Canadian Idol: Top 10 Busts

The first performances by the remaining 10 Canadian Idol contestants were disappointing on Monday night. The show provided few thrills and showcased some of the worst performances we've seen yet.

It was the first time that all contestants performed on the same night, and the evening was botched. The pre-picked songs were from David Bowie's catalogue, which should have set the stage for a great night. But too many people either tried to create their own take on a classic song or performed another artist's version of a Bowie anthem. I enjoyed the Bowie montage video shown prior to the performances, because how else were most Idol fans going to know who the rock legend is?

Drew Wright was up first. He played drums while singing "Five Years." Judge Zack Werner likened the drumming to that of a circus act, saying Wright should come out on a unicycle next week. Judge Farley Flex thought Wright's performance took the show "to another level." While it was nice to see someone pound the skins for the first time this season, there really wasn't a use for them. The Idol band played drums — even the same notes as Wright — making it seem as though he just wanted to let us know he could play.

Adam Castelli was surprisingly one of the better performers. Castelli finally owned up to the part of performer by riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle on stage for the opening of "Rebel Rebel." The anxiety we usually see all over his face seemed to fade and allowed Castelli to offer the kind of performance we all thought he could pull off. Judge Jake Gold agreed and told Castelli this performance was "by far the best thing you've ever done on this show."

Mark Day delivered the first bad performance of the night as he seemed to mock Bowie and Mick Jagger's version of "Dancing In The Street." Day tried to work his performance, but failed miserably. He should have left his dance moves back in Newfoundland. It kind of reminded me of a Richard Simmons workout video.

Mookie Morris sang "The Man Who Sold The World." I have a soft spot for Morris and thought he was in good voice. The judges were less impressed. Gold thought the vocals could have been better, but Flex appreciated that the performance showed another side of Morris.

Amberly Thiessen came out next with Natalie Merchant's version of "Space Oddity." I'm not a huge Thiessen fan, and her performance didn't change my opinion. All the judges, except for Werner, sided with me. Gold thought she needed more intensity, which has been her ongoing problem.

My favourite, Sebastian Pigott, definitely didn't do his best, but was still good. He performed The Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend The Night Together," which Bowie covered on Aladdin Sane. While Pigott continued to exhibit great musicality, it certainly wasn't the most impressive thing we've seen from him. My biggest beef was that he used his guitar as an accessory. Instruments should only be allowed on stage if they're going to be played. I don't like this theme that's starting to develop. The judges weren't too impressed either. Sass Jordan even called it a "mess-up."

Earl Stevenson, another Idol hopeful I'm rooting for, came out strong with "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide." He was relaxed as always, and strolled around as if he owned the stage. Werner thought Stevenson's work was "mad cool." It wasn't his strongest performance, but I have a feeling he'll stick around.

Dubbed the Deborah Harry of the show by Jordan, Katherine St-Laurent came out with "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)." I think this was St-Laurent's most powerful performance yet. The judges absolutely loved her. Werner said St-Laurent could "make a huge rock record." For some reason, though, I'm still unimpressed.

Theo Tams sang "Silly Boy Blue" accompanied by piano. While everything Tams sings is great, it's starting to get a little boring. He needs to add more excitement to his performances if he wants to stick around longer. I agreed with Gold when he said Tams is "in a completely different league" from the other contestants, but I still think he needs to up the entertainment aspect. And I don't mean by riding a Harley on stage.

Mitch MacDonald delivered the 10th and final performance of the night. He really tried to shake up his nice boy image, and his rendition of "Moonage Daydream" was the angriest and best performance we've seen from him. The judges noticed the improvement, too. Flex said MacDonald "pushed really hard" and Werner voted him "most improved player." MacDonald certainly proved he's worthy of the title.

While there were some noteworthy performances, overall the show was a bust. I expected more out of the top 10, though I'm not sure why. Here's to hoping next week won't be such a drag... and to saying goodbye to Mark Day.
One Idol wannabe will get the boot on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT.