No More ‘Eazy’ Chikezie at American Idol

It wasn’t ‘eazy time’ for Chikezie this week at American Idol, as he found himself voted out from the popular reality show. Chikezie was the first singer to be sent off from the Top 10, and indications are it is going to be a tough-as-nails event from now on.

Chikezie went off at the end of a week that saw the highest number of votes being cast in a single week this entire season. According to show host Ryan Seacrest, 30 million votes came in this week, an irony in itself considering the show on Tuesday had the smallest numbers in terms of audience during this season.

Apparently, Chikezie listened to the voice coach instead of listening to the judges of the show, one possible reason for his exit. Prior to his song on Tuesday, he had told Seacrest that the last time he sang a ballad, the judges had almost read him the riot act and he was wondering about singing another one. However, his voice coach apparently told him last week he needed to follow his heart.

The result of that conversation was that Chikezie went ahead with another ballad, If Only For One Night, instead of taking the advice of the judges. While the song itself was not bad, it was the result that was perplexing. Not only was the ouster of Chikezie a source of puzzlement for the judges, Syesha’s presence in the bottom three was also something the judges seemed unable to lay a finger on.

Along with Chikezie, the two others who made the bottom three were Jason Castro, who did a seemingly easygoing version of Sting’s Fragile, and Syesha Mercado, who delivered a superb rendition of If I Were Your Woman.

While Jason’s entry into the bottom three was not unexpected, especially after he admitted he had not rehearsed the song properly and delivered a below-par performance, Syesha had no business being in the bottom three, considered she delivered one of the top performances of the show.

To make things even stranger, it was Jason who trudged away to safety, while Syesha had to remain in the bottom two with Chikezie. Both Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul had said during the Tuesday performance that Syesha had delivered a great performance, while Simon Cowell had said it was the best performance of the night so far, though the singers before her included Ramiele Malubay and Jason Castro.

Whatever it may be, the votes are in and Chikezie is out, and that is what finally it boils down to always, the reality of the reality show. It is sad he had to go, considering his performance was definitely better than some of the others, coupled with the fact he did have a charming personality. But that is how it works in reality shows, and all we can look forward to is some great singing, some great judge talk, and some more eliminations.