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Tonight was the season finale of season 3 of BET’s Sunday Best. Congratulations to LeAndria Johnson for winning the competition and the new car!

Here is a recap of the finale:

Hezekiah Walker opened the show singing Souled Out. It was a very good performance. It was consistent with that choir sound that we have come to know and love.

Each of the final two contestants performed a medley from songs that they have sang throughout the competition.

LeAndria’s medley consisted of:
-I Love the Lord
-He Was There All the Time
-In the Midst of It All

This performance was a great ending to a spectacular season of high quality singing. Week after week her singing was consistently amazing.

Elder Goldwire McLendon’s medley consisted of:
-Yes, Jesus Loves Me
-The Battle is Not Yours
-All Over Me, Keeping Me Alive

His performance was passionate and spirit filled. I’m paraphrasing here, but Yolanda Adams basically said that if he doesn’t win, then she would put her support behind Elder McLendon getting a CD released.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, Kirk Franklin introduced Donald Lawrence. We received a great treat when the top three finalists from last year took the stage and each sang one of Donald Lawrence’s songs.

Jessica Reedy -Seasons
Latice Crawford-Encourage Yourself
Y’Anna Crawley- The Blessings of Abraham

All three ladies joined together in the end and sang Let the Word Do the Work. When most people reflect on last season, Latice Crawford often gets overlooked. In case anyone forgot, Latice reminded us that she has some serious chops.

Kim Burrell has done a great job mentoring the contestants all season. During the finale, she sang a tribute to the contestants that were eliminated. It was special! She called out many of the contestants by name and you could see that they were deeply touched by her singing.

In the end, LeAndria Johnson was announced the winner. She closed the show with her new single I Shall Leap Into My Destiny. I enjoyed the song, but I can’t wait to hear what it sounds like a couple of months from now after she has had the opportunity to practice it more.

Even though he didn’t win, Elder McLendon doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of. He did an outstanding job. I’m sure there is definitely a place in the Gospel industry for him.

Once again, congratulations to LeAndria Johnson. I can’t wait to see how the Lord uses her in the upcoming months and years.

What do you think about the outcome? Post a comment and let me know what you think.

Kirk Franklin recently made a second appearance on BET’s The Mo’Nique Show. In the interview, he talks about Sunday Best and his new book The Blueprint.

Take a look at the interview and let me know what you think about it.

Here is the video of Karen Clark Sheard when she appeared on The Mo’Nique Show on BET. Karen performed the song Prayed Up from her album, All in One, that is available now.

The cast of Meet the Browns also appeared on the show. David and Tamela Mann talked about their careers, their marriage and more.

Take a look at the video and let me know what you think.

So here we are, down to the final two contestants, LeAndria Johnson and Elder Goldwire McLendon. In my opinion, each of them deserves to be here.

Ledisi opened the show singing Higher Than This. Overall, I thought she delivered a very nice performance.

After the final two contestants each sang a song, Vanessa Bell Armstrong took the stage. Her performance of Prayer Still Works was very powerful.

Here are my observations of the final two:

Elder Goldwire McLendon
First Performance
He sang an interesting arrangement of I Know It Was the Blood. I didn’t like the song selection. If a 20 year old would have delivered the same performance, he/she would have been heavily criticized.

Obviously the judges saw and heard something that I didn’t, because they liked his performance. I guess that is why they are there and I am here.

Second Performance
I liked his upbeat rendition of Jesus Be a Fence Around Me. I thought it was much better than his first performance. The judges loved it.

LeAndria Johnson
First Performance
She absolutely destroyed (in a good way) Running Back to You. After that performance, I will likely have goosebumps on my arms for days.

Second Performance
She messed up the words to Set Me Free. In the end, that didn’t really matter because she still did an absolutely outstanding job.

Donnie McClurkin asked her, “What is it that you can not sing?”. Allow me to answer this one pastor, nothing.

At the end of the show, both contestants performed I’ll Take You There in a duet. It was a nice performance and a nice way to end the competition.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. LeAndria Johnson should win this competition. I’m not taking anything away from Elder McLendon. He has done an outstanding job.

