Shelby Dressel American Idol

Because the Olympics are on, and because Fox needs to get ratings however it can, tonight’s episode was TWO HOURS LONG. And it all could have been taken care of in literally less than an hour. The padding was out of control. The episode opened with the 71 remaining contestants split into three different rooms. Their final performances had already wrapped – the show flashed back to many of them while reminding us who the hell most of these people are – while the judges made their final Hollywood deliberations as the poor human cattle waited and waited. That is basically psychological torture.

Shelby Dressel is the girl who born with jaw issues, and she apparently has done well through Hollywood, although we never saw her. She had major anxiety about the lyrics for her final audition piece, “More Than a Feeling.” She sounded really terrific on what is a very vocally challenging song. I give her points, again, for ballsiness.