Recap: Sunday Best Season 3, Episode 5

After weeks of auditions, BET’s Sunday Best is now down to the final 20 contestants. This new season brings a couple of changes. The remainder of the competition will be held in New Orleans. Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin will be joining Tina Campbell at the judge’s table. It is quickly becoming clear to me that this season will be different than the rest.

The show opened with a performance of “A Song 4 Haiti” written by Kirk Franklin. It would have been pretty spectacular if all of the singers from the recording were on the stage to deliver the performance. I know…that’s a fairly unrealistic request. Instead of the original vocalists, Donnie McClurkin, Isaac Caree, Kim Burrell, Yolanda Adams and Tina Campbell sang the lead vocals. The final 20 contestants ended up singing the background vocals.

A smooth transition took us from “A Song 4 Haiti” into Donnie McClurkin’s “Ooh Child”. Donnie sang the vocals that we have all come to know and love. Then, Kirk Franklin came in with talking/rapping that he’s known for. Overall, the show opening was extremely well done.

Only 10 of the final 20 contestants performed. Here are my observations of each contestant:

Jonte Thomas
She performed a very interesting arrangement of  “Just a Prayer Away”. It had a big band type of feel that the judges seemed to like. I thought the performance was good, but I don’t think I liked it as much as the judges did.

LeAndria Johnson
You may remember her if you watched the New Orleans auditions. She was the one who came to the audition with flip-flops and socks because she didn’t have any other clothes.

She sang “In the Midst of It All” and the judges loved her performance. Donnie McClurkin said she was anointed. In my opinion, it was arguably the best performance of the night.

Robert Hatcher
There is no doubt that he has a very good voice. I have to agree with the judges when it comes to his performance. They said it was very safe and cautious. Although I wanted more, I think Rob gave enough to get to the next round.

Tawanna Tarvin
She has a very unique tone. Tawanna sang”I Will Trust You Lord” by Donnie McClurkin. The judges and a number of people I follow on Twitter seemed to like it. I can’t say that I agree with them on this one. I just wasn’t a fan of her vibrato. Maybe her next performance will change my mind.

Davon Fleming
At 18 years old, Davon is the youngest contestant. He sang “We Fall Down”. The judges wanted to see him make more of a connection with the song from the beginning. Overall, I thought he gave a solid performance.

Franklin Davis
It is pretty clear to me that his style will be different than the rest of the contestants. Franklin’s performance of “I Believe I Can Fly” was very smooth. The judges liked his confidence, but they wanted him to give more.

Funmi Oduyemi
She was the only contestant that survived the Nigeria auditions. She delivered a very safe performance of “Open Up My Heart” by Yolanda Adams. Funmi came across as scared and possibly nervous. Donnie McClurkin told her “You look nice, but your voice doesn’t match how you look.” In my opinion, she delivered the worst performance of the night. I don’t expect her to remain on the show much longer.

Durward Davis
He delivered a very good sound. The judges really liked his rendition of “Hail Jesus You’re My King”. I’m pretty sure that he will be one of the top contenders in this competition.

Elder Goldwire McLendon
My words really can’t accurately explain what happened when the oldest contestant in the competition took the stage. After he sang “The Battle Is Not Yours”, the spirit of God came in the room. The judges gave him a standing ovation. Elder McLendon definitely had a special impact on everyone in the room.

There you have it, the first 10 out of 20 contestants. Did you see this episode? Please share your opinions.