Nashville Star Narrows To Five Contestants

Sarah Skates

While Nashville Star contestants were tackling love songs on last night’s (7/14) episode, mentor John Rich was tackling contestants and even the show’s network, NBC. Regarding the talent selection process, Rich pointed out that some “very questionable choices were made for this year’s season” by NBC, but Gabe Garcia’s performance last night renewed his faith that the network bigwigs were finally starting to understand country music.

Garcia, a solid frontrunner on the show since the beginning, was last night’s stand-out artist with his take on “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right.” He was proudly sporting a belt buckle given to him by mentor Jewel’s cowboy boyfriend Ty Murray. She encouraged Gabe to flirt with the audience, to which Rich responded, “She’s in love with you by the way.”

Teens Laura and Sophie were sent packing, but not before Rich could dish out a rough chiding about Sophie rolling her eyes last week during Jewel’s criticism. When Sophie said she didn’t realize she had done that, Jewel sarcastically suggested it might have been a seizure.

Following a lashing from the judges, co-host Katie Cook always helps contestants feel better about their performances. Her presence adds a bit of charm and sparkle, and last night she looked fantastic (was her hair more blonde?)

Among the remaining five contestants, Coffey and Shawn will likely go home soon. That will leave the three strongest contenders—Gabe, Ashlee Hewitt, and Melissa Lawson—vying for a deal with Warner Bros. Nashville and the performance of a lifetime at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. I’m sticking with Ashlee. As Jewel has noted more than once, she seems to show the most potential as a true artist.