Originally posted Thursday, November 21, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
An update on reality show contestants with Georgia ties:
Lithonia duo Hello Sunday cruised into the top 11 on "The Voice" this week.
Chelsea Finks and Myla Glover are 14-year-old friends who have relied on a combination of cuteness, a positive attitude and harmony to get this far. They are the youngest singers left in the competition and are on Team Kelly Clarkson.
They have been singing together for two years.
During the live top 13 performance show, they opted for a jazz song “Mamma Knows Best” and appeared comfortably connected.
Kelly adores them and they were deemed safe by the voters.
Meanwhile, Marietta singer-songwriter Alex Guthrie, faced off twice against Hello Sunday and lost both times. (He was booted from Kelly team after the knockout rounds but John Legend saved him. Unfortunately, last week during the top 20 lives shows, the public did not. Hello Sunday was saved over him and two others.)
The soulful Guthrie wasn’t perturbed by the double snub. “I was good with it,” he said in an interview. “They’re really talented. I’m proud they’re from Atlanta.”
His "instant save" song choice was not subtle: "Stay" by Rihanna. "That was intentional," he said. "I was hoping it was subliminal."
Guthrie loved his time on the show and enjoyed learning and sharing with the other contestants. “If I really felt like the people who were left weren’t good, I’d feel bitter,” he said, “but I love and respect who is left. I’m just happy to be part of it.”
He said his first live performance went well covering Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You." The rehearsal before hand went poorly but once the cameras were on, he fed off the energy of the audience: "I immediately felt in my element."
He said he can leverage his time on "The Voice" to keep building his fan base (his Instagram followers more than quadrupled) and fill out his touring schedule. In 2017, he was seen by tens of millions on an American Family Insurance commercial being surprised by Jennifer Hudson while busking at Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta.
His first post-"Voice" solo date in Atlanta is the Buckhead Theatre Sunday, January 26, 2020. Tickets go on sale Friday.
Credit: NBC
Credit: NBC
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Credit: Eric McCandless
Credit: Eric McCandless
Lauren Alaina, a Georgia native and country singer, has made it to the season 28 finals of "Dancing With the Stars," which will air next Monday.
She has had a smooth path this season without ever facing a bottom-two scenario. Based on the judges' scores, she is actually the weakest of the four finalists, facing off against actor Kel Mitchell ( "Kenan & Kel," "Good Burger"), Hannah Brown ( "The Bachelorette") and singer Ally Brooke (formerly of Fifth Harmony).
But she has received plenty of 9’s from the judges. Both her dances Monday night were given 9’s by all three judges both times. She has never received a 10 in the competition to date, a top score the other three dancers have received more than once.
She has broken multiple ribs during the competition but has endured.
Two of the finalists have ties with Simon Cowell - Alaina via "American Idol" when she finished second in 2011 season 10 - and Brooke, who was part of a group he formed during "The X Factor."
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I was enjoying this season’s “Survivor” until last week when a female contestant’s discomfort with a male contestant’s inappropriate touching blew back in her face. And somehow, the man in question survived and is still in the competition.
Kellee Kim was voted out last week after two other women - Atlanta native Missy Byrd and Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel exaggerated their issues with Dan Spilo and convinced his Elaine Stott ally to vote against him. It was all in the name of "Survivor" game play, but it came across as craven, even by the standards of this competition (Both Missy and Elizabeth, in the cold light of reality, apologized on social media after the fact.)
Kellee had warned Dan about his touching early in the show but he kept doing it after the merge. The producers felt the need to give him a verbal warning (and in an unusual fourth-wall breaking, noted it on air) but did not remove him from the show. He clearly did not respect her personal boundaries and appeared on the show not to care, even mocking her a bit as she departed.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kellee said she was unaware while taping that Dan had been warned at all. "If production was going to give Dan an official warning, they should have just pulled him from the game or at least informed me so that I was aware of how it might impact the game," she said.
At least Kellee is on the jury so if Dan somehow makes it to the final two or three, he is certain not to get her vote.
Missy, a Wesleyan grad, was cut last night, just missing the top 9 but going far enough to make the jury to decide the winner. She played an aggressive game per her competitive nature. She became a target from savvy players who saw her as dangerous both strategically and physically.
For some who saw Missy’s behavior less than honorable, her departure was a bit of payback.
“I got so caught up in game play that I did not realize a very serious situation, nor did I handle it with the care that it deserved,” Missy said on Twitter after the episode aired She called the situation “a life changing learning moment for me.”
I was having fun watching this season until last week. Now? Not so much. Even Dalton Ross, the ultimate "Survivor" fan boy who does extensive recaps of the show, didn't seem to be into it this week.
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