Since I'm basically totally bored with American Idol and Dancing With The Stars this season, I wasn't real high on starting a similar reality show. But I was sick as a dog this week and was scrambling for any kind of entertainment to combat the boredom. It turns out that I am so damn glad I tivo'd this new CMT series. It's like AI in that it's a singing contest in which the winner gets a recording contract. But the big difference is that the contestants are all duets (it didn't occur to me until after watching that country music is somewhat unique in its quantity of successful duet acts). You can come into the audition as a duet or show up as a single and try to hook up with a partner. After your audition before the judges (songwriter Aimee Mayo, vocal coach Brett Manning, and Naomi Judd), you might both go on to the next round together as a duet, you both go on but the judges make you split up, only one of the two gets to go on, or both are eliminated. If you are forced to split up or you're given a pass as a solo, the judges pick a new duet partner for you.

You can imagine, there is all sorts of drama resulting from the splits and pairings. One girl was really more of an actress (actually had a recurring role on my fave show "Friday Night Lights") but got into singing when she hooked up with friend in Nashville. The two of them felt like they had something really special as a duet, and the friend served as the actress's mentor in the Nashville music scene. They vowed that they would continue only as a duet - if only one got the green light or if they were forced to split, it was a no-go. Well, the actress gets an OK, but the friend/mentor is eliminated. Standing alone in front of the judges, the actress is told they need a final answer from her. All crying and emotional, she says no because they vowed to stick together no matter what. Naomi Judd has this shocked look on her face and tells her that no one has ever done this. The girl cracks and changes her answer to a yes, then exits to face her none-too-pleased friend. After she leaves, Naomi looks disgusted and says she never would have ditched her partner like that. OMG, what a bitch!!

As awful as Simon Cowell can be, I've never gotten a sense that he says anything out of malice. Either a contestant has been told all his life by all his family and friends that he's got it what it takes to make it as a singer, and Simon informs him in no uncertain terms "no way, Jose." Or a singer is pretty good, but has a horrible performance and needs to hear just that. But man oh man, Naomi Judd is something else. While I don't doubt that her motivations are pretty much in line with Simon's, there is a hint of meanness that kinda scares me. If I were an about-to-caca-in-my-shorts contestant, I'd much rather face Simon than Naomi.

I'm watching it. I am enjoying the show although I have to catch this week's episodes on rerun since I'm in Palm Springs this weekend and my friend does not have cable! I have a couple of favorties and I think it is pretty obvious who will make the final 8.

Speaking of Naomi, I went to the Stagecoach Country Music festival on Saturday in Indio, CA and The Judds performed. Naomi looked spectacular on stage and Wynonna's voice is simply a gift from God. When Wy sings, she touches your soul. And I never really appreciated Naomi's voice and her ability to sing the harmony.

CMT had a "Can You Duet" booth and as you can imagine, there were some horrible Karaoke going on in that booth!

Naomi can be a strict/bitch judge, but I'm finding she has been a bit more mellow than she was when she was a judge on Star Search. And yes, she could whoop Simon's ass.


And yes, the guys walking around the Music festival were hot, hot hot. Also this weekend was Hot Rodeo in Palm Springs so basically it was an all out cowboy fest for the Duck

A friend without cable is no friend.

Since I watched for the first time on Friday night, then caught up with the previous three eps over the Internet and via CMT reruns, I'm all confused about the duos. But of course I can tell you about the hotties I've spotted! Jared Johnson (paired up with Will Snyder, both put through but must separate) is my fave - a real looker with a voice to match his looks. Even though they need a serious dose of humility, gotta admit, Brownell & Richey are totally hot. It'd be nice if they weren't so acutely aware of it, though. Guys, if I had a buck for every pretty girl and pretty boy in Nashville trying to make it as a country superstar, I'd be richer than Garth Brooks. And while he's not conventionally good-looking, I also like Chris Cline (the guy paired up with Nathan Herron, the guy with way too much makeup). Nowhere nearly as pretty as Brownell & Richey, but CC has an honest-to-gawd manliness about him that I find very sexy. Anyway, I'm so damn glad I discovered this show. American Idol got boringisimo this season, completely lacking in any engaging drama. But Can You Duet has drama in spades, and besides, I'm a country boy to the core.

