Last week on “I’d Do Anything”: The girls performed as Andrew watched via satellite link up as he was in Vegas. They also got to perform after a performance of “Wicked” to an unsuspecting paying audience. The Oliver’s had to climb down a rope and then perform. In the end, Kwayedza was chosen to go through to the finals. On the Nancy end, Ashley and Francesca fell into the bottom two. And Andrew chose to save Francesca. Who will sing their swan song tonight? Find out!
Graham suit watch: Yellow and dark purple. I’m not really feeling it. Graham welcomes the fans, the bands, the panel, the Lord and the viewing public to the (not-so) live show. Tonight’s show opens with “Pick a Pocket” sung by the Nancys and Olivers. Sam sings with a passable accent. The contestants clear the stage as we go back to Graham. Behind him is Joseph’s family, but their signs make it look like they’re on the wrong programme. He introduces the panel: John Barrowman, Denise van Outen, and Barry Humphries. And, of course, there’s Andrew Lloyd Webber. He’s back in the studio and says he’s worried that there’s no clear front runner. He tells the audience that it’s not about the top notes, it’s about acting. And tonight, they have to be real while singing pop songs.
Coming up: John gets someone about their diction.
Graham tells us that Nancy lived a hard life—food prices high, people struggled to get a house, but she soldiered on. The first up to soldier on are Niamh and Rachel. She says it was great to sing with her sister in the audience and she loves to have positive reviews. She goes home to Bangor and everyone is supporting her. Rachel recalls that she almost didn’t make the Final 12 but now she’s getting great comments. She was shocked that Francesca left last week and unsettles her. But she’s going to focus on the finish. Niamh sings “Valerie.” Just saw Santana perform this song on “Glee” so let’s see how Niamh does. She holds her own singing, but I can see that John’s diction comment is directed to her. Some of the words are getting garbled. But the ones that understand sound beautiful. Rachel sings “I’m With You.” I think I prefer Rachel’s version of this song to Avril Lavigne’s and I like Avril Lavigne! She really captures the desperation and the longing for something greater the song is about.
Graham praises the band before asking Niamh about her trip home. She says it was great. Rachel says everyone is competition but picks Jessie as the next Nancy. We go to John. He calls her confidence but mentions diction. He didn’t understand her but thinks Rachel set the bar. She told a story. Barry calls her performance “wild” and showed a new aspect of the character and herself. He agrees with John about Rachel. Denise didn’t think Niamh held back and she has more to prove. She agrees about the diction. Denise calls Rachel consistent. She wants to see Rachel do warm and playful, as that is Nancy with Oliver. Finally, we go to Andrew. He thinks the choreography hindered Niamh and thanks Rachel for showing how top notes can be real.
Coming up: Jessie gets some not-so-good comments.
Graham introduces the next two up to perform—Jessie and Sarah! We see some of the not-so-good comments from last week regarding Jessie. She said she needs to work on movements. She was always cast as a boy in school productions. She wants to show she can be elegant. Sarah says she loved Saturday’s performance (meaning last week’s performance). I love her new hair color. Jessie sings “Stop.” The red lights really bring out the red of Jessie’s hair. I think it’s a great performance. Movement’s improved. Maybe not as graceful as some would like, but she’s good. Sarah sings “Ironic.” I loved Sarah’s performance. I forgot how much I loved her.
Jessie says she’s working on her Cockney accent. Graham asks Sarah about her teapot. Apparently, she uses it to steam her voice. Steam actually soothes the throat. Take it from someone who has done steam treatments to clear up congestion and soothe coughs. Barry says Jessie has a unique talent but that she’s losing it trying to please everyone. He says Sarah is getting an edge, but still seems girl next door. Denise disagrees with Barry and calls Sarah the best actress so far. Denise reiterates that Jessie is holding back and she needs to be herself. John agrees that they’ve lost Jessie. He says the other girls are fixing, but she’s not. Denise wonders if that means she doesn’t take direction. Graham plays referee and tells John to comment on Sarah. He loved her. Andrew says both are strong contenders so the viewers have to decide what type of Nancy they want.
Coming Up: It’s just a harsh night.
Keisha and Ashley are next up. Keisha talks about how she was convinced she was going to be in the bottom two. But she wasn’t! Keisha though lost her voice. We see how Andrew didn’t like Ashley’s voice. Because she’s crying, I can’t understand her. We see backstage after the results show where John flat out tells Ashley Andrew made the wrong choice. Ouch. But he tells her to fight this week. Keisha sings “I’m All Out of Love.” Her voice has recovered! Yay! She really portrays the song’s anguish. Her voice does crack, but I feel that adds to the song. Ashley sings “Evergreen.” Wasn’t that the song that tripped up Daniel last time and sent him home? I feel bad. I love to watch Ashley when she’s in her segments but the minute she starts singing, my attention is gone.
Keisha and Ashley agree they are happy to be there. John calls her a fighter and blossoming into a Nancy. John says this was the first time he heard her accent but that there were flat notes. He thinks she lost the fight. Denise starts with Ashley because she agrees with John. She knows what Ashley was doing, that it was brave but cheesy. Denise loved Keisha’s performance. She tells Keisha to watch her head. Barry loved Keisha but thinks Ashley was nice. Andrew thinks it was the best vocal Ashley gave but wouldn’t hold an audience’s attention. She doesn’t hold mine. He thinks they both have something and he wants to work with them to help bring it out.
Coming Up: Mission of Adorable!
Graham throws us to the Oliver Mission. They send the boys to practice stage fighting. We get montages of the boys falling into mats and “punching” people. Cameron comes to see what they learned. They take the man down. Cameron is impressed and puts Alexander through. Graham gives him his cap. Alexander chooses Samantha as his Nancy, because of her voice and because he has family from the Isle of Man. The Olivers then sing “Hard Knock Life” from Annie.
Could Be Oliver:
Gareth
Jordan
Harry
Joseph
Sam
Chester
Arthur
Gwion
Kwayedza
Alexander
Jonny
Laurence
Coming Up: Finally, good comments!
Last up are Samantha and Jodie. Samantha talks about how Saturday was make or break for her and she felt great after the show. The vocal coach, Donna, praises Samantha’s rehearsals. Jodie celebrates her good comments. She says she got a “whopper of a song” and Claire thinks this will show how she is as a singer. Samantha sings “Since U Been Gone.” I’ve heard Kelly Clarkson sing this live and I think Samantha gives her a run for her money. She also acts it well. Do you think the girls got to keep any of their outfits? Jodie sings “I Have Nothing.” I like how they did Jodie’s make up this week. Usually, they style her to look older than she is and that’s not fair. But this week she looks age appropriate. And is anyone surprised that she knocks it out of the park?
Graham goes straight to Denise. She thinks both could be leading ladies. She says Samantha had “bags” of attitude and warns her against becoming too shouty, though this song required it. She loved Jodie’s performance. Barry calls Samantha “watchable” and he can’t take her eyes off her. He tells Jodie he wants to be there when she sings “As Long As He Needs Me.” John calls Samantha his “belting Nancy” and that she was superb. He calls Jodie fearless and tells her she’s destined for the West End. Andrew thinks Samantha made the furthest journey. He asks if Jodie was still engaged, which she is. He says he’s engaged by her.
Coming Up: Rowing! No, really, rowing!
We come back to a recap of the performances. Graham talks to John, Barry and the Nancys. Barry says eight shows a week is a test. John talks about popping into the Nancy house and was surprised by what he found. He says they need to stay in shape. Graham brought them candied apples. The girls want it. The girls wake up before the sun on their mission. The girls wake up more when they see men in Lycra. The girls first hit the gym before they race in the boats. Ashley and Rachel are the team captains. Sarah says she was always chosen last and it holds true. Rachel’s team is Jessie, Niamh and Keisha. Ashley picks Jodie, Sam and Sarah. Rachel’s team wins. In the end, the girls need to work on endurance.
Coming Up: The Choir of Adorable sings Disney. I may need to coin a new term.
It is now the results show as Graham has taken off the monstrosity he was wearing. His suit is now red and blue. The Nancys sing “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves.” Besides Keisha and Niamh, Samantha is really standing out in this performance. Graham introduces Barbara Windsor, who was friends with the creator of “Oliver!” Nancy was written for Georgia Brown and she thinks he may want to redefine the role. Barbara will be back next week in the mission. Denise will be watching Jodie and Jessie. Andrew says he loved Keisha in the performance and wants to see how she does.
And now we meet Alexander. He loves Bon Jovi and loves to air guitar to “Livin’ On a Prayer.” That was…brief. The Olivers sing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “The Lion King.” And it’s the Elton John end credits version.
Coming Up: The results!
Graham asks the panel who isn’t their Nancy. Barry: Keisha. Denise: Ashley. John: Keisha. Now, time for the results. Samantha could still be Nancy. Jessie is also safe. She starts crying and runs to join Samantha. Jodie and Rachel are both safe. Keisha and Ashley—one is in the bottom two, one is safe. Ashley is safe, so Keisha is in the bottom two. Wow, UK, you really hated Keisha, didn’t you? Sarah and Niamh are the last to receive their fate. Sarah is safe, so Niamh is in the bottom two. If it were down to viewers alone, Keisha would be out. The two must now sing “The Rose.” Niamh begins and then Keisha sings. Oh, this is a hard difficult decision. Both girls sing the song beautifully. Both are talented actresses. I am going to have to go with my highly unscientific and incredibly biased reason in that…I just love Niamh better than Keisha. Sorry, Keisha.
Coming Up: Andrew is mad.
Niamh and Keisha appear before Andrew. He calls it a travesty and that neither belongs in the bottom two. And he is angry. But he goes with the panel and saves Niamh. Graham asks Andrew why. Andrew doesn’t know why she was in the bottom two but that she’s got a great career ahead of her. And he’ll help her. Graham sends her off to sing her good-bye. The remaining seven sing “Be Back Soon” before Keisha sings “As Long As He Needs Me.” Niamh takes off Keisha’s locket and she finishes strong. Producers of Memphis, look her up when you transfer! Andrew walks off as the girls hug Keisha.
Could Still be Nancy:
Amy
Keisha
Cleo
Sarah
Rachel
Jodie
Samantha
Ashley
Jessie
Francesca
Niamh
Tara
Next week: Ooh, it’s Samantha’s rendition of “Sway” and Jessie’s of “The Man Who Got Away.” Which means one thing—it’s Big Band Week!
I am honestly sorry to see Keisha go. As I’ve stated before, I am not an Ashley fan. I think Keisha deserved to stay longer than Ashley has. Good luck, Keisha! FiOS clearly got the episodes mixed up as the summary didn’t get anything right. And I am taking suggestions for new original words to describe the Olivers.
Quote of the Episode:
“Yeah, I’m mental.” –Sarah, about her teapot.
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