Singapore Idol 3 : Episode 3 Recap & Full Review

Maybe its my own fault, I set my expectations too high. I even sent The Kids and The Husband packing on the pretext of buying discounted bread at Centrepoint so I could indulge in Idol uninterrupted. With notebook and pen in hand, I sat down, Coke Zero (another indulgence) by my side and hit play (I recorded mah - was about 20 minutes behind... my son refused to be coerced into going kai kai!)

The show opens with Gurms and Hady taking a walk past our Top 100, sat on white plastic chairs, anxiously awaiting their fate at the TV Theatre lobby....

"They sang their hearts out. They cried. And they've gotten their golden ticket."

This year, each of the Top 100 are told to pack clothes for a week. If they make it through to the next round and the next and the next, they'll proceed straight to Idol Bootcamp without heading home.

So each morning (like on the Apprentice), they tote their trolley bags like good lil children to Caldecott Hill, never sure if they'll get to stay another night at the posh Idol digs for the week at the Orchid Country Club (OCC). (I wasn't allowed to reveal the name of the location before, but I posted about it anyway, check it out here.)

First hopeful we see step up to the mic is Duane "Pussycat Doll Dancer" Ho. He impressed judges with his 'Bottle Pop' dance move at the previous auditions. Today, Ken told him frankly, "I was trying very hard not to look at you. You sound better that way." OUCH!

Next up was Fathin Amira. I thought she looked great. Like she really listened to what judges said to her before about imaging. I was so happy for her, plus she didn't look so 'dazed' anymore (well maybe still a little, but it was a WHOLE LOT LESS than before! Good job on the makeover girl!) Then, basket, kena suan by Dick. Hello, do also die, dun do also die? How? I say, Fathin, you kicked butt, glittery butt, in that outfit - keep at it girl!

Chua Ai Ping. Sigh. False starts and forgetting lyrics aside, Gaga's 'Pokerface' does not work acapella. Sorry 3024. That was just cringe-y for me.

Best line from Dick tonight :
"You should see the joy in everyone's face when you screw up!"

(brutal, but true!)

Totally agree with Farhan 'The Hair' Shah (he certainly has a lot of hair doesn't he....apparently producers nicknamed him Zac Efron because of it) about Ken's cryptic comment about being 'special, but you must learn to be different'. *huh?*

Maybe Ken meant, that Farhan has the potential to be something special, a star, but in order to be star, he must first hone his personality and learn to stand out and be different....ta-daaaaa ..solid not? I can translate..cos I speak Uncle Ken.

Ryan Lee and Syltra Lee are NOT siblings. Here's some info they didn't tell you on the show...

Ryan's full name is Ryan Scott Santoso-Lee (so happening...Ryan are you Spanish or Indonesian by any chance?).

Syltra Lee is a wonderful mix of Chinese (50%), Indian (25%) and Malay (25%).

Awesome possum right? I like her voice. But girl, I don't think you want to pick a fight with Ryan, he looks like the type who will totally 'say it to your face' (and he did).

UPDATE : I believe they are totally great friends now. Spotted on someone's facebook posting somewhere!

Finally we have a genuine lookalike this year - Mohd. Sezairi Sezali is the spitting image of Najip Ali! And he can sing!

Next up would be #1896 Sylvia Ratonel. Very pretty girl, and she apparently had really good comments from her first audition. She can definitely sing, however, gotta learn to say 'th' for THE instead of 'de'...sorry, its my Grammarschool OCD behaviour comin' out again. Anyway. looks like she may just sail through, Ken has predicted she will be in the Top 10, saying 'Do not embarrass me.'

*actually Ken, even if she doesn't get the votes to get into the Top 12 (which I'm sure she will seeing as she's hot and can sing damn well), your judges' save can put her there :)

Other cuties who kena bambu-ed are Herizal Ellroy #1930 (seriously cute, but wahlaoeh, how come run out of breath mid-song? so wasted! tsk!) and Rachael Gan #3438 (cute in your Taiwanese/Japanese anime kawaii sense of the word). Actually, Rachael can really sing, she was a little pitchy but she has a pretty good voice.

Noor #2377. I remember her now. She sang MJ's 'Smile', one of the many MJ tributes we saw that day, and to be honest, her rendition made me yawn it was so slow. But whatever it is, you can't deny, Noor is a character. Too bad the singing didn't quite match up.

