Singer: Michael Lynche
Song: "Miss You"
Monkeys As Critics' Take: It's pretty much impossible not to like Michael Lynche. I defy anybody to say a mean word about Michael and I double-dog-dare you to say a mean word to his face. This isn't exactly his Barbie Dream Theme, but I'm again amazed by how much energy and mobility this big guy has. He also has a killer, effective falsetto and commanding stage presence. I'm not going to go so far as to say that I exactly love his dance moves, but there's a contingent of my colleagues who have compared Michael to Ruben Studdard because they're both large African-American dudes, which is both vaguely racist and vaguely stupid, since Ruben was essentially an unmoving figure on the stage, limiting his performances to stretching out his arms and smiling placidly. Ruben also had a better voice than Big Mike does, which isn't an insult to Big Mike. There are a few bum notes in the second half of the song, but I'd say that for the first performance of the season on the big stage, it's mighty solid.
Randy, Ellen, Kara and Simon Say: Randy is reminded of how great a performance Big Mike has become, saying he slayed it. Ellen doesn't know what's not to love about that. She agrees that Mike started the night. And Kara also agrees that Mike led off the night. She adds that Mike delivered the necessary swagger and attitude of the song. Simon says that the performance was a little corny, comparing Michael negatively to the clips of the Rolling Stones that preceded his performance. He tells Big Mike that some of it came across as desperate. There's unpleasant awkwardness as Ryan comes down to the judges podium and demands that Simon give Big Mike some constructive criticism. "We can sort this out in your trailer afterwards," Simon tells Ryan.