In my opinion LeAndria would beat out any contestant from any season of any reality singing competition. That includes American Idol. I am grateful that I am getting the opportunity to see how the Lord is using her.

Now it is up to us to vote for the winner.

To vote for Elder Goldwire McLendon, dial 1-888-923-7801.

To vote for LeAndira Johnson, dial 1-888-923-7802.

You can also vote at www.bet.com/sundaybest. Voting is open until June 19.

Karen Clark-Sheard opened the show singing Prayed Up from her new CD All in One. Her performance was very good. I don’t know if I have ever seen her display so much energy and excitement.

After all of the contestants performed, Lala Hathaway closed the show with Against All Odds by Phil Collins. She gave a very exciting performance. It would have been tough for anyone to follow the quality singing that went down tonight.

The theme of this episode was Gospel cinema. The remaining five contestants were required to sing Gospel songs that were featured in movies.

Here are my observations:

Tiffany Carlin-Laird
Although she tripped coming on to the stage, she gave a very solid performance of Joyful, Joyful from Sister Act 2. There was a slight bit of hoarseness in her voice, but she pushed through it. Tina Campbell thought that Tiffany wasn’t really into the song. Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams thought she did well. I thought she did OK. I definitely wouldn’t classify her performance as memorable.

Durward Davis
I always cringe a little bit when people try to sing Whitney Houston songs on singing competitions. Let’s face it, most people don’t have the chops to pull it off. However, Durward Davis is not like most people. He absolutely crushed I Believe in You and Me from The Preacher’s Wife. His performance was absolutely phenomenal!

Martha Buries
The judges really seemed to like her performance of Will You Be There by Michael Jackson from Free Willy. I thought she gave a very strong performance. I just didn’t like it as much as the judges did. Right now the bar is set pretty high. I don’t think she reached it.

Elder Goldwire McLendon
Even though he forgot some of the words to He’s All Over Me from The Preacher’s Wife, it didn’t matter. His performance was extremely energetic. It even included some dancing. Elder McLendon’s appeal is so unique, it must be from God.

LeAndria Johnson
My vocabulary is just not good enough to write about how phenomenal she is week after week. She gave an outstanding performance of Maybe God is Trying to Tell You Something from The Color Purple. All of the judges absolutely loved it!

In the end, Martha Buries and Tiffany Carlin-Laird were eliminated. I don’t claim to be a prophet, but for the last couple of weeks I’ve know that the final three would be Durward Davis, LeAndria Johnson and Elder Goldwire McLendon.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Durward is amazing. In any other year he probably would win the competition. However, LeAndria and Elder McLendon are just too special.

Next week should be very interesting. I’m looking forward to hearing some great singing.

Did you see episode 9? What did you think about it?

There are only 7 contestants left in BET’s Sunday Best. The theme for this episode was “One”. The purpose was for the contestants to focus on their vocal skills and ability. There wasn’t a lot of music production backing the contestants up.

Here are my observations of episode 8.

Chrisette Michelle opened the show singing Donnie McClurkin’s Stand. She gave an absolutely wonderful performance. The judges gave her a standing ovation.

After her performance aired, she posted a note on Twitter talking about how Stand was personal to her. It was sung at her grandfather’s funeral.

Dathan Thigpen
He sang Friend of God. Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams loved him. I side more with Tina Campbell on this one. I didn’t think that he did a great job connecting with the audience. There was definitely something lacking.

Tiffany Carlin-Laird
Her performance of Going Up Yonder was light and smooth. The judges thought she gave a perfect execution.

Durward Davis
“He sounds like old school Fred Hammond.” That is what my wife said during his performance of Kirk Franklin’s Lean on Me. Donnie McClurkin talked about how he painted a picture with the song. Tina Campbell called it perfection. I would have to agree with them 100%.

Martha Buries
Her performance of Holy, Holy, Holy displayed her strong vocal ability. Her interpretation of the song was definitely interesting. The judges absolutely loved her.

