Canadian Idol: Top 200 Aren't So Bad

It turns out the audition clips we saw on last week's shows were pretty much just reels of terrible singers sprinkled throughout the try-out process. The top 200 contenders revealed on Monday night turned out to be a pleasant surprise, considering our experience so far. While a few quirky ones managed to squeeze through to the next round, the majority of the remaining contestants seem impressive.

You could say last night started off like "night of emotions two" or something. The first three interview segments featured Cpl. Jonathan Whitehead, who represented heart and bravery. But he ended up being cut, which was sad. Then we saw Omar Lunan, the single dad from previous auditions, who's doing this for his child. Next was Vancouver's Vincent Vorkpor, who migrated all the way from Liberia and is now on the show. Look at how Canadian Idol makes dreams come true.

Before we could see the contestants compete, we had to watch clips of their arrival in buses.

First up was Hamilton's Adam Castelli, who gave a bluesy and raw performance. I think he's my new favourite, replacing Jessica Sheppard.

The episode continued to test our water works when highlighting Ottawa's Dan Young, whose mother died during the audition process. He reminisced about his relationship with her, explained how she was his number one fan, and then continued to warm our hearts with his version of Our Lady Peace's "Innocent."

Lunan followed close behind and delivered a heartfelt performance of Mr. Big's "To Be With You."

Halifax's Lindsay Barr's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" was super-cool and awesome. I'm also rooting for her.

I go back and forth with Vorkpor. I'm not too sure how I feel about his style or voice or something or other. But he made his own outfit and sang Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me."

I'll mention Martin Kerr and his performance of Coldplay's "Yellow" only because I anticipate him remaining in the spotlight because of his battling banter with judge Zack Werner.

Those who made it to the next round were put in groups and given a song to perform. This was the first time in Idol history that co-ed groups competed. The judges proclaimed Kerr's group to be the best they've ever seen. I'm going to have to go with Mookie Morris' group, though. They did a cool, mellow take on Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?," which was really impressive.

The most rewarding part of this show was when Lisa Bell creamed group member Marie Pierre-Bellerose in a sing-off. This was after Pierre-Bellerose bitched on Bell for feeling ill and going to the hospital earlier that day. It was fun to see a sing-off, and even better because karma showed up.