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NEWS : STORIES
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05.08.2008 9:19 AM EDT
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'American Idol' Elimination: Jason Castro Burns Out; Syesha Mercado Rolls On
Dreadlocked singer, done in by halfhearted performances, looks relieved upon being sent home.
by Gil Kaufman
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Jason Castro, David Cook, David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado on "American Idol" Wednesday (Photo: Fox)
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After becoming the first "Idol" final-four contestant to seemingly give up and try to get thrown off the show, the 20-year-old dreadlocked singer from Rockwall, Texas, got his wish Wednesday
night when he was shown the door following one of the most lackluster final-round performances in "Idol" history.
For most of the night, Castro seemed even more disengaged than usual, halfheartedly clapping when David Cook was whisked to safety and flashing a look of what seemed to be sweet relief when host Ryan Seacrest teasingly suggested midway through the results show that the elimination would be coming early.
His fate was sealed by a cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" that judge Randy Jackson termed "karaoke Bob Marley" and Simon Cowell called "atrocious." Seacrest teased that Castro sang "most of" his second song, the Dylan classic "Mr. Tambourine Man," which had inspired Cowell to tell the singer to pack his bags. Castro admitted that he did gather his things after the show, quipping, "Someone said I shot the tambourine man yesterday," which drew a laugh from Cowell.
Asked why he had such a hard time Tuesday night, Castro said he thought his inexperience was catching up to him. "It's getting tough for me," he said. "I think my inexperience is coming in ... just learning ... with the two songs the week before. ... So this week I tried to pick two songs I know and even that, I screwed it up." By the time Seacrest read the results, sealed by a season-high 51 million votes, fellow bottom vote-getter Syesha Mercado did her best to look surprised as Castro gave her a hug and awkwardly said, "It's been a pleasure."
The soft-spoken singer, who seemed at ease onstage but perpetually uncomfortable during the interview segments and Ford commercials, gleefully strapped on his guitar to make his final exit. When Seacrest opined that Castro looked "relieved," without missing a beat, the singer shot back, "It's three songs next week — I don't know what I would have done!" Fittingly, even with a song he said was one of his favorites, Castro stumbled through one last performance of "I Shot the Sheriff," dropping and improvising lyrics, including "All around in my hometown/ They're trying to take me home."
In an earlier taped segment from the fab four's trip to Las Vegas, while David Archuleta, Cook and Mercado appeared to be reveling in the attention, Castro seemed spooked, particularly when an aggressive fan grabbed his face and gave him a forceful kiss, another possible sign of his unease with the celebrity aspect of the show.
Meanwhile, Archuleta took a step closer to the seemingly inevitable David vs. David finale when he was waved through near the top of the hour on the strength of Tuesday's judge-approved renditions of "Stand by Me" and "Love Me Tender." As if to double-check that there wasn't another reluctant finalist in the bunch, Seacrest quizzed Archuleta, asking, "So what you're saying is you want to be the next American Idol?"
The perpetually shy teen smiled sweetly into the camera as if auditioning all over again and said, "Yeah, I'd love to be!" Also edging closer to his apparent destiny was Cook, who satisfied Paula Abdul's appetite with his growly cover of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf" and who made the male judges proud with a half-speed rendition of the Who's "Baba O'Riley." Mercado stamped her ticket to the top three with a spirited performance of "Proud Mary" that was an homage to the Ike and Tina Turner rendition, as well as an emotional cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" that ended with the singer in tears ... and not just because of Jackson's somewhat harsh assessment of her performance.
The show also featured a performance by Maroon 5, who did their latest single, "If I Never See Your Face Again," as well as season-four "Idol" finalist Bo Bice singing the southern-rock anthem "Witness." The final three square off next week, when they will sing three songs — a judge's choice, producer's choice and a song of their own choosing — before the season finale on May 21.
This report is provided by MTV News
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