So, after weeks and weeks of tryouts, then another week of the judges painstakingly winnowing the massive group of semi-finalists down to a manageable 24, four of those finalists were promptly voted off by America last week. Or, rather, they weren’t voted on. Ashley Rodriguez (who sang “Happy” by Leona Lewis), Janell Wheeler (“What About Love,” Heart), Joe Munoz (“You and I Both,” Jason Mraz) and Tyler Grady (“American Woman,” The Guess Who) all did the walk of shame, followed by the shuttle bus ride of shame and the transcontinental flight of shame, heading home to return to the jobs and families they left behind. And really, aren’t we all better because of it, disgraced contestants included? We sat in on a conference call with all four to get their final thoughts about the competition.
First up, Ashley Rodriguez…
Looking back, is there anything that you wish you had changed or done differently?
Ashley Rodriguez: Actually, there isn’t. I feel like I went into this competition giving 100% all the time, and I think it’s actually a really, really awesome thing for me that I can walk out of it saying that I have no regrets. I gave my all in every performance, in every situation, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that one opportunity that may not have been for me is just going to lead me and bring me to the next best thing for me.
Did you feel like the judges were too harsh with you? They didn’t have a lot of positive feedback for anybody.
Rodriguez: I think a lot of people thought they would be a little lenient considering it was our first live show, but turns out that they were coming in throwing punches, and — I wouldn’t say that they were too hard, but we definitely could have used a little bit of love from them, that’s for sure. I think that they were very quick to give a lot of criticism and not back it up by anything positive, which is unfortunate, because you can always find something good from a performance, even if it falls apart.
Ashley. I was curious if you were rooming with anyone during this time, and what friendships have you made?
Rodriguez: Janell and I were actually roommates, and I’ve also roomed with Caitlin during this experience. They’re both wonderful, wonderful girls. Being in a close-knit group like that has really just built some awesome friendships. I’m also great friends with Michelle and we all have the same dream, or at least a similar one, and if nothing else, that was our connecting bond, that’s what brought us together, and so just that in itself — there haven’t been many people who have gone through this Idol experience, so we’re a couple of the few who can say that we’ve done this together and that’s something we’ll live with for the rest of our lives, so it’s been pretty incredible.
Next, Janell Wheeler…
What was your most memorable moment from your Idol experience?
Janell Wheeler: My most memorable moment. It will probably have to be elimination night for sure. But in a great way. If there was any way to go out, I’m so proud of myself in the way that I did. Several of the girls have even texted me and just said, “Janelle, you had so much poise, you were a class act and we look up to you and we really admire the way that you went out,” and I felt like I kept it together, I sang my song better than I sang it the first time, and I’m really happy with how it went.
Was it hard to understand what exactly the judges were looking for from you?
Wheeler: I think I knew exactly what they wanted from me. I just was choosing to do it the second week. The first rehearsal with me and that song was a little more country; however, it lost a lot of its rugged sound and energy, so I did switch it back to the rocker version and I felt like it definitely pumped me up and helped me perform better. But I think that in order for me to really have secured a place to the next round, I should have gone ahead and brought the guitar out and performed a top 40 hit like “American Boy,” which I was definitely planning on doing next week.
How did you find Ellen to be as a judge?
Wheeler: I love Ellen. I don’t think it’s a secret. I’ve told the press millions of times, I watch her show religiously. So to me, I just thought she was so refreshing. She represents the American public, people who actually go out and buy the albums, the fans. And I think that she really knows music, and she’s so diverse in her knowledge and I think that people need to give her a lot of credit, because she did a bang-up job for her first live show.
Is there any artist out there that you’d like to work with in a dream scenario?
Wheeler: Oh, my gosh, I can’t even list them. A funny song I found before coming out here that I was really getting into was LeAnn Rimes, a version of one of her songs was mixed into a dance track that people would play in clubs, and I just thought that was such a cool idea. I’ve worked with so many different types of artists and I have so many different groups of friends and influences in my life. I really want to strive to kind of bring together all of these elements and all these different types of music I’ve been involved with and kind of, I don’t know, give country a little refreshing take. Nothing too over-the-top, I love my country music and I’m so inspired by it, but it’s a growing genre right now. I think it’s such an awesome genre to be a part of, and I would love to use a couple different styles to make it my own and really put my stamp on it.
Next, Joe Munoz…
We didn’t get to see very much of you before the top 24. Were you disappointed when you watched the first six weeks or so of the show and didn’t really see yourself?
Joe Munoz: I didn’t really have much control over it. That’s just how they try to handle the show, so I wasn’t really disappointed. I think I had my moment and, well, got eliminated, but I had a blast.
Do you think your lack of screen time hurt you at all?
Munoz: I don’t think so, because other people didn’t get screen time at all and then they got through. I just think — I don’t know, I try not to think about it that much. I just did the best I could and I was really proud of what I did. And even though the outcome wasn’t the best for me, I have faith that things will get better after this.
What made you decide to sing “You and I Both”?
Munoz: I just love the song. I think it’s a wonderful story to tell and it’s just a beautiful story, and I love the song personally also. And I really look up to Jason Mraz as a performer, so — it was the perfect song for me.
Are you committed to a career in music, and if so, how do you want to pursue that? What is your sound, do you think?
Munoz: I really love pop music, so I’m just a pop guy, and I see myself doing a pop record. Also, there’s a lot of artists doing a lot of things right now, so I really want to be that kind of artist, just being in musical theater, on TV, and make records for people.
Finally, Tyler Grady…
it seemed like the judges were kind of, as usual, a bit contradictory. They were telling you on one hand you were there partly because you had this kind of ’70s look and sound happening, and then they were critical of the performance because of that. What would you have done next week?
Tyler Grady: First of all, I would like to say that I’ve seen that I’m getting some heat in the media about my comment before the show ended, and I just wanted to let everyone know that I really meant no disrespect by that. When I watched the show back on Wednesday, I felt that I was too caught up in the moment to stand up for myself, and while contestants are absolutely encouraged to express themselves when they’re being critiqued, I was kind of shocked with the criticism, and I just didn’t get a chance to express my feelings. So when I said that, I was expressing myself. I meant no disrespect and I’m not bitter at the judges or anything like that. But to be honest, if I would have made it through to another week, it would have been due to a fan base that appreciated what I was doing, so I probably would have just stuck to my guns and performed in the same style I’ve been performing in. I may have chosen a more recent rock song, but you wouldn’t have seen me coming out in baggy jeans and wearing a headset microphone.
How would you get an idea of what your fans would want or not want, while you’re in the heat of competition?
Grady: Essentially, if I would have gotten through another week, I think it would have been fair to assume that my fans appreciated my style of performance, because I’ve been consistent from the Boston audition until now. And if you see my band play ever, that’s exactly the style of performance I give every time. And in response to Ellen’s critique of my lack of honesty and charisma onstage, I do absolutely respect her as an entertainer and as a critic, but I feel like she kind of misrepresented me there, and if you were to ever see a Wailing Waters show, I’m very consistent in my performance, and I feel that I’m very honest onstage. I think that’s one of my strong points.
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I’m happy to know Tyler Grady is in a band that performs his style of music. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance (taking into account the craptastic acoustic mixing on the show that night.) I think he is the sort who really should be a band front-man, not a solo act. There is a completely different energy between solo acts who happen to have a band playing for them, and lead singers who are part of the living organism that is a good band. He seemed to be subconsciously searching for something during his performance—maybe he was searching for a band to interact with, and up the energy. Perhaps that’s why he seemed at times a bit like a hand trying to strike without the full force of an arm behind it.