I think its a good watch. Hard to watch Fridays at 8pm but I usually get the replays during the week. As for Brownell & Richey............those are some talented hot boys whew

If you didn't notice, but Nathan Herron, who's paired up with Chris, made it to the Hollywood round in American Idol Season 4 (Carrie's year). Nathan got cut in the dreaded sit in the room pre-semi finals.

The one cut last week that made ve very sad was the new couple with the guy who was paired up with the young girl (the one with the hot daddy). I can see why they were cut, but they were so darn cute and I would have liked them to stay. I like the twins (not the Copola twins) and the husband & wife duo. Their sound is a throwback to old school Country music, which I love.

And I still want to take some scissors and cut that judges hair off! I wish Naomi would just turn to him and say "Dude, get a haircut because you look like a ridiculous damn cockatoo!".

The final eight duos were announced last night. I think they made one HUGE mistake in cutting the Lexington Brothers. IMO they were clearly better than 2 or 3 of the other duos especially the one with the rocker chik and the red-cheeked bearded boy (she clearly is not country).

Lots of hot boys in the final eight though.....I am anxious to watch next week as the elimination competition begins. I think its a pretty good show.

Of course, there will always be some grousing about who made it and who didn't. But in the end, I think the judges pretty much got it right. My borderline "in" duo was Gabriel Jordan and Lewis Brice. After their make-or-break performance, Gabriel was carping about how 24 hours just isn't enough time for a brand-new duo to gel. Sorry, pal, but that wasn't the problem. You were just off-pitch, at times badly so. But as weak as their m-o-b was, they had shown enough talent over the competition to get a second chance. The borderline "out" duo IMO was the Herndons. They have nice voices, but they're really inexperienced, and their m-o-b was gawdawfully boring.

I liked the Lexington Brothers too. They're goofy and entertaining and really honest about who they are. But I just didn't think their voices were quite up to par. I felt so bad for Two Timers, the girls who gave up their jobs as cleaners to audition for CYD. They were a borderline duo going into the m-o-b, and unfortunately, it looks like nerves got the best of them.

My favorites among the final 8 are Johnson & Oakleaf and Brownell & Richey. Oh, those two duos just happen to have the hottest guys?? As God is my witness, that is purely coincidence.

Totally agree with you BoSox. I kinda think the Lexington brothers sang better in previous episodes and got caught up in all the judges talk about their "posture" when they sing. I still think they have more talent than a couple of the duos but yes for the most part they got it right.

I was really surprised that the "organic-hippie" duo decided to glam it up. I think Naomi really like them and kept telling them to stay true to who they were and when they came out all dressed up it kinda blew it for them.

I think I am rooting for Brownell and Ritchie also but there truly are some hot country boys left..

Wow. All 8 pairs really stepped it up tonight. I think the judges made the correct decision based on tonight's performance. I actually would have cut them last week and kept the dark haired twins.

Brownell and Ritchie kicked ass tonight and they ranked at #1 for me. Their version of "Boondocks" could be released as a single. I also really enjoy Joey & Rory because they bring old school country back. I enjoyed their song and agree with Naomi. That Caitlin chick sure can sing. I really don't care for Rosy cheek William, but that boy surprised me tonight. I also enjoyed Jonson & Oakleaf.

Nate & Chris were enjoyable, but they need to play instruments. They look naked on stage compared to the other duos.

I am not a fan of Gabe & LB, the Coppolas or Wild Honey although I thought they all did well tonight. It's too bad one of the duos had to go.

