My American Idol 10 Predictions

Most people have already made their predictions at the top thirteen, right as the competition reached its turning point. I played things a bit differently, as I have played since season eight, when they switched things up and decided to blind side us with a top thirteen in the first place. This season's cast is really a good bunch, and I continue to believe that the men are better than the women. With that being said, it was very tough to pick against the men going early, thus the predictions may look a lot similar to the actual results from last season in means of which gender was given the boot when. Here are my picks...

#11- Haley Reinhart- Haley doesn't stand out on any end besides being the chip one. She hasn't discovered a path, and has sung Alicia Keys, LeAnn Rimes, and Whitney Houston, none of which hit the bullseye. While she is beginning to have a personality that people can remember (whether it's for the right reasons is up to them), Lauren seems to be the more lovable contestant with the innocent personality, and I can put my wagers that the "innocent vote" is going straight to Lauren. Haley has already had two trips to the bottom two (let alone the bottom three), and that'll cause her to fall short of going on tour.

#10- Naima Adedapo- I didn't necessarily agree with Naima being a wildcard choice, though I found her more believable a pick than Ashthon, who has already exited the competition. Her performance of "Umbrella" was okay, while her performance of "What's Love Got To Do With It" didn't hit any kind of mark whatsoever. She has established some kind of personality, and her height and dress choices kind of remind me of Big Bird from Sesame Street. She did reach the bottom three last week, so I feel there are weak vibes with the viewers. However, I think she's popular enough to make it into the top ten. She does have enough strong material to make it onto tour.

#9- Thia Megia- I like Thia. She has a powerful voice that not too many people have. She also has experience from being on America's Got Talent, and lost a judges vote to dancer Arcadian Broad. On the show, she had a really strong performance in the Top 24, but has since had okay performances. She hasn't established a personality at the moment, she's just the young, humble contestant of the season. People do like someone who's humble, as I happen to be one of them. I'm doing my best to imagine her on tour, but I just have to keep painting that picture in my head.

#8- Stefano Langone- Stefano was the best of the wildcard picks. The reason he didn't reach the original top ten was because the males who took part this season were just a powerhouse of talent. I would've even exchanged Jovani for Ashthon to be quite honest. As for Stefano, he has a really powerful voice. His performances the last two weeks proved why he should continue in the competition. He deserves to at least make it onto tour, but I don't know if he could, should, or would be able to do better than the other seven that I have listed as the list goes on.

#7- Paul McDonald- Paul's the most fun contestant this season. I like his voice and I like the way he moves while he sings. I think what he puts into his performances shows true passion to who he is as a performer and who he is as a person. While he has the endorsement from "Vote For The Worst," he is far from being the worst performer remaining. I don't think he'll be able to win the show, but I feel that he's got the voice for radio these days. He'll be really fun to watch on tour, and it surely wouldn't be the same without him.

#6- Lauren Alaina- Lauren has a ton of strengths that are keeping her and will continue to keep her in the competition. She has the southern charm and the innocence that includes modesty as well. While she reminds me more of Kellie Pickler than she does Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, Kellie became a memorable personality that took sixth place and had a decent career. I personally prefer Lauren over Kellie, though I am waiting for Lauren to give a performance that I won't forget. I don't see why that won't happen.

#5- Jacob Lusk- Jacob has a voice like I've never heard in the competition, and it's a good one indeed. He shows a passion that shows his true emotions for the songs that he chooses and sings. He also makes bold song choices, such as those from R. Kelly and Heart, which I tend to question at first. However, after hearing him, I begin to think otherwise. It would be a shock to not see him make it to at least midway in the competition or even have to be saved by the judges in order to come back into the competition. He's got a very interesting career up ahead of him.

#4- Casey Abrams- Casey has the most popular personality this season. People like him, his talent with various instruments, his soul, and his outgoing personality. He seems like the reincarnation of Taylor Hicks, but he has a lot going for him, such as his variety with extremely different instruments. All we have to hope is, will Casey have a career instead of become just plain forgettable? That'll be something we have to wait and see.

#3- Pia Toscano- Pia is the best female talent in the competition this season. Her performance of "I'll Stand By You" got the first standing ovation of the season and her voice continues to remain really strong. If she's able to go upbeat and wing it, she's going to have a really good run into the competition. Initially, she had been to many the front runner and pick to win it all. She is extremely talented and will surely go far into the competition, but there is a ton of talent and it's extremely hard to tell.

#2- Scotty McCreery- Scotty's got a charm and grace that attracts every woman, every country fan, every southerner, and every Idol fan. He's got a voice that could be heard on the radio right now, at the moment we speak. He's best with singing in a deep voice, but with last week's performance, he has shown that he could raise his voice a notch. If he continues to pick the right song choices and sing what he knows he could sing well, he'll have a good stay in the competition, a good time of tour, and a good career in country music.

#1- James Durbin- What a surprise, James is my pick to win it all. I haven't been proven otherwise why this isn't the pick, so I'm going to stick with it. Nobody from California has ever won the show, but I know James could change that. He's had flawless performances that have shown who he is as an artist. He can sing slow, he can sing fast, and he knocks each of his performances out of the ballpark. He's similar to Adam Lambert, only Adam was more of a showman, and James is more of a rocker. I really look forward to seeing him perform with Steven Tyler, while he becomes the person to beat in this competition.

While my predictions are what should happen, it's up to America to vote for who they feel deserves to continue on the show. Vote for your favorites and enjoy the season, because it's a season worth enjoying!