Rating: ★★★★★

Airdate: July 17, 2011, 9/8c on Oxygen

Marissa wins the homework assignment.

As the competition heats up and we really get a chance to see more of the kids, I’m increasingly glad I’m not the person making the cut every week! Zach Woodlee tells Ryan Murphy, “You are going to have to kill your darlings.” In some ways, I think it’s easier for those of us who view the show to make the cuts because we see more of the competitor’s flaws.

It’s fitting that this week’s guest judge is Darren Criss again because the theme is duets. Some of the most memorable duets on Glee have been his with Chris Colfer, and Criss tells the competitors the real challenge this week is about acting. I’m disappointed again that we see so little of the guest judge working with this week’s challenge winners – Marissa and Samuel.

Now that we are down to eight competitors, they are all getting more of the spotlight. Some of them are shining, while others are blinding: blindingly irritating that is. Here’s my report card for the competitors…

Alex and Hanna perform "Nowadays"

Alex gets a “D” for being the biggest diva. His performance of “Nowadays” with Hannah, which he does in drag, is fantastic. Damian points out that they all need to be sure to blend as a pair rather than standing out on their own. I really didn’t think Alex would be able to pull this off, but he does in both his duet and his sudden death performance for Murphy of “Valerie” with Hannah. Murphy calls him on his diva behavior, and Alex promises to try to improve. But even by the end of the show, his comments prove he still doesn’t want to own what he did, blaming everyone but himself. If anyone is missing what Glee is really about, it’s Alex, and I think his behavior should send him home – sooner rather than later.

Lindsay also gets low marks (“F”) for being irritating. When she kisses Cameron at the end of her duet, I really want to hit her. She all but says she doesn’t care how much it freaks him out, it’s a competition, and she’s going to do whatever she has to in order to win. In the end, it helps Cameron because Murphy finally understands who Cameron is and how he could be used in the show. Poor Cameron also takes a hit when Marissa doesn’t pick him to pair with her for the video, creating an uncomfortable moment for everyone.

Marissa gets a “B+” because I finally feel like we see both her personality and talent. She takes her acting notes well for the video and her voice is, as usual, terrific. She seems to choose Samuel for the video because Darren picked him as a stand out in the homework assignment. I have to confess, I’m giving Samuel a “C” because I just don’t see the attraction. I’m not particularly fond of his voice, and I think he overacts terribly.

I was prepared to give Hannah a low mark because I’m tired of listening to her complain about how hard the challenges are for her – she can’t dance or she can’t be sexy. But then she brings it every time she has to perform. I love both her duets with Alec and I feel she did the best job in making their special sudden death performance a real duet.

Cameron struggled with this week's assignment

Cameron, as well as Hannah, makes me wonder what they thought they were going to be doing when they signed up for this challenge. It is endearing that Cameron is distraught over feeling he cheated on his girlfriend when Lindsay kissed him, but that’s what actors do. And the actors on Glee DANCE, so why is Hannah surprised by this component? Murphy puts Cameron in the bottom three because he says Cameron let Lindsay out-class him, and I completely agree. Cameron was more himself, but I kept feeling he was terrified Lindsay was going to kiss him again – which she did.

Damian gets an “A+” this week. His performances are solid. The video duet of “The Lady Is a Tramp” is admittedly better than his sudden death performance of “These Boots Were Made for Walking,” but he gets the highest mark for coming to Matheus’ defense with Murphy. I don’t think anyone else has really come to stand for what Glee is all about more than that.

Darren Criss returns as guest coach with Robert Ulrich

Unfortunately for Matheus, even Damian’s intervention can’t save him, and he’s the one who doesn’t make the cut. I think it was a good decision. Of all the competitors, Matheus has struggled the most.

Cuts are definitely getting harder, especially once Murphy sees the competitors and starts to form an idea about how he could write them into the show. My own feeling is if a competitor is too close to a character who’s already on the show, it’s ultimately going to be hard to justify writing for them. We’ll have to wait and see.

What did you think this week? Did the right person not get called back?

Tune in to The Glee Project next week at 9/8c on Oxygen.

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