I already love this show a thousand times more than American Idol this year. Wait, scratch that, since one thousand times zero is still zero. Anyway, on to the contestants:

Jared Johnson/David Oakleaf. I swear, Jared gets better-looking every single episode! Oh yeah, the singing. They were good.
Wild Honey. They did better than I thought they would. The vocals were always a bit weak with these two, but they really improved, and the other aspects of their performance (looks, energy, stage presence) were strong.
Chris Cline/Nathan Herron. Still a bit rough, but they've improved a lot. Totally agree with Aimee's comment about "Boot Scoot Boogie" being too cover band-y. Great point, MDG, about how they look naked (not in a good way) up there. Chris only plays the piano (wouldn't work, stage-wise), but Nathan plays drums (big nyet) and guitar (that'll work).
Brownell & Richey. I thought they were the best of the night too, although I fear I'm hopelessly biased by their prettiness. It's funny, they're cute enough but not all that as individuals. But put them together, and for some reason, they are exponentially cuter.
Coppolas. Good, but a bit shrill and definitely detached (yet again). It's obvious these two are talented, but you don't exactly get a warm-fuzzy from them.
Gabriel & LB. Everyone knows the Eagles' version of "Seven Bridges Road," with its studio-perfect harmonies. Wow, did these guys sound bad in comparison.
Caitlin & Will. To be brutally frank, I thought the judges just said to themselves, "WTF, why not stick the two most unattractive singles together." That's mean, I know, but I couldn't help but think it. But these two actually worked! A bit rough, perhaps, like all the newly-paired-up duos except Jared & David, but they definitely have promise.
Joey & Rory. I love these two, maybe not as much as Mama Judd, but I love them. I totally disagree with Bret & Aimee's comment that the song was a bit too old-fashioned. I think that's the charm of these two, their old-school countryness.

Not much to say about the elimination. Seven duos did anywhere from good to great. One sucked. The judges probably spent four nanoseconds deciding on Gabriel & LB, then killed the remaining three minutes with where to order takeout from for the next taping.

Agree with that totally. Sat down and actually "watched" for the first time last night when CMT had some sort of marathon of it going. I really liked the energy of the show - they keep it moving along at a good clip unlike 'Idol.' And Nathan. Nathan, Nathan, Nathan. A little too pretty (is there such a thing?), but still falls well within my type. All it took was one episode and I'm hooked...

Oh, yeah - Jared is tough to look at also.

I was doing some research on Joey & Rory and I didn't know that Rory wrote Blake Shelton's "Some Beach" and Clay Walker's "Chains of Love". I love those songs.

I love singers who sing from their hearts and touches your soul and I see that in Joey & Rory's singing. I really hope they do well. Joey & Rory both have unreleased solo cd's that is available for purchase. Joey's cd is lovely.


Joey & Rory

Wow, Rory really is a very talented songwriter. "Chain of Love" is one of my all-time sentimental faves. But my favorite song that Rory (co-)wrote is Blaine Larsen's "How Do You Get That Lonely" - a sad and moving song about a teenager's suicide. Everything I read about Joey & Rory makes me like them more and more. Ever since Joey gave the judges a batch of her homemade pecan sticky buns, I've had some wicked cravings for some myself. From the website, it looks like that restaurant Joey co-owns is so cute and homey. Makes me want to drive to Tennessee right now for a visit!

Naomi absolutely loves this couple! In fact, it was love at first sight. In their first audition before the judges, before they sang a single note, Naomi gushed that she liked them already. After they sang, she all but stood up on her chair to applaud. In the first elimination show, she loved them so much she told them to ignore all of Bret and Aimee's criticism. When it gets down to the nitty gritty and it comes between Joey & Rory and some other duo being eliminated, Naomi might just bitchslap Bret and Aimee into submission on national television. It'll be like a mama bear protecting her cubs.

Chris and Nathan got the boot tonight. Doesn't pay for me to like someone on these shows this year - they end up not doing very well...

Naomi was kind of a bitch with the Coppola sisters (again) when she said (paraphrasing here), "I can't see myself being able to listen to a whole CD or sit through a whole concert of yours." Ouch. I actually thought they did really well with the Montgomery Gentry song they did tonight ("Gone"). For some reason, she really hates these girls.