Brian Smith
I think he’s firmly established that wearing a bow tie is going to be his thing. Yolanda Adams and Tina Campbell loved his performance of Lord I Lift Your Name on High. Donnie McClurkin seemed to have a different take. He didn’t feel like Brian connected with him or the audience. He also thought that Brian could have given more. Overall, I thought his performance was average.

LeAndria Johnson
Yolanda Adams called her one of the most phenomenal female voices of all time. I was absolutely speechless after her performance of Endow Me. She is just an amazing singer!

Elder Goldwire McLendon
I thought this would be the episode where we see a chink in the Elder’s armour. I definitely had my doubts when he started singing How Great Thou Art. Foolish me. He pulled off the end in spectacular fashion! The judges absolutely loved him. People in the audience were crying at the end of his performance.

In the end, two contestants were eliminated, Dathan Thigpen and Brian Smith. I do not have any problems with this decision.

In all seriousness I think LeAndria Johnson and Elder Goldwire McLendon are going to be extremely tough to beat. The judges and most of America have a great deal of affection towards both of them. Next week is going to be extremely tough. I can’t wait.

Season 3 of BET’s Sunday Best continues. Last week, the first batch of finalists were eliminated. This week, the remaining contestants competed for the top spot. One of the eliminated contestants rejoined the show as the wild card.

J. Moss opened the show with a medeley that consisted of “We Must Praise” and “Rebuild.” I thought it was outstanding performance. If you missed it, then you missed something really good.

Here are my observations of the finalists.

Brian Smith
Gave an upbeat performance of “I Won’t Complain.” It felt very average to be, but the judges seemed to really like it.

Orlando Wright
His performance of “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus” was good. I liked the upbeat feel and I was with him from the beginning. The judges thought his performance was very genuine.

Martha Buries
It is always great when we get second chances in life. Martha was the wild card. She was voted off the show last week, but the judges decided to bring her back. She definitely made the most of her opportunity. Her performance of “Changed” was outstanding. The judges absolutely loved it!

Franklin Davis
The judges didn’t seem too impressed by his rendition of “More Than Life To Me.” There wasn’t anything in his performance that really stood out to me. There is a fine line between performance and ministry. It feels a little like he was more on the performance side than ministry.

Dathan Thigpen
He gave an absolutely stirring performance of “Speak to My Heart.” The audience seemed to be extremely moved by his singing. It was easily one of the best performances of the night.

Tawanna Tarvin
There were a whole lot of high notes in her performance of “Now Behold the Lamb.”  I don’t think anyone will question the quality of of her voice. The judges weren’t overly impressed though. I think they wanted more from her.

Durward Davis
His rendition of  ”That’s When You Bless Me” was very powerful. There was a lot of passion in his voice. In my opinion, he has clearly established himself as one of the top male contestants remaining.

LeAndria Johnson
She absolutely destroyed “He Was There.” I was following reactions to the show on Twitter and she received more comments and reactions than any other contestant. Kim Burrell made a comment that placed LeAndria in the same company as Aretha Franklin and The Clark Sisters.

David Wilson
His performance of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” was very smooth. Nothing he did blew me away, but I thought it was a solid performance overall.

Tiffany Carlin-Laird
She has a beautiful voice. The judges loved her performance of “I Need Thee”. I thought it was very good.

Elder Goldwire McLendon
“How can you put your hands on something that the Holy Ghost has already established.” That is what Donnie McClurkin said after Elder McClendon’s performance of “Yes, Jesus Loves Me.” It was a simple song with a powerful result.

In the end Tawanna Tarvin, Franklin Davis, David Wilford, and Orlando Wright were eliminated. I don’t have any issues with this at all. I don’t think any of them were serious contenders to win the entire competition.

Did you see episode 7? Who do you think should have been eliminated?

Last week on BET’s Sunday Best, we saw the first 10 contestants show the judges what they can do. This week, the remaining 10 contestants took the stage.

