Nashville Star— Episode 2

The second episode of Nashville Star’s sixth season aired last night (6/16) on NBC. Viewers were treated to some strong performances, some awkward exchanges with the judges and even a couple pleasant surprises.

The remaining contestants were thrown a slight curveball when they were split into three factions: men, women, and groups. One celebrity judge was assigned to mentor each— Jewel with the men, John Rich with the women, and Jeffrey Steele with the groups. Each competitor was given feedback and suggestions about song choices before the big performance night. Contestant Ashlee Hewitt lit up the stage with a revamped version of “Ring of Fire” and Gabe Garcia turned in a sturdy rendition of “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”

One-by-one, the night’s “safe” contestants were called to perform until the two lowest vote getters remained—Melissa Lawson and Third Town. After a maligned performance of Alabama’s “Mountain Music” Third Town was sent packing.

No stranger to TV himself, Trace Adkins also showed up for a performance of his recent hit “You’re Gonna Miss This” and enlisted the cast’s help on background vocals.

In the spirit of departure (and because our favorite picks from last week all survived), dedicated TV junkies/Music Row staffers Ross, Skates and Freeman will this week pick those most likely to fail….

MOST LIKELY TO FAIL
Jon Freeman: He might coast another week on good looks, but the bell will soon be tolling for Justin Gaston. It’s no secret that he’s outmatched in the vocal department by all the other contestants, but that aside, his material selection has been bland, middle of the road pop stuff. Actually, this repurposing of recent pop hits is a common theme with quite a few contestants. Where’s the soul and grit?….I also place sisters Pearl Heart in the mediocre-at-best category. I can see them performing at a family reunion or winning a high school talent show, sure, but not garnering the kind of sales that make record executives sleep comfortably at night.

Sarah Skates: Unless Navy boy Tommy Stanley steps up his game ASAP, he’ll be sailing home. He seems to have the vocal potential, but hasn’t figured out how to harness it, yet. Another demerit for bad song choices….Shawn Mayer’s performance this week was a rung above last week’s, but that’s not saying much. To her credit, she was brave enough to attempt a classic song. On the other hand, she should’ve been smart enough to sing a song that accentuates her strengths. PS: Her good voice can’t hide her bad fashion sense.

David M. Ross: Jewel gazes longingly every time Justin Gaston sings, but looks alone can’t augment a voice so devoid of emotion and talent that Nashville Star producers should be ashamed. This Louisiana native who supports himself as a model should return to the safety of the lens—immediately.

WEEK 2 QUIPS REPORT
John Rich continues to launch quips like bottle rockets on the fourth of July. He advised Gabe, “We’re both from Texas, right? Turn your Texas on and the girls are going to vote you in.” When Jeffrey Steele asked Melissa to grade her performance from 1-10, Rich asked, “Hey Steele what is all this math? You know that eighth grade was the worst three years of your life.” And finally after Tommy Stanley sang “Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy,” Rich asked if there were any crushes happening among the cast. “Maybe what you meant to sing was, “Save a Horse, Ride a Stanley?” (“Turn Your Texas On” sounds like a song title. Say the word John and I’ll help co-write it.)—DMR

RATINGS WRAP-UP
Nashville Star came in fourth in last night’s (6/16) ratings for the 8 PM time slot. The show’s second episode got a 3.7 rating/6 share, according to zap2it.com, behind mostly reruns on the other major networks, including FOX which led the night with House. At 9 PM CT, NBC finished second with Nashville Star (4.0/7), and a half-hour of Dateline. CBS won that time slot with CSI: Miami.

This is just like last week’s ratings. The show’s season premiere scored a 3.9/6 for NBC, coming in fourth at 8 PM CT. At 9 PM the show came in second (4.4/8), behind CSI: Miami (5.9/10).