I thought Brownell and Richey were reeeeeally off with their performance, but somehow managed to move on to next week. Will and Caitlin did a good job with "It's Only Love." Caitlin is one I'm not sure would be well-suited for country audiences simply because of the whole "rocker chick thing," but I kinda dig her voice. A lot.

I'm not surprised Chris and Nathan are gone. They were good, but they needed more time to gel. And, as I mentioned earlier, they needed to play instruments. I am not a fan of the Coppola's but Naomi is just a mega bitch to them.

Brownell & Richie. Wow. They were horrendous. I thought they were the worst act of the evening. My tops were Joey & Rory and William & Caitlin. Caitlin can sang. Man, that girl has a voice. They are not the best looking couple, but they did very well tonight. I just love Rory & Joey. Something about them just touches my heart. I just haven't found any love for Wild Honey. I can't even remember their names. I also enjoy Johnson & Oakleaf but I don't think they will win.

Next week is original song week so that should be entertaining...but did the previews basically tell us who is in the bottom 3? I hope the Copolla's leave next week.

Wow, I'm kind of heartbroken that Chris and Nathan are gone, also a bit surprised since I thought for sure the Coppolas were in the ejection seat, what with the way Naomi totally savaged them. My recap:

Wild Honey. The girls did really well for themselves this week. Terrific song choice, and the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts with these two.
Brownell & Richey. Yikes, were these two off. Were they just horribly nervous? Did they phone it in because Bret told them they were the team to beat? Who knows, but they gotta get the train back on the tracks quick.
Will and Caitlin. Don't know if there's much country in Caitlin, but she does have a terrific voice. To be honest, though, I do have to wonder at what point their physical appearance starts to hold them back. Melinda Doolittle was by far the best vocalist of American Idol Season 6, maybe the best ever of all the seasons, but she never got a recording contract. I can't imagine the judges would ever say as much, but the thought must be in their minds.
Chris & Nathan. Good call, MDG. The absence of instruments hurt these two much more than I ever thought. It's too bad, though, because they did deliver a terrific vocal performance tonight.
The Coppolas. Yikes! Naomi really does hate these two!! The mean streak I mentioned before really bared its fangs tonight. I felt sorry for them after Naomi lashed out at them the way she did. That said, gotta agree with Aimee Mayo: the performance was just average.
Joey & Rory. Joey's voice was shaking a bit at the beginning, but once she hit her stride, she was awesome. Rory has to step up a bit, though. It's fine if one member of the duo sings lead and the other harmony, but with these two, Joey's basically a solo artist and Rory's a backup singer.
Johnson & Oakleaf. I am trying my damnedest not to be swayed by Jared's good looks, but it's real tough. Anyway, when he sang the first couple of bars of "Small Town Saturday Night," I was blown away by the tone of his voice. I don't know how much Oakleaf brings to the party, but Jared's a STAR!

Yes, it did look like the preview gave away the three duos "at risk" next week. Why the heck did they do that?? The way Naomi feels about the Coppolas, they must have a sinking feeling of doom.

I guess Naomi forgot where she was after the Coppolas did their bit. She didn't say anything terribly harsh... until after Caitlin and Will sang and she mentioned that eventually the issue of image would come up with those two. "You have the Coppolas who are all looks, but have no depth or character that I can measure..." (again, paraphrasing here, but that's pretty close). The camera cuts to them with stunned looks on their faces. I have to say that this show has not cast Naomi Judd in a very flattering light and my opinion of her is definitely different now than it was before I started watching the show (not in a good way).

That said, Wild Honey was sent home this week. IMO, they had the weakest performance, by far. They were stunned, but I think ultimately they got this one right. The harmonies were off just enough to be distracting and the song didn't really connect with me. It was a week to highlight a song written by the duos. You know some of these songs probably came together pretty quickly, but sometimes songs do write themselves in a matter of minutes.