Latecomers are never tolerated in this industry. Never. Initially I thought the way the judges treated Ruben Raj #1234 (what a nice number!) was really mean and unnecessary, cos I mean, c'mon, its the guy's dream, give him a chance right? Well, on hindsight, he didn't show how much he wanted it. To not call/check-in with producers for an important workshop session is just irresponsible. If he can do it at this stage, chances are, he could miss a call time for a live show too.

Other latecomer Samantha Lee #2032 (also not related to Ryan and Syltra) had the best line of the night :

"I vomited in the morning."

Sorry girlfriend, the judges don't do pity. Dick really let her have it man.

Luckily Ken helped ease the tension by clarifying that today's lesson is : "Dun anyhow eat before an important date."

I was a little disappointed watching Tanna Tiew. Cancer girl had so much going for her, a great voice and a great story. I thought she would step it up tonight, but she seemed to retreat further into her shell, especially on Group Day. I hope next year, after she's had more time to recuperate and regain her confidence after her brush with cancer, she will try this again and not give up. I totally support her!

Two pretty power houses were up next. Cheryl Lim #1359 and Charlene Tan #2320.

Cheryl, 18, is a student who had to get her parents' consent to halt her studies if she made it through to the next round. Luckily her parents are supportive cos this girl can sing. She's also very pretty, looks a bit like Cheryl Tay, the Miss Singapore Universe who's a vet right?

Charlene Tan, we of course know from last week's profile where she talked about taking up singing part time after her mom had a stroke. She's such a sweetheart. Her phone call to check in on her mom really tugged at the heartstrings. I just wish someone would give her some makeup lessons so her face would fit her voice. Cos she's quite pretty, but looked plain next to all the other made-up contestants.

Speaking of good lookers, we were given another look at Gabriel Cheok tonight, and I swear, he has got to be the cutest guy on this season of Idol.

What you didn't get to see was the judges, Ken especially putting him and brother Jonathan on the spot. Ken basically asked them what they would do if there were only ONE spot left in the Top 24. Who'd get it?

Initially both brothers didn't answer, then, when pushed, they each answered 'themselves'. Then Ken turned the tables on them again and said something along the lines of them being terrible brothers (LOL). It was an evil trick question guys.

Evil bus stunt. Back in July when they were filming this, producers told me about the 'bus stunt' results reveal. I thought it was a brilliant twist. And totally unexpected. I'm fairly sure a lot of drama ensued, but it wasn't shown in tonight's episode.

Basically what happened was, there were 4 buses chartered to come pick up the Top 100. Everyone thought they would be heading to OCC for the results. 3 buses picked up their passengers and left for OCC. The last bus, picked up their passengers, then told them they would be making a slight detour to pick someone or something up from Reception. Once there, Ken boards the bus. And tells them that their journey ends here.

I thought it would have been kinder if Ken just said it out right. Without the misleading phrases.

The faces of those on that bus were just....heartbreaking.

Suffice it to say, clever plan, but somehow it didn't translate well on tv. Bad editing perhaps?

Group day was a huge mess. I would have liked to watch more of the contestants' practice time overnight at OCC rather than the actual auditions, cos thats where most of the drama is isn't it? In the middle of the night at the hotel. Where are all the shots of groggy contestants? Whining about sleep deprivation or other group members etc? Was sorely disappointed when it wasn't really shown. Maybe they were all hunky dory I suppose.

The only person who bitched about his group mate was Ryan, who was complaining aboutDaryl not having a sense of timing while he sang. Thats just whining. Thought there would be bitching :P *yawn*

Finally, for all the hoo-hah about Benjamin Chow, his hacker drama was not ever mentioned. Despite the limiting crutch, Ben seems fun enough. Let's see how his journey pans out next week. I'm waiting to hear about the results of the police investigation....juicy juicy.

End of show. Abruptly jump to credits which feature footage from next week (I hope its footage from next week, cos they never really said like 'on your next episode of...'). There are hints that they will address the whole Ben shebang next week....Ryan is seen saying 'Ben', and I've learned that Ryan Lee and Benjamin Chow were roommates at Bootcamp.

A topless guy (Theodore Teow) is seen saying, "I'll be quite regretful if he became the Idol",but whether he meant Ben or someone else, we will only find out next week.

So, what did you all think of Ep3? Share share below. So I know I'm not crazy when I say I wished there was more I could sink my teeth into.

xoxo, s.