Better Lock Them Doors and Turn the Lights Down Low

We posted earlier on who we WANT to win, but who has the best chances? From least likely, to most likely, here’s the PREDICTION post.

Haley Reinhart - It’s a shame that she’s last in our prediction running, because she’s absolutely not the worst singer. She’s one of the contestants who is not pitchy, and, unlike Casey, she mixes her growls with actual notes. She also still manages to be sexy with a face that’s not traditionally beautiful. This week, we heard her reach for some high notes and hit them, albeit quietly. But she was in the bottom three last time, so it would be safe to bet she won’t win.

Naima Adedapo - Another tragedy, because she’s super original. We weren’t loving her last week, but this week she proved that she could sing on key, as long as she’s not jumping at the same time. She’s gone way up in our eyes, but it would take a lot for her to have a shot to win.

Jacob Lusk - This guy has a great voice, and this week he showed that he could control it better. But with such strong contestants this year, we don’t think he has the charisma to stand against him for long. He either bombs or kills it each week. We think America is going to remember that there were too many bombs.

Paul McDonald - Paul is low-key. He’s good-looking, but that won’t be enough to pull the votes in. He will last a while, but then he will go. He’s just not going to win. There’s not enough buzz around him. Unless you count him being the current pick for the Web site “Vote for the Worst.” http://www.votefortheworst.com/

Stefano Langone - Did anyone else catch that nasal quality to his vocals this week? It really stood out more than ever. Unless he pulls a great sob story out of his ass, there’s no chance. The judges are really pumping him, but we don’t think America is buying it.

Casey Abrams - We know, you’re shocked that our favorite and the frontrunner since the beginning is so low on this list. But novelty wears off. We can’t see him beating a more serious and better-looking singer in the long run. We hope he does though!

Pia Toscano - On many couches, there sits a person who is reading the newspaper while they are half-watching. They don’t need to look at the TV, because they are thinking, “This is a singing competition. It’s about how they sound. Not personality, not looks, not style. The singing.” (Other blogger's note: No. There are none of those people.) And when you close your eyes and listen to these people, based on straight singing, it’s hard to beat the flawless balladry of Pia. Those people on those couches will keep her in the game for longer than most will predict.

James Durbin - He has the impressive voice, the personality, the human interest angle (Asperger’s), the charisma, and the energy to put him toward the top. This week, the first half of his song was bad, but he pulled it together for an impressive finish.

Thia Megia - Your grandma is voting for this girl. She’s young, she’s cute, and she’s got that clear tone that old people love. Old people are the ones who would vote. They get caught into this sort of thing. Don’t believe us? How many email forwards do you get from your grandparents? They forward when told to forward and call when told to call, and they have the time to do it. Grandmas love Thia. Fact.

Lauren Alaina - She’s got the voice, the personality, and the versatility. She just gained underdog status this week when she talked about how people have been putting her down on the internet. Not us, Lauren. We think your comfort on the Idol stage is impressive and speaks to a maturity and power that will take you to (hopefully) at least number two.

And the winner will be….

Scotty McCreery - Two words: Country male. A guy has won this competition for the past couple of years. Country is popular and American Idol hasn’t really produced a viable country male yet. Scotty has a decent enough voice, plus he’s got the young, cute thing going on. We’re going to groan and beat the ground, because there are better people in this competition. But we think it’s his competition to lose, at this point.