After the commercial we go back to Houston to see the crowd the contestants lassoed in. They end up with 216 people. Some of the performances are shown, including all the contestants on stage together singing. Brad says he bonded with a few of the others. They all say they found it hard to do this as a group when they're also competing against each other. It's told that it was a 15 hour bus ride each way.
My Thoughts: I know this wasn't really a performance totally, but I really enjoyed this concept of the contestants having to work as a group to get people to come to the show. This sort of reminded me of The Apprentice and with the success of that show, I'm sure it was intentional. It was interesting and fun to watch. I do wish they didn't break it up though. It was kind of strange to just go back to the studio and not mention "we'll go back later in the show to see what happened" until they actually were going back.
Next up to sing is Mal Rogers who sings "Two of a Kind Workin' on a Full House."
Brad: It's good to see the mohawk back. Happy St. Patricks Day. You're very charming. You're a very endearing guy. It just seems like you're imitating a country singer at times.
Brett: I know this is funny, but you seem a little green. I know it's a bad joke.
Billy: Mal, you know there are signs that I can hear when you sing that you can really sing. I can hear that in you. I don't think that I've heard the whole thing yet, and I think there's a good chance that we will before the show's over.
Tracy: You know Mal, obviously you're so identifiable when you speak, and I would like to hear that when you sing, and I'm not sure that you stand out from the pack.
My Thoughts: I have always liked Mal and love listening to him speak, but his accent comes through in parts of his song yet not in others, which makes it sound strange. I don't think he sounds like he's imitating anyone, but I think perhaps he tries not to let his accent show, and sometimes it slips.
While accents aren't a bad thing, when it comes and goes, I don't think that's a good thing. I love Keith Urban's accent, and he doesn't try to hide it. Perhaps Mal should do the same.
Lance Miller is next, and he sings "That's The Way Love Goes."
Billy: Lance, I got into country music because I love to sit in a tavern, drink a beer and listen to the jukebox, and that is exactly how I felt when you sang right now.
Tracy:
Good job Lance. You redeemed yourself from last week. You know the only problem I have is that you sang a Merle Haggard song. Nobody's a bigger fan of Merle Haggard than I am. But sometimes you sing so much like him that you become more of an imitation and I wanna hear Lance sing Lance.
Brett: You know what Lance, I'm a huge fan. It sounded a little pitchy, but you know what? I love your voice. I think it's country and it's really really cool. You look like a Nashville Star to me.
My Thoughts: I know Lance has a huge following, and I'll probably get hate mails but remember, it's just my opinion. I have never liked Lance. He has always sounded like he's doing an imitation of someone rather than being himself.