American Idol

With Sanjaya gone, the competition can get down to business. Sure there still are a couple of weaker contestants, but everyone left stands some chance of winning the title of “American Idol.”

Here is the breakdown of why any of the remaining six contestants could win. And why each of them is at risk of being the next one to fall.

Melinda Doolittle
She has been leading the pack for several weeks. There has been no other contestant as consistent as Melinda. She’s a professional. Literally, actually. She has the most on-stage experience of those in the competition (even if it was in the background), and she certainly knows who she is as an artist.
Why she may be in trouble: Melinda was a little slow to pull in the personality. A lot of attention has been given to her “Who, me?” routine. I think some people may be turned off by her surprise looks when she is given a compliment.

Jordin Sparks
If she doesn’t win, she certainly will get the “most improved” award. Jordin is a strong competitor, especially considering the young ones often fall earlier in the competition. The only teenage contestant to make it too far into the show was Diana DeGarmo, who lost to Fantasia Barrino in the finals.
Why she may be in trouble: Age aside, Jordin could be at risk with one bad week. Because she wasn’t an immediate favorite, her starting fan base likely was smaller than some of her competitors. In other words, fans have not been with her as long as the others. And time brings loyalty.

LaKisha Jones
She was the strongest competitor — at least that’s what it looked like — in the first week of the semifinals. She seemed like the obvious winner. She has a powerful voice and a strong stance when she takes the middle of the stage.
Why she may be in trouble: LaKisha has not been steadily improving, nor maintaining her power from the beginning. The proof of that was her being in the bottom two this week. Another concern is the fact she may share some of the same group of fans as Melinda and Jordin.

Blake Lewis
He brings something unlike any male contestant ever has on “Idol.” His beatbox technique made him stand apart, and he (to the surprise of some) actually can sing.
Why he may be in trouble: Blake, for whatever reason, is getting overlooked by America. For whatever reason, he doesn’t have a huge group of fans continuing to support him week after week.

Phil Stacey
He’s spent a lot of time in the center of the “Idol” stage — mostly as one of the bottom three contestants each week. That was until last week. It could be that Phil’s fans really are pushing forward. He has survived this long, after all.
Why he may be in trouble: There’s only one country music week, and that already happened. And people seem to have forgotten that military factor I thought would be the reason Phil was carried so far in the competition.

Chris Richardson
The Justin Timberlake comparisons are debatable, but Chris has delivered some commendable performances. No, he’s not the best in the competition, but he certainly has plenty of potential.
Why he may be in trouble: He’s spent some quality time in the bottom three, and he isn’t doing much to help his personality shine. In other words, it just doesn’t seem like he wants it enough for America to support him.

American Idol, Chris Richardson, Phil Stacey, Blake Lewis, Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones, Jordin Sparks