Jacob is a great singer. He made my eyes verklempt on more than one occasion.
He had some incredible moments early on. As the season wore on and the going got tougher, he began to try to recreate those moments via histrionics and ramped-up performing, and the camera does not lie. He lost his magic, he knew it and we knew it.
A shame really, and I think the same thing is about to happen to Lauren (who possesses a different kind of magic). She doesn't have the emotional skill set of a Pia Toscano to pull her through when the doubts creep in. She's a performing veteran, but she's still a kid.
She's my favorite of those who are left but it's hard for me to see her winning.
Lauren’s confidence is eroding. To me, this says, she’s not ready for the big time. Her confidence should be not even an issue at this point. I like Lauren but maybe she’s just letting self doubt get in her way. Self doubt can wreck a singer cuz it’s hard to hide. I hope she snaps out of it, I really do.
You nailed it. He was overthinking. I hope he gets a good gig somewhere, maybe Broadway.
And I agree that there is nothing wrong with Lauren that some years won't fix.