Loser Like Me: Part 2

The Finalists:

Hey, readers!!  I'm slowly and surely feeling a little better, a good thing since I am absolutely dying to sing.  School is right around the corner and there are so many songs that I want to practice and perfect before the year starts!

So, Part 2 of my Loser Like Me series (check out Part 1 here!) focuses on the current season of The Glee Project and my general thoughts about the remaining contenders, the challenges, and the decisions.

Season 2 of The Glee Project started off slightly differently than Season 1 had.  Instead of choosing 12 contenders to compete for the coveted 7 episode arc on Glee, co-creator and head honcho Ryan Murphy made the executive decision to choose 14 contestants, 7 boys and 7 girls.  However, he made it quite clear that this season, only one contestant would take away the prize role.  This was a major change from the first season when, in a surprise twist, Damian McGinty and Samuel Larsen both won 7 episode arcs (which were actually extended), while runner-ups Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell both won 2 episode arcs on the Emmy-winning series.

Thus, after many auditions and lengthy callbacks, Abraham Lin, Blake Jenner, Michael Weisman, Charlie Lubeck, Mario Bonds, Tyler Ford, and Maxfield Camp became the seven males competing for a role on Glee.  The seven females were Ali Stroker, Aylin Bayramoglu, Lily Mae Harrington, Shanna Henderson, Nellie Veitenheimer, Dani Shay, and Taryn Douglas.

Today, I'm going to talk about the seven remaining contestants and offer my opinion about whether or not I think they have what it takes to win!

Abraham Lim is a perfectionist; this trait both helps and hinders him in the competition.  For example, he killed his dance moves during the homework assignment for "Dance-ability" week; however, he was so worried about doing a good job in the video that he got trapped in his own head, and ultimately, sucked.  His devotion to practicing definitely helps him in general, as seen in the recording studio during "Adaptability" week, when he had to instantly record his parts in Jessie J.'s "Price Tag" without practicing before; the result was a pretty awful vocal track.  Abraham has talked a few times about how he was teased for being perceived gay as a child; he says that he is not gay, he has just picked up "feminine" traits from the women he was raised by.  It is clearly a sensitive topic for him, causing vocal coach Nikki's comments about his androgyny in the most recent "Theatricality" episode to be totally out of line.  She asked him if he considered himself androgynous when he performed, to which he responded that he didn't really, he mostly felt "free".  Her rude "Oh, please!" visibly threw him off, resulting in a less than stellar recording of "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls.  This shakeup landed him in the Bottom 3 for the week, where he performed "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes/Adam Levine.  The performance was one of his better ones and, combined with his speech to Ryan Murphy about how this week has helped him come to terms with his uniqueness (read: androgyny) helped to save him for another week.  Do I think that Abraham will win?  No.  He is nice enough, but he lacks the level of talent and the fierce edge that I think is necessary to win the competition.  However, his YouTube videos are hilarious...click here to watch!

Ali Stroker is wheelchair-bound, having been paralyzed from the chest down at age 2.  She has a background in musical theatre and tends to be given the soprano notes in many of the songs.  Personally, I don't like Ali's voice; I find it kind of piercing, shrill, uncontrolled, and almost-whiny, particularly in the pop songs the contestants usually have to sing.  However, after finding out that she has had to develop her own technique to sing as she can't use her paralyzed diaphragm, I definitely respect her perseverance and drive a lot more.  Also, she did do a great job in her solo in the homework assignment in "Theatricality" week ("I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line).  Do I think she'll win?  No, but I think that she'll get pretty far in the competition, considering that her determination has caused all of the mentors (except maybe Nikki) to love her, and Ryan Murphy calls her "a little Dolly Parton" due to her exuberance and over-the-top performance during "Adaptability" week.

Aylin Bayramoglu is the sassiest Turkish Muslim that you ever did meet.  Though she comes from a conservative family (her mom refuses to let her use tampons because they "take away her virginity"), she is extremely boy-crazy, outgoing, and self-confident.  This sass (and her lack of it) landed her in the Bottom 3 during "Individuality" week... however, she sang herself back to the competition.  Her big personality and powerful voice landed her the affections of fellow contestant Charlie, causing them to develop an "undefinable" relationship.  Do I think that Aylin will win?  She definitely has a good shot.  She did fantastically during "Adaptability" week, winning the homework assignment and scoring the number one spot on the mentor's leader-board for the week.  She has a strong voice and solid acting chops and Ryan Murphy called her "a game-changer"; if she were to win, all of the under-represented Muslim girls out there will have someone to call a role-model on network television.

