'Idol" judges criticize Wheeling's Haley
With female contestants getting picked off faster than Steven Tyler can say beautiful, "American Idol" finalist Haley Reinhart must know she has hit it every week or risk going home.
Wednesday night, she didn't.
For "Music from the Movies" night, the Wheeling native tackled Blondie's "Call Me" from "American Gigolo."
Whether the song was a poor fit or Reinhart fell victim to nerves, it certainly wasn't one of her best nights.
Although there were several other lackluster performances, Reinhart was the only one the judges chose to criticize.
"I didn't love the beginning of it," judge Randy Jackson said "I don't know if it was the song that didn't really do it for me. It just wasn't a showcase for your voice."
Tyler agreed, but "I've always said when you sing choruses, and you nail them in that just-right voice ... it was beautiful."
For her part, Jennifer Lopez admitted she felt bad ripping on a girl, but then went ahead and panned Reinhart anyway.
"If I'm going to be totally honest, I'm going to agree more with Randy," Lopez said. "It wasn't your strongest performance."
Reinhart looked devastated as she came off stage and seemed to acknowledge the song wasn't the best fit for her.
So the crucial question becomes can Reinhart afford one weak performance?
She's coming off two stellar performances and she brings energy to the stage each time she goes out there.
Plus, Reinhart's fans could rally, feeling she was unfairly targeted by the judges and vote hard to keep her.
Then again, Idol has sent home six girls in a row.
One contestant is eliminated, starting at 7 tonight on Fox.