American Idol recap: As the remaining 43 boys battled to survive Hollywood Week, a rather severe Nicki Minaj proved to be one daunting obstacle. Which American Idol boys overcame her wrath?
Minaj, seen here at an American Idol press conference in Pasadena, was particularly hard on the male contestants tonight as they fought to survive Hollywood Week.
Marion Anzuoni / Reuters
EnlargeOn Thursday night, the 43 remaining American Idol male contestants put their dreams, not to mention more than a few 'Jar of Hearts' renditions, on the line ? all in hopes of advancing to the top 20. It's a stressful week, to be sure, and Nicki Minaj demonstrated that it wasn't just the contestants who were coming apart at the seams during Hollywood Week.
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The stress had obviously pushed American Idol judge Nicki to the brink, and less-than-stellar performances from some of the boys proved to be the last straw ? forcing Nicki to release her pent-up frustration with harsh critiques.
Sheesh guys, it's not all about YOU, you know. Did you even stop for one moment between cramming lyrics into your head, learning choreography and enduring grueling pressure and criticism to consider how hard this is for Nicki? For crying out loud, she's doing this for you, after all. Well, you and a reported $15 million, but still, mostly for you. Have some consideration.
Nicki's first victim of the night, contestant Paul Jolley, understandably struggled with some pre-performance jitters, but his jitters didn't seem to detract from his impressive vocals. In fact, if Paul keeps doing better than his solo performance, he could definitely be one to watch in this competition. But after tonight's performance, Nicki Minaj, looking like a deranged train conductor, was disgusted. She lambasted Paul for not being composed, stating that all she was looking for was one minute of professionalism and he couldn't give it to her. Poor Nicki was forced to reduce Paul to tears.
Later, when Matheus Fernandes, the vertically-challenged contestant, gave an earnest?soliloquy about how grateful he was to be able to perform for them since so many people had laughed at his aspirations because of his height, Nicki stared him down like he was gum on the bottom of her shoe. After he demonstrated his lack of experience performing with a live band and gave a dreadful rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger," Nicki skewered Matheus for bringing up his height again, suggesting that he was throwing himself a pity party and milking it. And while eviscerating Matheus, Nicki also managed to seamlessly insert a delightfully passive-aggressive comment ? eliciting a well-deserved eye roll from Mariah Carey ? about not being given the chance to give Matheus feedback during his last performance, presumably because the other judges talked over Nicki, who is known to have issues with self-confidence and making herself heard. What?!
Well, Nicki couldn't very well let Matheus have a pity party all for himself.
Vigilante Nicki didn't stop there; she moved on to her once golden peach, Papa Peachez, whom she scolded on Wednesday night for becoming too complacent. When Papa began to sing Lady Gaga's, "You and I," Nicki snarled at innocent bystander, Keith, asking why he chose that?song. Poor Keith played possum until her wrath was directed back at the stage. When Papa finished his performance, Nicki told him that she was disappointed in him and that he had allowed himself to be swallowed by the competition. "That flame is completely burnt out," she stated dismissively.
For both Papa and Matheus, Nicki's wrath was the final blow to their dreams: Both were eliminated from the competition. Thankfully, Paul Jolley managed to make the cut, guaranteeing that he'll get to perform for Nicki again. He must really be looking forward to it.
But as harsh as she was, Nicki's passion was a welcome departure from the timid, tongue-in-cheek "feedback" given by Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler in the last two seasons. And it would be doing Nicki a disservice to suggest that she was a tyrant with all the contestants. Cortez Shaw, who had personally offended Minaj with his performance of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" earlier this week, seemed to have earned his way back into her good graces, eliciting a smile from Nicki during his solo performance.
Charlie Askew, who dedicated his performance of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" to an ex-girlfriend, earned more than a smile from Nicki. She was so delighted with Charlie's oddness and quirkiness that she declared she's obsessed with him. He coolly replied that he could say the same to her. As he left the stage, Nicki was still beaming, declaring that she wanted to eat Charlie.?
So much for one minute of professionalism.
Next week, the girls get their chance at fame and glory (or heartbreak and disillusionment) and an additional eight boys are sent packing. Tell us what you thought about Nicki this week in the comments below: Was she keeping it real or crossing the line? ?
Follow me on Twitter @JodiBWrites
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