Universal Idol - Week 7 - Eliminations and Finale!
The show opens with a little more fanfair than usual. This is the finale, after all. The culmination of seven weeks of blood, sweat, tears, and in some cases...alcohol. A host outside of the Idol Arena interviews fans as they wait to get inside. Who is your favorite? Any predictions for what to expect tonight? The live fan interviews are intercut with home-video clips. Recordings made by fans from across the universe who have fallen in love with the show and its performers. This show really has succeeded in becoming a Universal phenomenon.
The camera cuts to an interior shot of the arena. Fans of all shapes and sizes are packed into their seats, cheering and waving their hands. It swings around to the stage and closes in on Skylar James-Bale, wife of producer Benjamin Bale, who has stepped in to be the face of the competition since “The Incident” during week five.
Skylar smiled at the audience before looking toward the camera. "Thank you everyone for coming tonight, and thank you to those that are tuning in at home. I think we were all surprised at just how much of a positive reaction we got when we debuted. I think everyone was craving having something of their own here in Galador, and this, Universal Idol, has really become something that everyone, both native citizens and transplants, can gather together to watch and cheer for their favorites, and we are so happy to have had the chance to bring that to you."
"Anyway, as a reminder, the prize for winning is a guaranteed recording contract with Full Moon Entertainment, and the winner will be promoted throughout (currently) 5 planets. Hopefully, next round, we'll be able to promote even to even more planets."
"We hope that you enjoy the show that we've prepared, and, anyway, on with the show!" She held her hand up and waved at the audience, blowing a kiss to them before heading off stage.
As Skylar exits the stage, a gigantic video screen lowers from the ceiling and the lights in the auditorium grow dim. A prepared video package plays and chronicles the journey of the show thus far. Clips are woven together from the audition process, performances on the show, and interviews with contestants and judges. There are plenty of behind the scenes silliness and bloopers to keep the audience in high spirits. The video comes to a close on side by images of Penny St Claire and Jeremy Lewis.
The video screen goes dark, as does the rest of the auditorium. There’s a hum of excitement from the crowd. Overhead, an unknown male voice booms from a speaker, and echoes through the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, Universal Idol proudly presents your finalists: Jeremy Lewis and Penny St Claire!”
A roar erupts from the audience and the lights flare back to life. A live, three person band is now sitting center stage where the video screen previously was. As they launch into a rock-inspired rendition of Uptown Funk, Jeremy and Penny enter from opposite sides of the stage, and meet one another in front of the band. Their entire performance is high energy and filled with swagger. Despite their difference in age and styles, it’s clear the two have an undeniable spark and chemistry with each other. Penny gets down with her rock and roll side, and Jeremy makes certain to show off his dance moves for Queen Shiklah.
The smiles on their faces throughout the performance showcase just how much the two finalists are enjoying themselves. The audience cheered and danced and demanded more. Even the musicians were getting into the spirit of things, rocking out and dancing around on stage along with them. When the number comes to a close, every audience member is on their feet applauding. Laughing and with clasped hands, Jeremy and Penny take a bow, then hurry off the stage.
We then begin a series of performances by some familiar faces. Each of the previously eliminated contestants have been invited back to perform on the Idol stage one more time. The audience members cheer with delight as their old favorites return.
First up is Beth Greene. She enters the stage, looking very much herself in a pair of jeans, cowboy boots, a t-shirt, and a jean jacket. Her guitar in hand, she waves to the audience. Her song, Mortal, is upbeat and folksy, much like her. She smiles her way through the entire performance. While she may never be Idol material, it’s clear she still loves performing.
After Beth, Enid Rhee appears. The spotlight comes up on her in the middle of the stage on a stool. She's wearing black sparkly trousers (because she wouldn't be able to pull off sitting like that in a dress or skirt) and a blue sequined tank top. Beside her is a man with an acoustic guitar, ready to sing backup. She performs her take on Bad.
Noah is all smiles as the lights come up, and he stands there with his guitar. He has a whole band with him this time, consisting of Alex Whitman on bass and Kenny Palmer on drums. After a short instrumental, the trio begin to play a smooth upbeat version of the Beatles' Hey Jude. It’s probably the most carefree anyone has seen him on stage thus far. Two minutes and fifty seconds in, he encourages audience participation as he begins to sing 'na na' over and over again until the song ends. After he finishes, he takes a bow and motions to his band members. He introduces each of them as the audience cheers. He ends with a 'see you next year!' before heading off.
