OK, so I watch a lot of reality TV and, clearly, I don't hide this fact.
And while the Metroplex has enjoyed (and I've enjoyed slamming or celebrating) a contestant on various shows in modeling, music and fashion fields here and there, North Texas has hit the motherload with a whopping four dudes on this current run of American Idol.
But, hey, they won't all be kicked off at once, so we have the opportunity to watch for a few more weeks, which is fortunate no matter your penchant--Billboard karaoke or schadenfreude.
This week, Fort Worth's Casey James--also known as Kara DioGuardi's faux-rugged wet dream--attempted to amp things up after last week's just OK acoustic rehash of Bryan Adam's "Heaven." He strode on stage with his shiny blue guitar, a wah pedal and flowing blonde locks to tackle the earworm that pretty much every "rocker" or guy with a raspy voice has done on AI: Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be."
Alex Lambert of North Richland Hills admitted that he throws up before shows and has his own language, which helps him write songs. He demonstrated--and I did a spit take. Then he talked about how, last week, he was so out of sorts that he didn't even know where to put his hands during his performance, and his version of James Morrison's "Wonderful World" indeed suffered a great deal. But it was hard not to feel for the little guy: He was literally shaking.
And then there was Arlington's Todrick Hall. The professional dancer got his ass handed to him (for the most part) last week after he totally rearranged Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" into something barely recognizable. He's an excellent performer and is probably the most likeable guy of all of the Texas singers, but he's just too much for the show that tells everyone to "make it your own" but really means "change up two notes so it looks like you're original but so it won't be a creative problem if we give you a contract later."
The Jo-Bro look-alike from the giant family, Tim Urban of Duncanville, wasn't supposed to be on the show at all, but due to another contestant dropping off, he was added back. After his heinous effort last week with One Republic's "Apologize," Simon said they made the right decision the first time. Ouch. And true.
Still only Glee-worthy, but stronger.
Oh, and "Big Mike" Lynche's "This Is a Man's World" blew them all out of the water, just so you know.