‘American Idol XIII’ top 4 rankings: Controversy hits Caleb Johnson, Jena Irene, Alex Preston

The “American Idol” top 4 this season find themselves in what is a very unusual position, especially when compared to some who have come before them. Out of these four people, all have faced highs and lows this season, but two in particular voted “no” on a “shocking” twist this past week, and another made some very insensitive that could change everything for him.

This is probably what makes this rankings the most controversial one we’ve done yet, since we have to sift through whether or not these contestants can recover, or if some things (in particular what Alex Preston and Jena Irene did) are really a big deal at all. We’re basing  the numbers this time, therefore, on way more than just performance quality and voting history.

4. Caleb Johnson (last week: 2) – It’s going to be hard for Caleb to come back from this. We were on his side when he was ranting about having to sing Aerosmith, but the moment that he dissed some of those on social media requesting songs using a derogatory term, all that changed. It’s possible that some fans won’t care, or some younger ones haven’t seen the news. Whether or not he addresses this on-air, and also whether or not the show tries to bury him by forcing him to perform first (which is never a good spot to be), are things to be watched heavily this week.

In talking about singing, we actually do think that Caleb is coming off of a pretty bad week, as well.

3. Jessica Meuse (4) – Caleb’s loss is probably Jessica’s benefit, and she may by riding on a lot of good PR right now. She’s the only one who didn’t have any backlash at all this past week, and her “Summertime Sadness” was fantastic. This all bodes very well for her, but it’s still possible that Caleb’s fans all stick around and she finds herself sent home before the top three.

2. Jena Irene (3) – She had arguably one of her best weeks on this past episode, and when it comes to giving star-worthy performances, she has many. So what is holding Jena up at this point? It’s mostly just the fact that she has been in danger before, whereas Alex has not. For the record, though, we see her and Alex saying “no” to the twist having zero impact on their future on the show. Most viewers at this point are smart.

1. Alex Preston (1) – Yep, we’re staying boring at #1. Regardless of it Alex was the best last week, he is extremely consistent and has never been in the bottom. Also, we’ll believe it when we see it when it comes to a white guy with a guitar on this show losing to anyone.

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Photo: Fox