American Idol 10 Wrap-Up: 15 Season Highlights

Compared to last season - which was unforgivably boring - Season 10 stepped it up a notch. Yes, there's nothing boring this year! From the infuriating judges, to the out of nowhere eliminations, to flaming pianos and even random wrestlers hitting Ryan Seacrest in the face. Haha. I've seen everything on this show!

So, just like every season, I decided to come up with this year’s 15 American Idol 10 Highlights.

SEASON 8 Highlights
SEASON 9 Highlights

Here are the 15 Moments of Season 10:

15. So What?

Arguably, this year's batch is one of the strongest on American Idol EVER. I mean, I actually liked everyone in the Top 13 at some point or another. So, to see the first 6 eliminated contestants perform out of nowhere was a pleasant surprise. Sure, it didn't sound all that great, but just the thought of them together made me grin like an idiot!

14. When Randy Jackson Punched A Girl..

I don't like Randy Jackson AT ALL. But the clip where he accidentally punched a girl - who turned out to be the very talented Molly DeWolf Swenson - had me laughing. I hate to admit it, but this was probably one of the highlights during the audition rounds. Aside from of course, the..

13. Tyler-isms

I seriously had some reservations when American Idol cast him as a judge on the show. But his soundbites during the audition rounds were so random, I completely lost my sanity! Haha. I'd give you a couple of his incredibly delicious quotes: "Well hellfire, save matches. F*ck a duck and see what hatches.", "What's with the jujubees on your oohoohbees?", "I don't think I've ever heard anybody squeeze the flavor out of that song. You squeezed it out so slow it was like Vanilla Fudge and Eleanor Rigby." and "Slap that baby on the *ss and call me Christmas!"

12. From 24 to 13

The biggest cut the show EVER had. I figured that there will be a Top 13 this year based on the Finale schedule. Yes, I tried to count backwards and it didn't seem to add up if they will have the usual 12. But just the same, an additional person in the Final round means a more diverse group. Plus, the Wildcard round on that same episode was absolutely great television - the six (6) people the judges picked to perform gave stellar performances - especially Kendra Chantelle and Stefano Langone.

11. .. and they're back

American Idol started with this tradition two seasons ago, but the fanboy in me is always giddy every time I see an Idol alum back on the show. Best performance this season? Hands down, Jordin Sparks. It was like the second era that the show unveiled the newer, fiercer Jordin Sparks on American Idol debuting a new single. But that's not to take away the other Idol performances - all of them did absolutely fantastic with their songs.

10. Who said Jennifer can't act?

I will NOT focus on Chris Medina just because I didn't think he's even worthy of a Top 24 spot - so the decision to cut him was just about right for me. Jennifer Lopez, on the other hand, reacted like she'd won an Oscar. Haha. While I didn't question her emotions during that moment - Yes, I thought it was genuine - why would you even say that you don't want to do it? Umm, Jennifer, you’re making millions of dollars to eliminate contestants from a reality show, so if you don’t want you’re job, I’ll take it off your hands. Haha.

09. Look at yourself in the mirror..

Don’t ever.. EVER.. try to tell voters what they should think because you just end up looking like a complete and utter loser! I don't want to elaborate on this non-sense, but yes, this was one of this season's highlights - fortunately or unfortunately.

08. Flaming Piano. Marching Band. Zakk Wylde.

There comes a time in every Idol viewer’s life where he or she has to just sit back and say, “There’s only so much cheese I can take on this program.” Well, some of James' performances marked that moment for me. Haha. No, I don't mean that as bad thing but the theatrics were just so over-the-top I personally was unable to handle it. Nonetheless, he made this season utterly entertaining. At some point, I even thought he was THE CHOSEN ONE until..

07. James Durbin's Elimination

.. he got eliminated at Fourth place. To be honest, I saw this one coming. In a night of hostility and vote saving, with now a clear front runner in tact in Scotty McCreery, James was bound to get screwed. True, he makes good TV with his theatrics and whatnot, but he's an inconsistent vocalist - he couldn't stay on pitch to save his life - and the judges NEVER criticized him for that. As I've said, most people can see the blatant bias towards James and America may be slow sometimes, but they aren’t stupid.

06. Hulk Hogan on Idol

This surprise appearance was quite memorable. It started with a wrestling montage of James and Paul and that was some funny stuff. But when I saw Hulk Hogan suddenly appear on American Idol, I assumed I had nodded off and was dreaming that something so cheesetastic could possibly have occurred, but I was wrong! That was reality! HAHA. Hulk Hogan came on stage to tell James and Paul that they were safe and James was in full “geek-out” mode. Priceless!

05. Rise Of The Underdog

If you had told me 12 weeks ago that Haley Reinhart would end up as one of the Final 3 this season, I would have slapped you in the face and called you a liar! Haha. Yes, I hated her during the early round of this season. But something happened after Bennie and Jets and she suddenly hit her stride - turning into a legitimate darkhorse. And even though she was ultimately the human pinata of this year's judges turned cheerleaders, Haley fought hard and turned it a great number of musical moments - certainly giving us more than what we expected. If she won, Haley would've kicked Kris Allen butt as the greatest underdog to win American Idol. She didn't, but 3rd place was quite the event already.

04. The "judges"

Of course, these three "judges" turned "cheerleaders" should be part of this countdown, but not for the right reasons. True, there was a palpable chemistry between the three of them and there were a few instances that Jennifer Lopez actually gave good constructive criticisms. So what seemed to be the problem? The word few! Jennifer summed it up, "There's nothing to judge there!" Really? What's the point of you three sitting there then? It seemed like the trio suddenly gave up judging and decided one day to be just mere cheerleaders. Unless, of course, if you're Haley Reinhart. Haha.

03. Moanin'

If this was a competition performance - instead of a mere results show number - I would've ranked this as the best performance of the season. Seriously. Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams delivered possibly one of the most phenomenal performances this season. Absolutely OUTSTANDING. At one point, I wonder if we can just make the season a battle between two country singers and two jazz singers? You know, Country vs. Jazz. Haha. Oh, and this sealed the deal for me on Haley Reinhart! The notes she hit were fantastic! Just saying.

02. Casey Abrams' Save

Absolutely great television!! Casey eliminated. Everyone's shocked. Casey started singing. Randy stopped the singing. Judges explained. Casey SAVED! Casey dropped his mic. Casey seemed like he's going to die. Casey on the floor shaking. Audience cheered for him. Idols rejoiced. Everyone's happy. I got teary eyed. Yes, I'm pathetic like that. Haha. This was THE highlight of the season, until..

01. Pia Toscano's Elimination

Say what you want, but Pia Toscano's elimination would probably go down in history as one of the most shocking boot EVER! Yes, she's not the most dynamic performer this season and some people thought she's "boring", but NO WAY on merit should Pia have gone before Stefano, Jacob and Paul. I don't know. Once upon a time, I survived Jennifer Hudson's eight-place finish, Alex Lambert's premature boot, and yes even Daughtry's untimely elimination. But this? Personally, this abysmal voting result somehow stung so badly.