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Legally Blonde Recap: Who Has The It Factor?

Hey everyone I can't believe we're already down to the final four girls on Legally Blonde! In one week we will find out which girl has what it takes to be the next Broadway "star". An interesting tidbit I found out this week- I was watching the casting reels of all the original ten finalists and I found out that our old "friend" Cassie S. was actually Brenda in the Hairspray movie. So her perkiness did go to good use, I guess.

Anyway on to this week's episode. Autumn and Lauren celebrate being on the list. Autumn thinks Rhinnanon will be cut (I thought the same thing last week). Lauren was close to Natalie and wanted her to stay, so both look a little stunned when Rhiannon walks through the door. Rhiannon seems shocked by the whole experience in the casting office and says it is unfair that Autumn and Lauren both got second chances (i.e. were in the casting office and were saved) while Natalie was eliminated her first time in the casting office. Well with only five girls left those were the only two that had been in the casting office before, and they were both clearly the best last week. Although I do agree Natalie maybe should have had another chance since she was strong in previous weeks, but then I would have sent Rhiannon herself home instead.

And now more cattiness comes out, as Autumn is angry that Bailey is upset for being in the casting office. I side with Bailey on this- it must be a traumatic experience. Lauren wonders why Rhiannon is still here over Emma and Natalie. I think I agree with Lauren on this, and not just because she's my favorite to win.

That night the girls get their next casting call to come to a gym in comfy clothes and shoes. Of course, Haylie is waiting for them and tells them today's workshop is about being a triple threat- combining singing, dancing, and acting seamlessly. She introduces Rusty and Michelle, who are dance captains of Legally Blonde and will lead this workshop.

They tell the girls they are looking for an "it" factor. First up is a challenge to make sure the girls can act while performing physical acts. They will have to read a monologue while being lifted up in the air. Sounds weird, but I can see how it will help the girls prepare for acting and dancing at the same time. Autumn does pretty well, as does Lauren. Rhiannon though seems to talk so fast you can barely understand her.

Next the girls get pom-poms and have to cheer and dance at the same time. Autumn again does well, impressing Lauren (and me), but Rhiannon admittedly gets out of breath with the movements. I really think she will be gone this week.

The final part of the challenge is tapping. The girls all are scared by this aspect of the triple threat. Autumn finally struggles a bit, more than the other girls. It turns out tapping is part of the show, so, as Bailey points out, Autumn really needs to learn how to do it. This lack of dance skills may be Autumn's downfall in the competition.

And now it's time to pick a winner. Rusty and Michelle were impressed with all four girls, and are told to leave without picking a winner. Haylie says there was no standout performer. Is this going to be like elementary school where they all get the prize? Sure enough, Haylie says they are all standout performers for making it this far, and they have a surprise at the loft waiting for them.

Then Haylie announces the next audition- the song "What You Want". It involves singing, dancing in a marching outfit and tapping (bad news for Autumn) and acting while singing.

Back at the loft the girls see their surprise- a beautiful catered dinner and flowers. Then the waiter comes and delivers a plate with four small boxes on them. Looks like jewelry- I wish waiters at all restaurants gave that at! Sure enough the boxes have Tiffany necklaces that the director Jerry gave to the whole cast on opening night. These necklaces are from Haylie. She really seems to care about these girls, unlike some other reality show hosts nowadays.

The girls shared stories about wanting to be stars since they were young. Autumn, who at 28 is the oldest of the group (the others are all 20 or younger), is more realistic, saying that she too wanted to be on Broadway at a young age. She reminds them that it is really hard to get a show, and that even if you are in one you may never be in one again. Bailey tells the camera she didn't like Autumn being discouraging, but I think Autumn was just being honest and trying to help the girls. The others are more naive and don't see the true nature of the industry like Autumn does. However, my sympathy for Autumn end when she says she thinks she has "earned" this role after trying for so long to be in a show. That doesn't mean the other girls don't deserve to win as much as she does...

The next day the girls arrive for rehearsal. Seth and Denis are there, along with Rusty and Michelle. Autumn and especially Rhiannon sounded a bit shrieky learning the song, while Lauren sounded good although messed up the notes her first few times through. Lauren then criticizes Bailey for her singing voice, saying if it wasn't for her look she would have been cut long ago. Ouch these girls are catty this week, although maybe not to the degree that was implied in the previews (yet).

The girls then go to learn the dance moves. The girls also have a quickchange in the middle of the song, which I never understand how people do. Then as an extra surprise three members of the Broadway company of the show arrive to support the girls and serve as the chorus during the huge number.

Each girl then gets to do the number all the way through with the cast members. Bailey's dancing looks good. Lauren's does too but she starts cracking up during the lift, which is a big no-no. Autumn meanwhile gives her thoughts on the group. Bailey is a great dancer but Autumn feels superior in singing and acting, and Lauren has a bit more growing to do. This actually is a good assessment of the two of them. Rhiannon again struggles with the vocals, particularly her breathing. She sounds out of breath, and that really hinders the sound of her voice. Autumn meanwhile has accepted the fact she can't tap, and is going to try to "fake it" in the audition. Bailey doesn't like this, but at least Autumn knows her limitations.

