American Idol 8 Top 36: Meet Group 3's Singers
Profiles on the Third 12 Performers to Sing for America's Votes
Feb 26, 2009
American Idol 8 held its second voting results show on February 26. After the 12 singers from group 2 performed, America voted for Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, and Adam Lambert to be the next batch of three competitors in the top 12. They will join Alexis Grace, Danny Gokey, and Michael Sarver. Next week, the third group of 12 will perform. On Wednesday, March 4, the top male vote-getter, the top female vote-getter, and the next highest vote-getter, either male or female, will move on and join Grace, Gokey, Sarver, Iraheta, Allen, and Lambert in the top 12. The third group of singers who will be performing for America's votes next week are:
Top 36 - Group 3
Arianna Afsar: Arianna is a 16 year old pageant competitor from San Diego, California. She auditioned in Phoenix, where she told of how she started a charity organization for teens to befriend senior citizens.
Felicia Barton: Felicia was originally cut in Hollywood but won a spot in the top 36 when Joanna Pacitti was disqualified. The Virginia native, who is 26, auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. She has multiple videos on YouTube and became a fan favorite early on.
Kendall Beard: A Texas native, 24 year old Kendall auditioned in Puerto Rico. She has been singing at fairs and rodeos since she was a child and previously recorded a self-produced country album.
Ju'not Joyner: Ju'not had a memorable audition in season 7 but was cut in Hollywood. This year he's made it to the semifinals. The 26 year old is from Maryland and auditioned in Puerto Rico. He has been recording music for a long time and has a MySpace, although his music has been removed while he's competing.
Scott MacIntyre: Scott, 23 years old, is an accomplished singer, pianist, and producer. He also happens to be blind, which made his a favorite story during the auditions. He has an official website and a MySpace. He auditioned in Arizona, where he is from.
Nathaniel Marshall: 19 year old Nathaniel is from New York, where he also auditioned. His mother is in prison and he was raised by other family members. His melodramatic outburts during Hollywood week made more of an impression on viewers than his singing. This was his fourth year trying out for American Idol.
Kristen McNamara: Kristen is a 23 year old Californian with an impressive resume. She has previously competed on Star Search and Nashville Star and opened on tour for many country artists. She auditioned in Louisville, although she wasn't seen until Hollywood.
Jorge Nuñez: Jorge is from and auditioned in Puerto Rico. He is 20 years old and fluent in English, Spanish, and French.
Lil Rounds: The 24 year old Tennessee native, who lost her house in a tornado, auditioned in Kansas City. She is already a favorite of the judges and viewers.
Von Smith: The 22 year old Missouri native already has an impressive resume. His YouTube videos gained him enough popularity to appear on The View in 2007. However, his theatrical style has been criticized by judge Simon Cowell.
Taylor Vaifanua: Taylor is 17 years old and from Utah, where she also auditioned. Judge Randy Jackson compared her to season 6 winner Jordin Sparks.
Alex Wagner-Trugman: Alex won over viewers with his sense of humor when he told of how he used to sing in the closet so he wouldn't bother his family. He had to quit because he got a mold infection. The 19 year old auditioned in Phoenix.
Predictions
If they pick the right songs and perform them well, Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre appear to be the front-runners. Competing for the third spot are several viewer favorites, including Kendall Beard, Felicia Barton, Kristen McNamara, and Von Smith. Nathaniel Marshall could end up being the Vote For The Worst pick. The rest, who have had little screentime, will be struggling. However, the first two weeks have proved that the favorites can falter and anything can happen.
Wild Card
Following next Wednesdays results show, on Thursday the judges will select three additional contestants to fill out the top 12. This wild card show will feature select performers from the top 36. It is still unknown which contestants will be chosen to perform for one last chance to make it into the finals.
 |