LOVED Caitlin and Will's song this week - just a good rockin' tune. Johnson and Oakleaf did a pretty good job as well. Actually, the only other song I didn't care for was by Rory and Joey. It just never grabbed me, although I liked the premise of it. Just didn't click.

CycloneMatt, I'm so glad somebody else posted in this thread. Don't know how many people out there are watching this show, but if you're a country music fan, it's terrific. On to the performances ...

Joey & Rory. It's been noted already that Rory is a terrific songwriter, and "Cheater, Cheater" has to be his best yet-to-become-a-hit song. I loved the way Joey sang it, with some real energy and fire. I'm a bit surprised, though, that none of the judges has pointed out that these two aren't a duet. If Rory had walked off the stage halfway through the song, it wouldn't have made much difference.
Wild Honey. This performance was just average. Since neither one of the girls has a terrific voice, what makes this duo special is their blend, and I thought the blend was just a bit off this week.
The Coppolas. While there's a lot of buzz about how mean Naomi is to these two, Naomi does have a good point about something lacking - emotion, connection, depth ... something. But she was actually quite mild in her critique and made a good effort to be constructive and (God forbid!) a bit positive. That is, until Will & Caitlin sang, then the wounded lionness basically scratched the Coppolas' eyes out.
Caitlin & Will. I loved their song even though I couldn't understand a single word they were singing. They weren't enunciating well to begin with, and the band drowned out what little hope there was of picking up the lyrics. But their performance really was terrific - both have strong voices. I'm glad Naomi brought up the issue of "image." It's kind of the 800-pound gorilla in the room nobody wants to mention, but let's face it, their looks will be a barrier to success.
Brownell & Richey. I felt bad for Chris & Nathan, who got booted last week instead of B&R, who were far more deserving of elimination. At least Bret acknowledged as much. But these two definitely redeemed themselves this week.
Johnson & Oakleaf. I didn't think Jared sounded all that bad (then again, the guy's so gorgeous that he could scratch on a chalkboard and all I'd hear are dulcet tones), but yikes! David was off, almost as off as Jeremiah Richey was last week.

To me, Jared saved Johnson & Oakleaf from elimination because David was just flat-out bad. They were more deserving of the boot than Wild Honey, who at least weren't bad, just average. Last week, B&R were saved because of their history of strong performances. This week, the same thing seemed to happen with J&O.

We must be on the same wavelength because I totally agree and had the same thoughts, Rudy!

My fear is the The Copollas will continue to hang on, then in the final show, they finally win Naomi Judd over and end up winning the whole competition. Rory & Joey are basically the same set-up as The Judds where
Joey is basically Wynonna and the voice of the group. I can totally see a kick ass line-dance for "Cheater Cheater". Loved the song, and frankly, it's the only one I remember now, two days after the show!

My other favorite is Caitlin & Will, but as Naomi assessed, they have to do something about their image. And I couldn't understand a single word they sang either....but I loved it!

It's too bad people who watch ldol are not getting into this show. It's also too bad Caitlin wasn't on idol. She is better and far more interesting than Amanda, Ramiele, Irish girl, Syesha and Brooke.

This was the first week that I enjoyed The Copollas. My favorite is still Joey & Rory followed by Caitlin & William and Brownell & Richie.

I have a stinking feeling that The Copollas will win over Naomi & Ami and in the finale, they will be the winners of Can You Duet. Joey & Rory are special and I really hope they score a record deal.

My heart sank even before they lined up the final three because I knew Johnson & Oakleaf were goners for sure. It was almost like the judges fabricated some minor quibbles with Caitlin & Will and the Coppolas just so that J&O weren't standing out there by themselves - not much suspense in that case. J&O just didn't work out as a duo, and I'm guessing David Oakleaf has already reunited with Lewis Brice, his best friend and original partner coming into the show while Jared Johnson continues solo. Gotta say, Jared is the handsomest country singer I've ever seen, heck, I'd almost move out to Nashville to stalk the guy follow his career if he weren't already engaged.