Blake Jenner is a shaggy-haired teen from Miami, Florida.  Though I was initially surprised to see such a "cookie-cutter" type guy on this show, I quickly realized (along with the mentors) that he definitely has an unidentifiable star-quality.  He is one of the best actors in the competition and has been repeatedly commended on his acting ability... his portrayal of Boy George during "Theatricality" week was superb.  His voice is also pretty decent, especially in his moving "Waiting for a Boy/Girl Like You" duet with Nellie.  Blake is clearly not the best dancer naturally, as seen during "Adaptability" week, but his work ethic clearly helps him to do his best: he and Michael stood out in the mess that was the "Party Rock Anthem" music video during "Dance-ability" week.  Do I think that Blake will win?  Yes.  He is very attractive and has an undeniable charm that does not overshadow his talent and his drive to be his best.  He is genuinely sweet and he is one of the few contestants that has never had a negative word to say about anyone else, even in the very revealing confessional videos each contender makes.  His "star quality" is also undeniable; my mom calls him "Zac Efron" and Ryan Murphy even said that he really had "something special".  I wish that he was a little quirkier for he almost seems too perfect to be on Glee... I guess we'll see what happens!

Lily Mae Harrington is a big personality on this show.  She kind of reminds me of Lindsay Pearce from last season's show, but not in a good way.  Lily Mae definitely makes her presence known.  She has confidence for days and a killer voice, but her constant excuses for any mistake are what make her stand out from the pack.  She has been in the Bottom 3 three times thus far, and I'm pretty sure her passionate speeches pleading with Ryan Murphy have been what have saved her; Ryan may not be too fussed about ridding the competition of stellar talent (read: Nellie, Charlie, Mario), but he clearly has a weak spot for passion.  Do I think Lily Mae will win?  Honestly, if she was not the excuse-monster and had listened to Zach's directions (no wedding dancing!) during "Dance-ability" week, she may stand a chance.  She has a strong voice and is super-confident (to the point that she is a bit annoyingly conceited, but she's getting better about that).  She also nailed her performance during the "Fearlessness" video.  However, I really don't think that she will win at this point...the damage is done.  Her most recent speech at Ryan may have saved her for the time being because of her passion, but his response to her ("Forget the 'yes-but' if you come back") made it seem as though if he sees her again, her grating personality will cause her to get axed.

Michael Weisman is the youngest contender this season, at a mere 18 years old.  He is a self-admitted calculus geek, but he clearly also loves to sing.  Michael's issue is that he, like Abraham, can easily get trapped in his head.  The most clear example of this has been during "Sexuality" week; he struggled remembering the words to the "Moves Like Jagger/Milkshake" mashup in the recording studio.  He also forgot the words to Jason Mraz's "Lucky" in his Last Chance performance the same week... "lucky" (I'm punny) for him, the mentors and Murphy considered more than his cringe-inducing performance and Tyler got cut instead.  Though he hasn't been in the Bottom 3 since, he has definitely cut it close, with weak recording studio performances occurring nearly on a weekly basis.  Do I think that Michael will win?  I think that he stands a really strong chance; when he's not trapped by his own quest for perfection, he is actually really good.  I think that he definitely has that boy-next-door-appeal (I'm pretty sure my sister has a crush on him), and I respect him for bringing some semblance of dancing (along with Blake) in the "Party Rock Anthem" disaster of episode two.  Even if he doesn't win, I'm pretty sure Michael will make it to at least the top 2 or 3.

Shanna Henderson is the bubbly and vivacious southern belle of the group.  To date, she is the only contender who has never had to perform a last chance performance for Ryan.  Shanna has a constant smile on her face and is up for any task the mentors may give her (i.e. that Lady Gaga-esque meat dress in the "Theatricality" music video).  She was the first person to win a homework assignment, and though she hasn't won any since, she has almost always been at the top of the mentor's leaderboard.  She also has a stellar voice and a clear drive to win.  Do I think Shanna will win?  Yes, I think that she and Blake could easily go head to head for the prize.  She's a strong actress, singer, and even dancer (which, this season, is few and far between) and she definitely wants to win a lot.  Also, all of the mentors adore he, thus keeping her out of the Bottom 3 each week.  She also has an interesting story (her mom became involved in drugs after she was born and she was teased all her life for being a "crack baby"), which I think helps make her fit the mold of the show.

The next episode of The Glee Project is called "Tenacity" and airs tonight at 10 ET on Oxygen!!  Make sure you tune in!

Love, Leaza