Danny Gokey was a hugely popular early frontrunner during this past season of American Idol, and some say it was Rock Night that was his undoing and kept him from making it to the final two. (And by "some," I mean "me.") His screechy, out-of-element rendition of Aerosmith's "Dream On" was so nails-on-chalkboardish that it practically became a parody-ready Internet meme...and while Danny did not go home that specific night, he exited the competition soon after, clearing the way for a Kris Allen victory.
And now some (and by "some," I mean "me") might argue that onetime X Factor favorite Danyl "Best First Audition Ever" Johnson has suffered a similar Aerosmith-associated Rock Night downfall. On the rock-themed episode of the British talent show this past Saturday, former golden boy Danyl attempted to rebound from his surprise near-elimination last week by crooning the crowd-pleasing Aerosmith power ballad "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing." Except that his performance was not powerful, and it pleased neither the crowd nor the judges. It was--pun intended--a total miss:
While Danyl did not go home this week--the eliminated contestant, quite undeservedly, was this season's underdog/punching bag, Rachel Adedeji--it was apparent that, as judge Danni Minogue worded it, Danyl had "lost his mojo," and that his placement in the bottom two last week had, as judge Cheryl Cole put it, "dented his confidence."
So, will Danyl go home next week, as Danny Gokey did the week after Idol's Rock Night? We will soon find out Danyl if he can dream on, or if his X Factor dream is coming to an end.