Didi Benami
Age: 23
Los Angeles, CA
Didi Benami’s American Idol profile
WHY SHE WILL WIN: Last year, tattooed Megan Joy Corkery went from quirky underdog to unloved punching bag pretty quickly, largely due to the fact that her attitude and song choices reflected a degree of immaturity that Idol voters typically don’t abide, and more so because her voice never lived up to its early promise. But maybe Corkery was just a year ahead of time: Her retro, jazzy style—which borrowed from such long-tail iTunes faves as Feist, Ingrid Michaelson, Corinne Bailey Rae and Regina Spektor— seemed especially popular at this year’s auditions, and The Powers That Be cast several such female singers in the Top 24, with the charming and lovely Didi Benami at the top of the list. Benami’s not-very-compelling story—her best friend passed away four years ago—will get a lot of play, especially because Benami seems to cry a lot, and that should guarantee she’s remembered by voters during the crucial early stages, as the cannon fodder is cast out in favor of the real contenders. Benami is a real contender.
WHY SHE WON’T: Same reason Megan Joy didn’t, same reason Brooke White didn’t, same reason Ingrid Michaelson or Regina Spektor wouldn’t—the voice is lovely and lilting but simply not big enough for the Idol stage, where multi-range, powerhouse pyrotechnics are expected on a weekly basis. She’s also something of a one-trick pony —as far as Idol is concerned, at least—and while a similar single trick carried White to the Final Four in Season 8, Benami is not likely to make it any further than that, if she even makes it that far.
Crystal Bowersox
Age: 24
Toledo, OH
Crystal Bowersox’s American Idol profile
WHY SHE WILL WIN: Every Idol season brings to the screen some Jackie Jormp-Jomp-esque Janis Joplin update, but none have had the gritty authenticity (read: cigarette-yellowed teeth) of Crystal Bowersox. And few Idol singers ever have had such a remarkable set of pipes. If the music industry weren’t in such a horrific, unsteady state, Bowersox would be signed already, and probably on a Sheryl Crow-style arc to arenas. Every moment of her screen time during auditions featured a “Be quiet, I have to hear her sing” vocal turn—kind of the same way you sit down and watch when A-Rod is at-bat, and hit the loo when Cano comes to the plate: You just don’t want to miss a breathtaking 475-foot home run, and like A-Rod, this girl can hit ’em with ease.
WHY SHE WON’T: We’ll assume the Idol makeover team is already in the process of whitening those chompers—because if not, that’s a dealbreaker, ladies. Beyond that, Bowersox has an antiestablishment side that won’t play well with the judges, and what doesn’t play well with the judges rarely hangs too deep into the Top 12. Indeed, watching the somewhat-stubborn Bowersox, Simon and Randy must get flashbacks to Amanda Overmyer: the Season 7 biker mama who frequently received comparisons to…Janis Joplin, and who ignobly exited the program with a pair of (figurative) middle fingers pointed squarely at the judges, the voters, America, etc.
Lacey Brown
Age: 24
Amarillo, TX
Lacey Brown’s American Idol profile
WHY SHE WILL WIN: The second of Season 9’s Corkery-esque indie songbirds, Lacey Brown was in fact directly plotted against—and eliminated in favor of—Megan Joy going into last season’s competition. This gives her the advantage of being familiar to voters—again, essential during the early stages, when everyone is fighting for face time and the underexposed cannon fodder is being shot into the ocean like chum to sharks. Furthermore, Brown has a heck of an instrument: Where Corkery and Brooke White were big on style but kinda small in the vocals department, Brown has Silverlake looks, a Feist-y approach to singing, AND Kelly Clarkson chops to fall back on. For Diane Warren Week or whatever.
WHY SHE WON’T: America hates a loser, and Brown is already that: If she wasn’t good enough for Season 8—and she lost to Megan Joy, no less—why are we seeing her here again in Season 9? What’s more, though her story has been told, her personality remains nonexistent, and while her absurd haircut might win a challenge on Shear Genius, it kind of frames her face to say “also-ran” on Idol.
Michelle Delamor
Age: 22
Miami, FL
Michelle Delamor’s American Idol profile
WHY SHE’LL WIN: She has a magnificent head of hair and a winning smile.
WHY SHE WON’T: We’ve used the phrase “cannon fodder” a few times already here, so let’s define it now for those unfamiliar with the term: Cannon fodder refers to those contestants given extremely limited screen time during auditions and Hollywood Week, who then enter the competition with no history or established voter base; very often, these people are indistinct singers with bland, forgettable looks. These unfortunate souls are thrust into the Top 24 with the express purpose of being eliminated quickly, so that the favorites will have light competition in the early rounds. It doesn’t always work out that way—Jason Castro and Kris Allen are two recent examples who come to mind—but it usually does. Remember Jackie Tohn? Rickie Braddy? Matt Breitzke? From Season 8? Just last year? No? Here’s another definition of cannon fodder: Michelle Delamor.