Known Casting Dates:

Thursday, April 1st 2pm – 6pm
Austin, TX @ Hill Country Galleria
12700 Hill Country Blvd. Bee Cave, TX 78738

Wednesday, April 7th 4pm – 8pm
Greensboro, NC @ Battleground KIA
2927 Battleground Avenue Greensboro, NC 27408

Friday, April 30th 5pm – 9pm
Nashville, TN @ McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon
134 Second Ave. North Nashville, TN 37201

AUSTIN, TX (area)
BB12 OPEN CALL- “Hill Country Galleria Amphitheater”
Thurs April 1st 2-6PM
12700 Hill Country Blvd. Bee Cave, TX 78738

GREENSBORO, NC
Big Brother 12 open call: “Battleground Kia”
Weds, April 7th 4 – 8 pm
2927 Battleground Avenue Greensboro, NC 27408

NASHVILLE, TN
BB12 OPEN CALL- “McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon”
Fri April 30th 5-9PM
134Second Ave. North Nashville, TN 37201

Jermaine Sellers claims his American Idol ouster was partly because his song selection wasn’t appealing enough for the reality competition’s audience.

“I just wanted to sing songs that had meanings behind them.  All of the songs that I picked, I wanted a meaning behind them.  And with me picking songs that were so much older and mature, I think that had a lot to do with my votes, too, because American Idol is for teeny boppers,” he told reporters during a Friday conference call.

“There’s a lot of young people and they want to hear more current stuff… And that’s not where my soul is.”

The 27-year-old church singer from Joliet, IL waseliminated fromAmerican Idol’sninth season during Thursday night’s live broadcast, which concluded with the Top 16 being revealed.

Since Sellers said his soul doesn’t sit well with teeny boppers, he explained where his musical inspiration comes from.

“I’m more of a let’s talk about reality.  Let’s talk about what’s going on right now,” he said.

“When I sang ‘Get Here,’ I wasn’t just talking about one specific individual.  I was talking about peace.  I was talking about love, respect, joy.  I want all of that to come back to us and even though I try to deliver it the best way that I could, I never got my point across because I let fear conquer me.”

Sellers also gave the example of when he sang Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as another instance of people not paying attention to the point he was trying to make.

“Half of the reason why I did ‘What’s Going On’ right then and there at that time was because I felt like we’re not paying attention to what’s going on as far as Haiti, as far as Chile,” he explained.

“We’re not paying attention to it.  We’re spending time focusing on other stuff when we should be focusing on what’s actually going on in the world right now.”

In addition to what he feels was a lack of appeal to younger viewers, Sellers said his outspoken nature — including when he threw the band under the bus during Hollywood Week — also played a role in his ouster.

However he claims it wasn’t entirely his fault.

“Sometimes the camera could make you look more arrogant…  Because anybody that knows me knows that I’m like the coolest guy.  I like to make people laugh, the whole me, I honestly do,” he said.

“I hate it that I was made out to look like something that I’m not, but it’s television.  So I mean, I felt like every night that I went out there that I sang from my heart and the part that really messed me up the most is that I couldn’t focus because I was so scared of what was going to be said this week as far as me singing or over singing so much.”

Sellers added he was “fine” with the judges’ constant criticism that he “did too much.”

“I felt like, in general, everything has its own season.  It has its own course and it has to play out the best way it does.  And sometimes you lose just to win again,” he explained.

“I took it the best way that I possibly could.  I mean, the thing about it is as an artist you have to stay true to yourself and when you stand true to yourself, it’s a certain way that I sang my whole entire life from a child on up and I kept pulling back.  I did.  I pulled back a lot because there was a lot more that I could have done, but with me doing it the way that I did it’s like I felt like if I pulled anymore back then I would be basically whispering to them.  I’m a church singer.”

Despite his problems with the way he was perceived on the show, Sellers described his American Idolexperience as a “blessing.”

“That’s the best experience about it, just getting on that platform and being able to, not just sing to people, but to minister to them, too,” he said.

