Jewel is on the stage with the six finalists standing on the stage. She says that the finalists will have to perform a song chosen by the three judges. Next, it's time for the guest performance. Tonight we'll hear The Wreckers perform "My, Oh My." Like last week, the microphones don't seem to be set right. The music is way too loud,and you can't hear the girls singing very well. I also noticed that Jessica's hair looks darker. I saw Tim LaRoche and I think Erika Jo in the audience.
After the intro plays, we're back in the studio with the finalists, and Jewel and Cowboy Troy on the stage. Jewel talks to Angela and Zac.
Jewel: So guys, here's the deal. *to Angela* You could be four weeks away from going head to head with your brother for a major record deal. Has that sunken in yet?
Angela: Uh, absolutely not. But, you know, we're just going to take it week by week, and hopefully we'll be there in the end.
Jewel: Slugging it out. *to Zac* So, do you think that one of you is ahead right now, Zac? How do you feel like it's been, week to week?
Zac: Oh, I don't really know yet. I mean, there's no way to really tell. Granted, she has had more standing ovations.
Jewel: So, Blake, you're always great for an opinion. How do you think this is going to shake out?
Blake: Yeah, you know, we're all hearing about the Hackers. A lot. It's the big story. But, you know, we're down to the cream of the crop. You've got Whitney. And all I would say to Whitney is, everybody is talking about how hot Whitney is, and just make sure your singing is at that level also, you know. David, I'm jealous of you. I don't even want to talk to you. My favorite thing about Meg was the thing that I picked on her about at first. She was a little bit afraid. And I love that about her right now. There's just something about you that is your personality that I love. Joshua, you're cool, because anybody that says anything bad about you, Jewel will kick their ass.
We're also told that Jewel will perform later in the show.
The first finalist performing is:
Zac Hacker
"Zac opens up his envelope containing the song he will be singing. He says: Well, the thought of them picking a song for me does give me a little nervous feeling. Something to be Proud of by Montgomery Gentry. I don't like the song at all. It's just not me. I guess I'm just going to try to think of the things in my life that I've got to be proud of, and see what I can pull from it. (They show him rehearsing) I can hear a lot of myself in the song right now. It took a while to get the arrangement right. And like I said, I was gonna come in here and do the best I could on it. We prevailed through it. And, I think people will like it. If they liked it before, they should like it now ."
Zac sings "Something To Be Proud Of"
Randy: Zac, I picked that song for you, because if I were producing you, that's the kind of music that I would choose for you. But, I wanna.. I think that that little attitude thing there... that you have to understand that, as a young guy, a guy named Galante told me one time, he said 'I can guarantee you a number one single.' Luckily for me, I was smart enough to say, 'Ok, I'll take the number one single.' That song was "She and I," and it was a number one single. I didn't particularly like the song at the time, but it was a number one record. So, you need to understand that you have a great talent, but you need to be more receptive to things that could carry you further in this music business, and not be negative toward that, like I saw in that clip, there.
Anastasia: Right, yeah. Zac, yeah, when I watched that clip, and I don't think you enjoyed singing that song. At least it looked like that to me. And I thought to myself, this attitude and this kind of performance can ruin an artist's career, but then I remembered you don't have one yet. So, keep on working on it.
Zac: I will definitely try hard.
Blake: Zac, do you really think that I walked into my closet tonight and picked out this freakin' jacket?
Zac: Probably not.
Blake: I have somebody do that for me, and I trust them. So, there's sometimes that you have to do things that you don't want to do, but it's all in your attitude, how it turns out. Just remember that.
Jewel: It is true, you know. Our job as an artist is to cowboy up. And, when you're great, you can bring greatness to any song. The great news is that you are moving on. And,Zac is a really strong writer, and so you get to do an original song. How are you gonna feel?
Zac: That's what this whole thing is all about. Original material. So, I'll be glad, if I make it next week, I'll be glad...
Jewel: We'll be glad to hear it. Zac Hacker, everybody.
My thoughts: I like that Zac is wearing a long black jacket like Eddie Montgomery wears. I don't know if I care for his performance. The talking parts are kind of ackward. He's great on the choruses, but just not up to his usual performance.