The show opened with Kurt Karr and the 20 finalists sing We Lift Our Hands In the Sanctuary. This was a good energetic performance. I thought it was an entertaining way to open the show.

Mesie Augustine
She gave a very shaky performance of How Great Is Our God. I found it to be very uninspired. The judges thought she had a number of vocal imperfections. I have to agree with them. Her vocals definitely need to be more refined.

Orlando Wright
I was worried for him when he first started singing The Presence of the Lord is Here. His performance got a whole lot better in a hurry. When it was all said and done, Orlando’s performance was passionate. The judges liked him and told him that he would definitely be moving on.

Brittany Dear
It was clear very early that she was definitely nervous. I’m confident that she has the talent. Unfortunately she couldn’t overcome her nerves and show us what she was capable of. I’m sure the competition is over for her.

David Wilford
He gave a great energetic performance of I Will Bless the Lord. He came out very confident and poised. I think he completely nailed his performance and the judges agreed.

Tiffany Carlin-Laird
Her performance of Walk With Me Lord was simply wonderful. Her voice was powerful and polished. I absolutely loved her performance and the judges did too. Donnie McClurkin talked about how she owned the stage.

Dathan Thigpen
I don’t think it was a very strong performance vocally. However, there was a lot of sincerity in his worship. The judges seemed to really enjoy how he sang Open The Eyes of My Heart.

Martha Burr
I didn’t enjoy her performance as much as the judges did. I agree that she has a nice voice, but I found the overall performance of Our God is an Awesome God a bit lacking.

Brian Smith
The judges liked his performance. I guess that is why they are platinum selling Gospel artists and I’m not. I definitely didn’t view Brian’s performance in the same light they did.

Bethany Devine
I would call her performance of For Every Mountain slightly above average. Yolanda Adams wanted more from her. Overall the judges thought she was nervous.

Vernell Payton, Jr.
There was something missing, but I couldn’t really put my finger on it. Donnie McClurkin said that his performance was not genuine. That is definitely not the type of comment you want to hear if you are an aspiring Gospel artist. There were a number of people on Twitter that did not feel that the judges should question the way a person praises the Lord.

At the end of the show, 10 of the 20 finalists were eliminated. The finalists that advanced to the next round are:

Durward Davis
Franklin Davis
Tawanna Tarvin
LeAndria Johnson
Orlando Wright
Brian Smith
Tiffany Carlin-Laird
David Wilford
Dathan Thigpen
Elder Goldwire McLendon

I actually do not have any major issues with this list. At the end of the show, Kirk Franklin announced that one more wild card finalist will be chosen from the 10 eliminated finalists. Bethany Devine and Rob Hatcher are my picks for the wild card spot. I guess we’ll just have to tune in next week to see who gets it.

Did you see episode six? Let me know your opinions.

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.

If you missed episode 4 of BET’s Sunday Best, then you missed the best auditions of the season. This audition was held in New Orleans, LA and it featured a number of high quality singers and some stories that touched the heart.

The judges for this episode were Donnie McClurkin, Erica Campbell and Tina Campbell. They definitely had their hands full with the crop of talent from “The Big Easy”. There was a whole lot of good mixed in with a whole lot of bad.

A number of the contestants were affected by Hurricane Katrina five years ago. I found myself pulling for them, even though some of them ended up being poor singers. If BET was looking for good stories, they had a lot of people to choose from.

There was one woman who had just got put out of her house. All she has was the clothes on her back and a few other items. Outwardly, she didn’t look like much. However, her singing was phenomenal. She is on my short list of favorites to win the entire competition.

One thing I found interesting was that there was a bus full of people from Jackson, MS. They all made the journey with the intentions of being Sunday Best. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear that any of them made it to the next round. In spite of that, I’m sure they left the experience with a lot of good memories.

In the end, nine contestants, made it through to the next round. That is almost double the amount from any other city. It is very likely that the winner of Sunday Best will end up coming from the New Orleans auditions.

Did you see the New Orleans auditions? What did you think?