Singer: ALEX WAGNER-TRUGMAN
Song: "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues"
Monkeys as Critics' Take: Alex reads what we say about him on the Internet and he's been going to the gym to try to become less dorky. He also volunteers to be America's boyfriend for the night. He's taken Randy's audition-round Joe Cocker comparison to heart, lurching around the microphone and emitting constipated growls at seemingly random intervals. There are one or two times where he briefly sounds good, but he kills the notes with his grunts. At one point, he either kicks over the mic stand or trips over it. He's trying to give himself an edge that he so totally doesn't have. Alex is funny. Or charming. But charming like an unruly puppy who just knocked over upset a bookstand and devoured the Michael Chabon paperback you've been meaning to get to. I mean, you can't be mad at the puppy, can you?
Pestilence, Famine, War and Simon Say: "Alex, you certainly are the showman," Paula says. "You gave us our money's worth, but I just don't know how much will be spent." What does that mean? She pats him on the head. "Well, we had fun watching you, just not listening to you," Simon says, adding "You're like a little hamster trying to be a tiger." Randy dubs it "Buckwild," which is different from "Buck," if you're a "So You Think You Can Dance" fan. Kara correctly identifies that Alex is Alex.