:welcome1: Tonight our contestants are going to be doing the toughest part of Hollywood week, the group rounds. It is a major challenge and we see clips of previous seasons who had to endure going through this. Ryan Seacrest tells us we will see personalities clash and frustrations run deep as more scenes are shown of what is ahead for us. He ends his speech with "get ready for the group rounds if you can handle the pressure".
Okay rant time by me. Frankly I was sick of seeing the scenes of what was coming up plus repeating some of the rough moments some people had. Another factor was I believe the judges were a little un-fair to some of the people who went home and others who actually stayed. I will get into this more as we go along. One last note is why on earth do we have to hear the same song over and over. I honestly feel that each group should sing a different song, maybe one that is assigned to them instead of the groups picking off a list that only contain 20 songs. Enough said.......back to the show.
It is 8:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. 168 have survived the first cuts. Now comes the group rounds and seems some from the day one first round have already formed groups but Ken Warwick (executive producer) throws a monkey wrench into that by saying that each group must contain contestants from both days of the first rounds. Now the search is on for our contestants to decide which group to form. Next we see lots of scenes of the frustrations of the contestants trying to form groups.
Tiffany Rios is shown looking for a group but nobody likes her and she is having no luck. Guess that crack she made back-fired for her which is well deserved in my opinion. Scott McCreery is also looking for a group to join as is Jessica Yantz. Tiffany tries to get Scott to join her but he makes her audition and then says another group is interested in him. Scott comes across Jordan Dorsey's group but once he sings they say no to him. Another girl named Erica Schiff is also named. Finally Jordan likes a guy named Shane Golden and the group named Four Forty are formed.
It is now 10:15 p.m. and Tiffany is still looking for someone. She finally steals Jessica Yantz from the group Sugar Mamas and then goes on the mike singing horribly in the hopes of getting a third person since that is the rules of this group round. It is a no go but later we find that the producers allow them to just be a twosome.
We see more scenes of people still looking which contain Scott McCreery and other scenes of groups who have already formed and are now rehearsing. Scotty finds the Guaps (I think that is the name) but Clint Jun Gumboa is the leader and is not sure if the five they have formed will work but they decide to give it a try.
Now it is 11:00 p.m. and the groups are formed, 39 in all. They now have only 10 hours to get their acts together. Needless to say with so many together the noise is deafening and people are having difficulty hearing how they are doing. We see a brief scene with Chris Medina who has taken refuge in the garage to rehearse. Another group is in the men's restroom.
Next we see the group called The Minors who contain 15 and 16 year old kids. Their moms are with them and giving advice like crazy which is starting to annoy James Durbin who is in a group called the DV's. I must say I was annoyed with the moms as well since the other contestants were not getting any extra help. Both of these groups will be performing the same song on the following day.
Rob Bolin, Chelsee Oaks and Jackie Dunford have formed Three's Company and the tension is mounting as each wants to be the leader. Of course tension has been going on for some time with Rob and Chelsee as they no longer have any use for each other since they broke up. Rob feels he is doomed since his dancing is no good and the girls are on his back about it as well as trying to memorize the lyrics of the song they will be singing. Many times throughout the night we will see the frustration from these three.
It is now midnight and the group known as The Hits are having problems. Ashley Sullivan has let the pressure get to her and she wants to leave the competition. She cries and cries and cries. She tells the producer her decision but he advises her to think it over. The rest of the group decide to rehearse as a threesome. Later at 2:30 a.m. we see that Ashley has calmed down and decides to stay. Her group is gracious and allows her to re-join them.
Now we see Clint Jun Gumboa be a real jerk as he feels that Jacee Badeaux is not working out for their group and they boot him. I really felt for this kid. It is so late and now he must find another group. He is taking it well and gets some consolation from his parents. Later we will see him join the group called Sugar Mama and The Babies. Bravo to this group I say. One slight problem however is their song is "Mercy" and Jacee does not know the song at all so he not only is getting a late start but has to memorize a whole new song.
