artist: R. Kelly

UGH, I can’t believe I have him this high. Double UGH for picking this song. I should’ve definitely added “I Believe I Can Fly” as part of my list of songs I never want sung on American Idol again. That said, Curtis was practically flawless and probably gave the best rendition of this song ever on Idol. You can tell the judges agreed by the way they were testifying like religious freaks. He still needs to work on his personality. His confidence is off-putting and his attempts at humbleness come off as extremely fake.

1. Devin Velez

Song: Somos Novios (It’s Impossible)
Original Artist: Perry Como

Does anyone else get a Latin Clay Aiken vibe off this guy? Devin has a great tone, but pulling out your Spanish skills is cute once in a while and not every performance. It can quickly become an annoying gimmick. Another piece of advice to Devin… he needs to be more current. He’s comes off way too old-fashioned and not in a good way. With all that said, he’s one of my favorite guys in the competition. Hope he goes far.

Top 10 Predictions

I think the shoo-ins are Devin Velez, Lazaro Arbos, Curtis Finch, Jr. and Burnell Taylor. The fifth slot I think is between Nick Boddington or Elijah Liu. I’m thinking the former since Liu sang at the very beginning. As history as shown us time after time, viewers usually forget the first few performances. Charlie also has a long shot of making it due to pity votes. You never know, it’s happened before.

What did you think of tonight? Did the boys bring it? Can they keep the streak alive for consecutive male winners? Who were your favorites tonight? Sound off below.

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