Laura & Sophie are next.
Laura & Sophie sing "Stand By Your Man."
Jeffrey: Great, great singing.
John: It's tough to come up with a criticism for you two ngirls, to be completely honest.
Jewel: Y'all have a great friendship. If you can make this crowd feel like they're in that friendship too, and they're in that intimate space, then you're going to be over the top.
My thoughts: I like their voices, but I like when they harmonize better than when they sing solo.
Gabe Garcia is next.
He sings "All My Exs Live in Texas."
Jewel: It's really exciting to see you here, and what makes it exciting is that you sing great.
John: Whoever becomes the first Nashville Star is going into the studio with me, and after hearing that vocal, granted you seem kind of nervous to me a little bit. You're gonna have to get that under control. But your voice is pure, pure, pure great country music right there.
Jeffrey Steele: I wanna get you some Wranglers with a crease and get that shirt starched up a little bit. I think you've got a shot.
My thoughts: I love Gabe's voice. He's got personality to go with his looks and his voice. He's the total package.
Alyson Gilbert is next.
Alyson sings "Suds in the Bucket."
Jeffrey: Alyson, that was a great performance. Great voice, great range. You remind me a little bit of Martina McBride. That's a good thing, and it's also a bad thing. I want you to concentrate more on being yourself. I want it to be Alyson Gilbert.
John: Alyson, I thought you ended strong, Did you see a beauty pagent, whenever they're out there, and they're just overdoing it the whole way? That's kind of how it came off to me a little bit.
Jewel: I told you during rehearsals that I don't want a pagent singer to come out here. You overshot a little bit.
My thoughts: I like her voice, but she's over animated at times, and her eyes get really big, and it looks kind of weird sometimes.
Next is Ashlee Hewitt.
Ashley sings "Bubbly."
John: You know what I loved about that performance? It was simple. I felt it. You meant it. The look in your eyes.. you didn't have to run all over the place to entertain. I think everybody in this room felt what was coming out of your eyes, and coming out of your mouth. It was great.
Jewel: I thought that was a great job. I think your sincerity and your sweetness shine through.
Jeffrey: I agree with Jewel. I think there is more to your voice than what we heard tonight. I was actually kind of disappointed from the first time I heard you. But, I think there is something there.
My thoughts: I liked her performance. She has a very unique voice.
Charley Jenkins is next.
Charley sings "I Like It, I Love It."
Jewel: I love it that you're willing to come out here and work the crowd. I just don't buy it.
John: I can make it real simple. First of all, I like you a lot, and I like your voice a lot, when you're not running around like a Garth Brooks impersonator in Las Vegas, or something like that.
Jeffrey: Here's what I gotta say. You got a voice there, but I hate it, I hate it, I want no more of it.
My thoughts: He's certainly energetic. His voice is a little breathy when he's walking around though.
Next is Justin Gaston.
Justin sings "Drops of Jupiter."
Jeffrey Steele: I know I'm gonna take a hit, cuz this is a great looking guy, and I know the ladies are going to love him, but I didn't like that performance. It was pretty pitchy.
John: I'll tell you what I did love about it. I love that song. I think it's interesting to hear that done as a country song on Nashville Star... The singing was a little shakey.
Jewel: I like your bold choice of a song. When you look that good, you're gonna have to sing that much better, so, the bar is high.
My thoughts: I'm not real familiar with the song, but it was ok. He's definitely nice to look at. I don't know if I really love his voice, though. It's not very strong.
Melissa Lawson is next.
Melissa sings "Something to Talk About."
Jewel: Wow! Mick Jagger can learn a few moves from you. I love the attitude. And, man, when you can sing like that, to back it up. Dang, you brought it tonight.
Jeffrey: Some people kind of overshot it tonight. Man, you came in slow, and then revved up to that big note, and you took it home, baby. Grand Slam out of the park.
John: I'll finish this up by saying this. The look in your eye when you came off that stage, I could not stop looking at you. And I think that not only do you want to be a big artist. I think you're doing this for your boys, and the people back at the house, for real. And, somebody's going home tonight, and it ain't gonna be you! I can tell you that!
My thoughts: Melissa has a terrific voice, and some good stage presence. I like her statement that you don't have to be a size 6 to be a superstar.
The two weakest finalists are Charley and Alyson.
The person going home is: Charley Jenkins.
Next week, the finalists will be separated into three groups - Men - Women - Groups. Each group will be assigned to one of the judges, who will mentor them. Trace Adkins will also perform on next week's show.
Tell us who your favorite Nashville Star finalist is by casting your vote in the polls below. I had to use two polls as our polls only hold up to 10 options, and we have 11 finalists.
Who is your favorite Nashville Star 6 finalist - Episode 1?
Tommy Stanley
Gabe Garcia
Coffey
Justin Gaston
Alyson Gilbert
Who is your favorite Nashville Star 6 finalist - Episode 1?
Third Town
Melissa Lawson
Laura & Sophie
Pearl Heart
Ashlee Hewitt
Shawn Mayer