Lita is her authentic self again as she walks onto the stage. She’s sporting magenta hair, colorful leggings, a loose-fitting crop top t-shirt, and high top sneakers. She gives a wave to the audience before leaning in and beginning her song, Bodies. She starts off acapella before busting out her metal voice. She isn’t being judged, so she can scream as much as she wants! There is some singing in there too, of course. During every instrumental break, she busts out her signature dance moves and just has a good time. She has the biggest grin on her face as the song ends and everyone cheers. She can’t help but blow kisses to the audience as she walks off.
Marcus walks onstage then, as the adorably awkward panda he is, and gives a sheepish little wave to the crowd. Without much fuss, he then begins to sing, of course, Memory, while putting all of his sweet, doofish soul into it.
In an attempt to just have fun and throw himself COMPLETELY into the "play to the ladies" thing, Ash decided to go all in and performs a pseudo-stripper dance while singing Pony. He pulls his shirt off halfway through and dances across the stage in just his jeans and sneakers.
In a surprise appearance, Rachelle appears on stage next with her original band; Chloe Van Warren on drums, Lucy Van Warren on guitar, herself on bass. She then introduces Adilyn Bellefleur as the band's official new singer. They perform Through the Fire and the Flame, with each of the members taking a moment to highlight their individual strengths (Lucy is a brilliant guitarist, Rachelle a good bass player, Adilyn a powerful vocalist, and Chloe the most insane drummer around). As the song ends, Rachelle, Chloe, and Lucy wrap Adilyn in a group hug, symbolically welcoming her to the family.
Ellis comes out next with punked-up dyed green hair and wearing a plaid skirt, black spiked collar, and fishnet stockings with combat boots. She sings The Beautiful People, while just having a blast and trying to make sure the fans have a good time.
Afterward, Brian and Meredith take the stage together to sing a duet. As two people who've both suffered a lot of loss, and whose mutual heartaches bonded them in an unlikely friendship. There are no fancy decorations, no special lighting, nothing. Just one spotlight, and the two of them sharing a microphone, Brian playing his acoustic guitar, as the two sing Broken.
Jolene appears next, and she was doing something completely out of character for her. It wasn't a classic rock song that she had stuck with during her time on the show. She stands in the center of the stage as the music starts. She wasn't there to show the judges that they made a mistake or the people for not voting for her. This was to show that she was still able to get back in on that stage. She’s wearing a floor length black dress but no shoes. There was nothing to fall back on but her voice as she serenaded them all with This Is Me.
Ben wasn't sure about coming back to perform on Idol. He had told people that he wasn't going to, but then changed his mind. He’d had fun on that stage. He planned to do it again. Just forget about what everyone thought and play for himself. Only he wasn't center stage. Tonight he was behind a set of drums as he sang Fortunate Son. He was sure it wouldn't have gone well if he was one of the two finalists, but it was how he wanted to do it. He wanted to enjoy his time on that stage for the last time and it was clear that he was having a good time as he performed.
Jack was next on the stage. He began to perform Shallow, singing alone on the stage with nothing but his guitar. A few lines in, Ginny walked out onstage, in jeans, boots, a plain black tee, and a leather jacket, belting out her part of the song. They had shockingly natural chemistry, and Ginny gave him a hug when they were done.
Mary Jane Watson is sitting in front of a piano when the stage lights come up. She’s been playing her heart out during the competition. Tonight, however, she’s decided to do a slow song. It’s probably one she should have done during her time on idol. She begins to play and sing a rendition of Say Something. Once she passes the chorus, a small quartet of string instruments join her. As the song goes on, the music becomes more intense right up until the end. As the final notes fade away, Mary Jane sits there for a moment, smiling, before she turns to get up and take a bow.
As the final performer of the night, Sophia enters the stage wearing a glittery black pantsuit and snapping to the music. "I forgot you existed". She works the stage and continues to snap her fingers in time with the music, pausing at certain parts to sing and speak throughout her song. When she speaks the last word of the song, she smiles brightly and yells out, "Look ma, I'm famous," followed by, "Thank you, everyone!"
The audience cheers loudly and everyone can feel the tension begin to rise. It’s nearly time for the results! Before they can be revealed, however, Idol’s panel of four judges are brought out on stage to say a few final words about their experience.