Jordan Dorsey in another jerky move decides he does not like the song choice of his group (Four Forty) and quits them which frustrates the remaining members. Jordan finally joins the group 4 Plus 1. Now 3:00 a.m. some of the groups feel they have done enough and head off to get some sleep before their 7:00 a.m. start of final rehearsals. One of the last groups to leave is Three's Company.
Our judges are arriving for the 8:30 a.m. start of the performances on stage. Each judge gives the entire group of contestants a pep talk before the first group performs. Steven Tyler mentions he knows nothing of pressure since he is addicted to adrenaline and wants to hear them sing real good today. Jennifer says don't let the fact that you are in a group throw you because at the end they will make the decisions of each individually. Randy pulls a Simon and says "don't forget the words".
With that out of the way, it is now time for our first trio which consist of Pia Toscano, Alessandra Guercio and Brielle Von Hugel. They sing the song "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. These girls obviously had no problems as they all sound good. Steven thinks they slammed it with Randy calling them amazing and of course they are through to the next round.
Ryan has a brief moment with 4 Plus 1 before they go on stage. This group contains Jordan Dorsey, Robbie Rosen and three others. They sing "I Want You Back". Seems there is rivalry going on between this group and Four Forty since Jordan dumped them. Jordan sounds good in his moment as does Robbie. One of the girls of the group ends the number sounding good also however I must say singing together this group did not impress me but the judges liked it so they all make it to the next round. Personally I am not crazy about Jordan Dorsey as a person.
Four Forty are singing "Forget You" by Cee Lo. The group contains Lauren Turner who is shown in a moment of frustration earlier. Adrian Michael starts off the number and frankly speaking I have a new favorite in him. Lauren sings next but I felt was pitchy in some spots. The other two Erica Schiff and Shane Golden are not heard as solos. The good news is all make it.
Now comes Tiffany Rios and Jessica Yantz who are terrible so much so that Randy does not even let them finish their song "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce. Both are goners however Tiffany pleads for another chance but the no is final. Yea!
Spanglish is missing a member of their group. We see Kevin Campos getting woke up and he is not getting it that he is supposed to be on stage right now. Talk about a dumb bunny. In the meantime while waiting for this group, Steven Tyler entertains by playing the drums. Finally the group is together to perform the song "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. Jovany Barreto, Kevin Campos, Jorge Gabriel and Karen Rodriguez each have a solo moment during this song. Steven is delivering the verdict but needs some coffee first. He mentions he is disappointed in Jorge, calls Karen good, and mentions Jovany was rough in the beginning. Then makes a mistake saying you three are moving on when in reality it is only Jovany and Karen who are through to the next round. Get it together Steven!
Next up is Centerstage. We see a disgusting sight from the night before from Angela Chesslock who demonstrates putting a noodle up her nose. Ewwww! Moving on these girls try to advance their chances more by having Steven Tyler come up on stage and sit in a chair as they sing to him the song "Some Kind of Wonderful". He joins in here and there. Nice going ladies especially the second girl who sang in my opinion. Steven mentions he is partial since he has to judge now. Jennifer compliments them but then says Lauren Alaina was the only girl going to the next step. Frankly I thought they all should have made it. The three that are now headed home take it graciously and congratulate Lauren.
The Nashville Stars are singing "Just The Way You Are" which sounded pretty bad to my ears. Colton Dixon starts off but to me was just okay. Matt Dillard sadly forgets the words. None of the others were very good either. The only one who goes through is Colton.
We now see brief moments of the following singing but sadly are all sent home. They include Shannon Livewell, Briana Tyson, Janelle Arthur, Alyson Jados, Caitlin Koch (who argues for another chance), Paris Tassin (sad about this one), Emily Anne Reed, Adrienne Beasley, Courtney Penry and another who I liked Aaron Gutierrez. Scenes are shown of many who are crying that they are going home.
Randy gives the next group a pep talk about showing their individually as well as performing with the group. The Hits contain Keeira Lyn Ford, Ashley Sullivan and Ashthon Jones plus one other. They sing "Hit Em Up Style" by Blu Cantrell. I thought they did well but was most impressed by Ashthon who has a great voice in my opinion. It is mentioned that Ashley was a little pitchy but the judges feel their harmony was so good that all make it through.
