AMERICAN Song Contest is back again tonight after fans slammed the show last week.
Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg host the show, proving to be a hilarious pair as they emcee the performances of artists from each of the 50 states.
However, after last Monday’s episode, some fans dubbed the show “unfair” because it allows up-and-coming contestants new to the stage to perform in competition against seasoned professionals like Michael Bolton and Macy Gray.
The show is designed to be America’s answer to the Eurovision Song Contest, with musicians from all 50 states, five surrounding territories, and Washington, DC competing in the contest.
Read our American Song Contest live blog for the latest news and updates…
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‘That was Cajun hot’
Snoop Dogg described Pfantz’s performance as “Cajun hot” alluding to the singer’s home state.
Kelly said she liked the song and described it as “catchy.”
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Brittany Pfantz, Lousiana, takes the stage
Brittany represented the bayou state with her soulful song Now You Do.
The performance showed the singer in a dark outfit surrounded by a band while she belted her heart out.
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Grant Knoche performs
Grant Knoche, representing Texas, performed his song Mr. Independent.
Kelly, a Texas native, mentioned her song Miss Independent and joked about the two collaborating.
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More semifinalists announced
Chloe Fredericks from North Dakota, Broderick Jones from Kansas and Jonah Prill are all moving forward to the semifinals!
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Tune in!
Tonight’s episode of American Song Contest is live NOW on NBC!
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Who is Jewel?
Jewel is a singer from Alaska who is known for her performance on The Masked Singer.
She starred as the anonymous character Queen of Hearts on Season 6 of the show.
After performing Katy Perry’s song Firework in the finale, she won the season at the end of 2021.
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Who is performing tonight?
Eurovision World shared a schedule detailing who is in tonight’s episode or “Heat 3.”
The performers tonight are:
- Ni/Co (Alabama)
- Jewel (Alaska)
- Riker Lynch (Colorado)
- Nitro Nitra (Delaware)
- Ale Zabala (Florida)
- Brittany Pfantz (Louisiana)
- Brooke Alexx (New Jersey)
- Sabyu (Northern Mariana Islands)
- Jesse LeProtti (South Carolina)
- Judd Hoos (South Dakota)
- Tyler Braden (Tennessee)
- Grant Knoche (Texas)
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NBC teases tonight’s performances
NBC leaked some scenes from the final dress rehearsals for the third qualifying round.
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Contestant controversy
Some American Song Contest viewers feel that pitting well-known professionals against up-and-coming artists is unfair.
Allowing contestants like Macy Gray and Michael Bolton certainly adds an exciting element to the competition, but some viewers spoke out online against the singers’ participation.
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‘Redemption songs’
Fans have another chance to see favorites who didn’t make it through the initial qualifying rounds.
After the five qualifying rounds are over, the jury will select two “redemption songs” and bring back two performers who missed their first chance to continue.
“So keep streaming their songs and loving their music,” Kelly said in last week’s episode.
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Who is going to the semi-finals, continued
Kentucky’s Jordan Smith was the jury selection to continue to the semis in episode two.
Three more songs from episode two will be selected to continue at the beginning of tonight’s episode.
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Who is going to the semi-finals so far?
There are currently five semi-finalists, according to NBC.
Hueston, who is representing Rhode Island, was the very first jury selection in episode one.
Representing Connecticut in the semis is Michael Bolton, a jury-fan pick from episode one.
From Puerto Rico is Christian Pagán who was also a jury-fan pick from episode one.
And the final jury-fan pick from episode one was AleXa who’s from Oklahoma.
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Who was chosen to continue last week?
The jury voted for Kentucky’s Jordan Smith to continue on to the semifinals.
The three other contestants continuing from last week’s episode will be announced in tonight’s episode.
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Who is Jordan Smith?
Jordan Smith, 28, is the Season 9 winner of The Voice. He became famous for receiving a four-chair turn during the show’s Blind Auditions with his rendition of Chandelier by Sia.
Last week, Jordan represented Kentucky and sang his original song called Sparrow.
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Who is Macy Gray?
Macy Gray is an already-established R&B singer who got her start in the 1990s and become known for her hit single, I Try.
The R&B singer has also acted in several films including Training Day, Spider-Man, Lackawanna Blues, and For Colored Girls.
Gray represented her home state of Ohio on last week’s episode of American Song Contest where she sang her song called Every Night.
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Who performed last week?
Heat two consisted of 11 acts that performed to compete for a spot in the next round of American Song Contest.
- Broderick Jones (Kansas)
- Jordan Smith (Kentucky)
- King Kyote (Maine)
- Jonah Prill (Montana)
- Jocelyn (Nebraska
- ENISA (New York)
- Chloe Fredericks (North Dakota)
- Macy Gray (Ohio)
- courtship. (Oregon)
- Cruz Rock (US Virgin Islands)
- Almira Zaky (Virginia)
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How are winners chosen?
A jury of 56 music professionals chooses one winner to advance to the semi-finals after each of the five qualifying rounds.
Three additional songs will be chosen after each qualifying round airs through viewers and jury voting for their favorite act.
Kelly and Snoop Dog open the episode by announcing which three songs from last week were voted to continue to the semi-finals.
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How does the show work?
American Song Contest has five episodes of qualifying rounds where each artist performs.
In these qualifying rounds, a select few are chosen to move to the semi-finals which will be shown in two episodes.
The Grand Final takes place during the last episode of the season which is scheduled for May 9.
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The recognized contestants
The participants who are already established, well-recognized performers include:
- Macy Gray (Ohio)
- Sisqó (Maryland)
- Riker Lynch (Colorado)
- Michael Bolton (Connecticut)
- Jewel (Alaska)
- Tenelle (American Somoa)
- Justin Jesso (Illinois)
- Jordan Smith (Kentucky)
- Yam Haus (Minnesota)
- The Crystal Method (Nevada)
- ENISA (New York)
- Alan Stone (Washington)
- Judd Hoos (South Dakota)
- AleXa (Oklahoma)
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The amateur contestants
The amateur contestants are:
- Kelsey Lamb (Arkansas)
- Ni/Co (Alabama)
- Las Marías (Arizona)
- Sweet Taboo (California)
- Nitro Nitra (Delaware)
- Ale Zabala (Florida)
- Stela Cole (Georgia)
- Jason J (Guam)
- Bronson Varde (Hawaii)
- Andrew Sheppard (Idaho)
- UG Skywalkin (Indiana)
- Alisabeth Von Presley (Iowa)
- Broderick Jones (Kansas)
- Brittany Pfantz (Louisiana)
- King Kyote (Maine)
- Jared Lee (Massachusetts)
- Ada LeAnn (Michigan)
- Keyone Starr (Mississippi)
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Who are the contestants?
Musicians from all 50 states, five surrounding territories, and Washington, DC are competing in the contest.
On March 3, 2022, NBC revealed information regarding the participants competing in American Song Contest.
The competitors include a mix of relatively unknown musicians, as well as singer-songwriters who already found mainstream success.
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Who are the hosts?
Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg host the competition series.
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Eurovision in America
Many Americans were introduced to Eurovision thanks to the Netflix movie starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.
The Story of Fire Saga was a hit Netflix comedy film that featured Ferrell and McAdams’s characters competing to perform at the Eurovision contest.
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How does Eurovision work, part three
The winner is determined based on a point system, and the performer with the most points wins.
The prize is a chance to perform the winning song yet again, a trophy, and their country getting the honor of hosting Eurovision the next year.