“Honestly? This whole thing has been eye-opening for me.” Rachelle said with a bit of a forced smile. “I enjoyed it. I really did. It let me be a guide, a mentor, and an entertainer. But it also let me be a drunken dumpster-fire thanks to someone I once thought of as a friend. Don’t get me wrong: Ben apologized for everything. And I actually believe him. But forgiveness is given a lot easier than trust. And I don’t know if I’ll ever trust him again. That said? I would do this show again anytime. I loved watching the new talent shine on this platform, and I had a blast with Mere, Giles, and my surprising new pal, Queen Shiklah.”
Mere smiled as she looked at all of the contestants that had performed, including the two finalists tonight. "I know I ended up with a reputation as the 'positive judge,' but I wasn't always positive. Coming here made me end up feeling a lot more confident in myself than I was at home. I'm not sure I can explain why. I guess it has to do with all the people I had a chance to meet and all the new experiences I got to have. Like Skylar said, I love that this show managed to bring everyone on the planet together in watching to see who won the show. It was amazing seeing all of you up there, and I hope all of you continue letting the music come from inside you out into the universe."
While Giles had spent the entirety of the contest wearing his standard suits and ties, tonight he’s wearing a pair of jeans, a simple button up shirt, and a leather jacket. He’s also wearing a large smile as he takes the microphone. “I must admit, I’ve had one hell of a time during this contest. My focus back home was quite literally saving the world. As such, many of the things I hold most dear, music included, were often pushed aside. I’m forever grateful that I was allowed to be a part of this experience, and to remember how much I truly love music. To each and every person that performed on this stage, I want to say thank you for sharing a piece of yourselves with us. I hope you are all blessed enough to continue doing what brings you joy.”
Queen Shiklah sat there with a smile, “Honestly, I think my fellow judges have said all that needs to be said”. She stood up facing the crowd, “everyone ready to see who our idol is?” she asked which followed with roar of screams. Laughing she sat down, “Let’s do this!”
At this point, Skylar returns to the stage with a large, shiny envelope in hand. She takes center stage as Penny and Jeremy re-appear to her right. They stand close together, sharing a spotlight, while the other is focused on Skylar. Someone in the audience lets out an excited scream and everyone chuckles. It’s finally time for the results.
Skylar grinned when someone let out an excited scream. "I know, I'm excited, too!" she said with a laugh. "This is it, guys. All of your votes are in and counted! And let me just say, it was an extremely close call." She opened up the envelope, reading it for a second, her eyes flashing in excitement.
“The winner of Universal Idol, and a guaranteed recording contract with Full Moon Entertainment is… Jeremy Lewis!”
The roar of the crowd is practically deafening as the camera pans over to Jeremy.
Jeremy’s eyes went comically wide when he heard his name. For a brief moment, he thought maybe they’d said the wrong name. He was THAT sure Penny was going to win. He looked, immediately, to the girl who’d unexpectedly become both a friend and a peer. Before he’d even care about his good fortune, he’d make sure she was ok.
Penny had taken Jeremy’s hand and was holding onto it tightly. Her heart was pounding so loud, she felt like it might drown Skylar’s words out completely. And then she hears it. Not her name, but Jeremy’s. Tears immediately fill her eyes, but that doesn’t stop her from hurtling herself into Jeremy’s arms for the tightest of hugs. Of course she’s disappointed, but she’s also over the moon happy for him. “Congratulations!” She says in his ear before planting a kiss on his cheek.
Then she releases him and steps back, wiping tears away, but still smiling, to let him say a few words.
Tears in his eyes, Jeremy took the microphone and walked offstage, down to where Iris and Brynn stood. He hugged them both, and could be heard mumbling “I love you… I love you both so much…” before pulling away finally and walking back onto the stage.
“I… honestly can’t even believe this is happening. I did this to prove something to myself. I never expected to actually win. I just wanted to know I still had it in me. I’m so grateful to everyone… the fans who voted for me, The Bales for selecting me to be on the show to begin with… hell, Queen Shiklah for being one of my biggest supporters through this whole thing. And obviously… my beautiful daughter Brynn, and the love of my life, my gorgeous wife Iris. Thank you… thank you all…” He put his hands together, nodding his head as he choked up a little, handing the mic off before moving in to hug Penny one more time.
With that, the first ever Universal Idol competition comes to a close. The camera pulls back from the celebrating happening on the stage, and sweeps around for one last view of the audience. Everyone is on their feet and applauding. Well, most everyone. There are a few shots of fans who look shocked and upset that their favorite had come up short. Of course, there’s always next year! One final display of pyrotechnics explodes on the stage as the camera fades to black and the credits begin to roll.