After 11 weeks of a
grueling battle among the top 14 contenders, the Glee Project Season 2 winner has finally been chosen. The winning contestant earns a spot in one of today's most sought after television show, Glee. The winner will appear in 7
episodes, particularly season 4, guaranteed. The winner also is also awarded a
recording contract and the opportunity to go on tour.
Episode
11: Glee-ality
The season finale started
with the usual homework/assignment portion through the song “You Can’t Stop the
Beat” by Hairspray. It’s a surprise to see all original 14 casts back on the room.
Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel on Glee) is the episode’s guest judge/mentor. But since the Glee Project Season 2 winner can be any of the three, he
chose all of them for the mentoring session.
I was trying to read their
thoughts based on their facial expressions but everyone seems to be genuinely
having fun, enjoying the moment, and respecting the top three remaining
finalists. After all, these are the contenders who could be the next Glee Project Season 2 winner. The finale is all about the three anyway as even interviews are
purely focused on them with inserts from guests and other judges of course.
Speaking of guests, Glee’s
writers who helped choose the final three contestants from last week’s episode
are back along with some of the cast members of Glee, all 14 casts for Glee
Project Season 2, and the regular judges and mentors. They were present to
witness the last chance performance and to provide their own insights about the
performances. The three finalists were allowed to pick their own song and we’re
asked to think about what they will say as final remarks before judging. The
Ali
Ali was first with the
song “Popular” from the musical Wicked. She was bubbly and perky. She didn’t
succumb to the usual melodramatic songs that some disabled people resort to.
She wasn’t there to ask for compassion but to confidently show that despite her
disabilities, she can make it to Glee. But her choice of character to portray
isn’t convincing enough. She thought about playing a flirty and manipulative
role. I don’t think it fits her personality and current situation.
Aylin
Aylin took on “Rolling in
the Deep” by Adele. Her voice is undeniably powerful. Her personality can be as
inspirational as Ali’s. Breaking away from a stereotype of Moslems and coming
from a conservative Turkish background, she can become a motivation for
everyone else to come out of their own shells. Her beau, Charlie who was eliminated
during the earlier episodes, obviously rooted for her and seemingly campaigned for
her with that speech for Ryan Murphy right after the performances.
Blake
Blake won the writer’s
hearts as well as some of the Glee cast members. He was indeed able to show a
part of him they haven’t seen yet during his performance of “I’ll Be” by Edwin
McCain. He wasn’t the best singer and his antics during his rendition of the
song were even awkward. But the microphone flip was superb! Is that what he
wanted to show? Ryan Murphy also asked. It wasn’t only that. We have seen the depth
of his personality with that poem he wrote rhyming “I am the guy…” over and
over again. I love the lines, “I am the whitest half Cuban…” Judge/mentors
Nikki Anders and Robert Ulrich were in tears when he was reading the poem and
so are other people who were in the room.
During the deliberation,
Murphy admittedly said his mind was already made up as to who the winner is before he came to the show
but the performances changed his mind. Most judges/mentors particularly
Zach Woodlee and the writers especially Ian Brennan (who is also co-creator of
Glee) agreed that one of the three final contestants is a star. That star is…
Blake!
So the Glee Project Season 2 winner is Blake Jenner, 19, from
Miami, Florida!
Post a Comment