Back at the hotel the girls keep practicing. Autumn still struggles with the dance moves, and the competitiveness among the girls continues.

Now finally it's audition day. Right now I'd bet on Bailey and Lauren making the finals, with Autumn and Rhinannon fighting for the last spot (if only one is cut tonight). Bailey and Rhiannon admit they are getting frustrated with Lauren and Autumn's mood and competitiveness. Well it is a competition, but I understand those two being upset that Autumn and Lauren aren't as friendly as they were before. It just shows how the pressure is really affecting these girls and maybe making them act a bit cattier than normal.

They arrive at the audition still stressed and trying to remember the whole routine. The girls all wear their new necklaces to the audition, which is a bit odd since the rest of their outfit consists of what looks like a track suit. It looks like a bit of an odd match.

Haylie announces that some more cast members will be in the chorus for their audition. Good might as well see how the girls try to stand out from the more experienced Broadway dancers behind them.

First up is Rhiannon. She sounds pretty good so far, although based on Bernie's face I think she may have missed a note. The acting is decent although not as perky as I would like. And now the quickchange... with a handy timer in the corner so the audience can see how long it takes. She is a few seconds late but otherwise pulls it off. But by the end you can tell she is out of breath again and she starts losing a bit a bit on the vocals. Bernie says she loves how Rhiannon enjoyed it, but points out her lack of wind at the end.

Next is Bailey. Her vocals actually sound the best I've ever heard them but I don't like the way she is acting it. The judges seem to like it though so maybe it's just my taste. She then makes great time on the quickchange but slows down when she realizes the hat is too big for her. Sure enough it's Lauren's hat instead. But Bailey recovers and gets out on time. Plus she turns the hat into an extra prop, constantly pushing it back up onto her head in a very Elle way. It's so funny but so Elle-like that it works! She too sounds a bit out of breath towards the end but not as much as Rhiannon did. The dancing at the end was really good too. The judges finally saw Bailey making it her own and thought the hat made it even better. She's a lock for the finals (not that she wasn't before, but now she definitely is).

Next is Lauren. The show skips right to the quickchange and she seems to pull it off. I actually liked Bailey's performance a bit better, as Lauren seemed to lack some of the perkiness this week. But she does sound great as usual and has the dance moves down, although again not as well as Bailey. The judges were impressed by the dancing but thought she could improve on the improv towards the end. She should be safe too since the judges overall seemed to like it.

And last but not least is Autumn. Again she sounds great and she nails the quickchange. So let's skip right to the tapdancing. It's not as bad as I thought although it's not great. She also lets out a random scream halfway through, although I don't know if that's part of the dance or not. Autumn is proud of herself, but the judges feel a bit nervous for her. So like I thought it will come down to Autumn and Rhiannon for the final spot.

The judges say they want to combine aspects of all the girls- Rhiannon's comedy, Bailey's professionalism, Lauren's freshness, and Autumn's voice. In other words they aren't thrilled with any of them. But they do have to pick some to go on the list. Rhiannon was ready for opening night except for running out of breath at the end. Lauren was great but still seems immature. Bailey was what they wanted, but can she be herself without a hat fiasco? Autumn has a great voice, but is she a leading lady? So based on this really any of them could go home. So maybe it's more wide open than I thought.

Finally the four nervous girls are sent out on stage. I wonder if any of them made the list? Ooh I called it! The list this week is blank! So any of the four girls could go home. I think it should be Autumn and/or Rhiannon but each girl does have pros and cons.

The shocked girls must go to the casting office together. Bernie is concerned that none of them have been on Broadway. He thinks Autumn is inconsistent, and that won't cut it when people are paying to see her. Bailey looks Elle-like but might not have emotional depth. Lauren has a Broadway voice, but showed her youth today. Rhiannon was completely out of breath and thus might not be able to handle it.

And now the announcement. Bad news may be coming for Lauren, as when the judges go down the line and briefly say each girls' strengths, they mention Lauren's weakness (her youth) as well. Sure enough she is cut, as the judges deem her too young for this role. I really have to go watch the full audition since she didn't seem too young to me, at least not up to this point. And she's only a year younger than Rhiannon and two years younger than Bailey. Is there really that much of a difference?

Okay now that my favorite has been voted off I'm really mad, but I have to pick a new favorite. Bailey impressed me today although I like Autumn's voice better. As long as Rhiannon does not win I think I'll be happy.

Lauren is very mature in her exit. She's happy to make it this far and learned to be proud of herself.

At the end Bernie gives the girls some more bad (although not too shocking) news. The director Jerry, who I guess will pick the final winner, only wants two girls in the finals. So next week on of the others will be cut right there in the casting office. I hope it's Rhiannon, because I just don't think she has the voice to cut it.

So anyone else mourning the loss of Lauren like I am? And who is your pick to win now? Post your comments below.

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Legally Blonde Recap: Who Has The It Factor?