I thought Joey & Rory were head and shoulders above the competition tonight. They looked great, they sounded great, and their honesty and inner beauty just radiated from them. So much of country isn't really country any more, what with the electric guitars and pop fluff, that a traditional act like Joey & Rory can make what's old new again. Caitlin & Will did well, and certainly did some nice work on their image. Didn't care for the song selection of Brownell & Richey, although as always, those two looked damn good on stage. And I agree, MDG, this is the first week I like the Coppolas too. They picked a great song, and they performed like true artists instead of like a novelty act.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of success the contestants enjoy coming out of this show. So far, Nashville Star hasn't had much of a track record, with Miranda Lambert the only bona fide star to emerge from four whole seasons of the show. But all the episodes through the finale of Can You Duet are already done, edited, and in the can (or these days, on the DVD). Since the winner is picked just by the judges instead of live audience voting, I'm guessing the producers shot the series far in advance so that the winner's album would come out right after the show finished airing in order to capitalize on the publicity. Don't know if that'll necessarily work, but it's not a bad idea. It's just weird, though, to think that all the contestants are walking around, carrying on with their careers, all knowing the outcome already.

Well CMT combined the remaining two episodes so tonight is the 2 hour finale. Here is how I see it going down.

1st hour they will all sing and then they are going to eliminate Caitlin and Will. They set this up last week by the sudden lack of love for them. This will leave the "finale" with one girl duo, one boy duo and a mixed duo.

I am almost positive that The. Copollas are going to win. GROSS. I Just feel it in my gut, and, if you Google them, they had a photoshoot and also signed with a publishing company. They have been edited as "The villains" and showed signs of redemption last week.. This week, they receive full redemption and love from all three judges who will call them "stars". I just hope out of all of this, Joey & Rory score a record deal. Rory is already an established songwriter and has another potential Top 20 song with Crystal Shawanda's "You Can Let Her Go" so they will be fine. I just want to hear them sing together.

The. Copollas for the win.

I am SO glad I was wrong!!!!!

I'm glad you were wrong too, MDG As much talk about how mean Naomi was to the Coppolas, I have to agree with most everything she says (if only Naomi didn't say it quite so harshly). They did lack depth and connection. They did need to differentiate themselves. And there's really nothing special about the Coppolas, except that they're pretty identical twins. Pretty singers are a dime a dozen in Nashville, and the identical twin thing is a novelty that gets old real fast.

When it was down to three duos, you knew that Joey & Rory were the ones to go when the camera showed Naomi looking down at the floor prior to the announcement. As much as it broke my heart to see them eliminated, I can understand the decision. They're more suited to intimate venues, not big stages. Brownell & Richey were good, but let's face it, Caitlin & Will were GREAT!! I was wondering how much their physical appearances would hinder them, and it was an uphill battle against pretty boys Jeremiah and Nick, but the judges made the right decision. I just hope something real good comes out of all this for Jeremiah and Nick.

Kudos for Caitlin & Will for winning it all. When they were first put together, I thought, "not a chance." Not even because of their looks as much as they were soooooooo RAW when they started out. But their growth and their blending together were nothing short of miraculous. They went from a couple of amateurs thrown together (by Naomi, who must be bursting with pride) to a polished act. Honestly, I don't know if they'll ever make it in this business, but I wish them all the best.

After I got back from Palm Springs, I watched the second half of the finale. Yes! I am shocked That they chose Caitlin and Will over B&R. I thought for sure they were going for style over substance. My # 1 was Joey & Rory but I can understand why they came in third.

Caitlin and Will don't have the stereotypical good looks but boy, can they sang!. No doubt they would bring down the house if they can land a spot performing at the CMA's or some other big time show.

I just wish their first single download was on itunes rather than Rhapsody. what the hell is up with that?

I wish the two success and I hope they record a kick ass album. Maybe Rory can write a nice ballad for them.