Now comes The DV's who are singing "Somebody To Love". To me the group sounded bad however James Durbin certainly shines at the end of the song. Jennifer comments that the harmony sounded like a bad Glee audition but also says some have strong voices. James Durbin and Caleb Johnson are going on with Emma Henry, Danny Pate and John Jordan going home. Frankly I thought Danny was better than Caleb.
Now comes the moment when I could have strangled the moms of the next group The Minors. They are giving their critiques about the DV's and all I wanted them to do was shut up. It did not make me feel any better when The Minors who contain Keonna Evans, Jalen Harris, Sorina-Joi Crowe, Felix Ramsey and Deandre Brackensick do a fairly good job with the same song as the DV's. In fact the judges are so impressed they give them a standing ovation. Naturally they make it and then we have to endure the moms being gleeful. I have a feeling no one will be voting for their kids should they make it to the top 20. I know I won't!
Our next group gets called on the carpet as one of the members Steven Clewson cheated because he had the words of "Grenade" written on his hand. Corey Levoy sounded sharp to my ears but feel Hollie Cavanagh did fairly well. The rest of the group as a whole were not very good. Only Hollie and Corey are going on which brings Corey to question why the others are not. Corey re-thinks his question with a never mind and Randy tells him to get off the stage. Personally I felt Hollie was the only shining moment of this group. This was sort of un-fair as Corey and Hollie were moving on based on their prior performances.
Our next two groups decide to perform acapella (huh?). First up is The Night Owls who have Jullie Zorrilla, Casey Abrams, Danny Noguchi, Lara Johnston and Melissa Lucas. They are just okay for me overall as they sing "Get Ready". Only Julie and Casey are moving on.
The next acapella group are Naima Adedapo, Da'Quela Payne, Matthew Nuss, Jacob Lusk and one other girl. They sing the same song as the other acapella group. I was not that impressed with them that much but do feel Matthew and Jacob were the best of the rest. The judges liked them however and all were moving on.
Our next group have a scene with someone we had not seen who is Carson Higgins. He is cute and funny. He and the other members of the group 4 Non Blonds & That Guy (cute name) sing "Forget You". I honestly thought they all did well especially Caleb Hawley. Carson, Caleb, Chris Medina, Eryn Kelly get the green light with only Devyn Rush being sent home for sounding "kind of screamy" said by Randy. Totally un-fair for sure on this one. Devyn feels she should have stayed and so do I.
We see a few comedy moments from Steven with some of the contestants which include John Wayne Schulz. Now comes a repeat of the night before when Jacee Badeaux got bounced from his first group. On stage Sugar Mama and The Babies sing "Mercy". It was done pretty well by Denise Jackson, Stevie Cain, Natalie Hanson and Brett Loewenstern. Sadly Jacee has forgotten the lyrics but makes up some clever ones that fit in well with this song. It is a tense moment for all but the judges are informed how Jacee was let go by the other group. Yea, all make it to the next round. The audience cheers as Randy comments Jacee has some fans out there. Ryan also speaks with Jacee briefly.
Time for The Guaps to perform. This group holds Clint, Scott McCreery, Frances and Monique. Randy questions why this group kicked out Jacee. I was proud of Scott for apologizing about the situation. They sing "Get Ready" and all sound fairly good. They all make it. Our last moments are Scott crying and once again feeling bad regarding the elimination of Jacee from their group.
38 groups have performed with 67 contestants having been eliminated. Our final group is Three's Company. We see several clips of the tension from this group getting to this point. Once on stage the group sings "Forget You". Chelsee has a solo first and does well. Jackie Dunford sounded bad to my ears and even cusses. Rob Bolin totally blows it by not remembering the lyrics and making up words about how tired he is. Chelsee and Jackie are moving on. Rob answers this was not his best performance when questioned by Steven. They all hug outside but scenes are shown how Rob and Chelsee will not be getting back together. Rob's final words are "I'm Done".
Now the group rounds have ended and 100 are still in the competition. The next step is each performing solo in front of the judges and the big decision on who will be put through to the top 20. Should be an interesting night.
With that being said I now bid you all
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Subject: Hollywood Group Rounds - 2/16/11 
Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:48 am