Somewhat surprisingly, Sellers said he sees himself as being a “contemporary artist” now that hisAmerican Idol journey is over.

“My style is very much that what BeBe and Cece Winans were years and years ago, how they sang songs like ‘Heaven’ and ‘I’m Lost Without You,’ and it still was marketable to where you would see it on MTV or you would see it on BET,” he explained.

“You would see it on basically, a show that doesn’t just show gospel stuff.  It also shows R&B stuff.  It’s that crossover market.”

NBC

America’s Got Talent – Two hour season premiere on Tuesday, June 1st

Last Comic Standing – Two hour season premiere on Monday,  June 7th

ABC

The Bachelorette – Two hour season premiere on Monday, May 31st

Wipeout – Premiere’s, Tuesday June 22nd

FOX

So You Think You Can Dance – One hour premiere on Tuesday, June 1st

Hell’s Kitchen – Two hour season premiere on Thursday, June 10th

John | Jermaine

Haeley | Michelle

I want to start where it all ended for you: Tribal Council. Were you cringing the entire time Probst went on an on about the idiocy of voting off strong players?
Oh my God! Was I?!? I try not to react when Jeff makes his comments because everyone’s watching, everyone’s listening, and I don’t want to influence any vote one way or the other. And I’m trying to not let what he says influence the votes one way or the other — but absolutely! We sit on these little tree stumps. After Tribal was over when I got up I don’t know if you saw that toothpick fall from right under, but I literally was clenching my behind the whole time, like, “Please, Jeff, just move on to something else!” He was going exactly against why I was telling them we should vote out Tom, so yeah, that was a real clencher for me.

Did Probst go too far, in your opinion?
Um, you know, no. I can’t say Jeff ever goes too far. This is what he does. This is why I love watching Survivor. Whether or not it ended up influencing people one way or another, we’ll never know. But I don’t think he went too far. You have to counteract what he’s saying, and if you can, you can, and if you can’t, you can’t.

Did you know it was J.T. that voted you off?
No, I wasn’t sure who it was. I felt like

Rupert, Amanda, and James were pretty much going to stick to the plan, but you never know. I couldn’t tell. I knew Tom was talking to J.T. a lot and I never trusted J.T. I always said to Amanda, “Are you sure about J.T.?” because I could see J.T. playing. So it was hard for me to figure out which one flipped, but I wasn’t really that surprised.

Who was your closest ally out there?
See, that’s the problem, Dalton. I really didn’t have one. I was trying to make it Candice, but it was a work in progress. Candice is like a nervous Nellie, so I constantly had to reassure her. I never really had a close ally out there and that’s a problem. You can’t play the game ofSurvivor alone, and if everyone is threatened by you — even the people in your own alliance — it puts you in a bad spot.

You take a pretty clinical, strategic viewpoint of everything. So how did you feel about how personal James was getting with Stephenie at that Tribal?
Oh, boy. I like both of them and I even said to James after that Tribal was over, “Was it necessary?” I know this game gets your blood boiling and I know everyone is there to try to win, but I think James’ lack of ability to articulate how he feels made him come across more brutal than was necessary. James will be the first to admit he doesn’t do the social thing, and not having experience in the social aspect and being able to speak to people and get your point across without coming off like a brute, I think kind of hurt him.

When I talked to all the players before the game about whom they were worried the most about, your name was at the top of the list. Was the deck stacked against you in that sense?
I think, unbeknownst to me, I never had a chance. I didn’t realize how threatening other players saw me. I don’t think I’m an angel, and I don’t think other players shouldn’t worry about me, but the degree of threat I did not realize was that great. Had I realized that, maybe things would have been different, I don’t know. But I feel there were so many other threatening players. There are so many triple threats. I have one aspect of the game I do well and that’s the social aspect. You take a player like Tom, he’s socially good, he’s physically good, he’s mentally good: He’s a triple threat! And did I leave out that he won! How can I be more threatening than a person like Tom or J.T.? That’s one thing I’m missing — how am I more threatening than them? How can I be a threat to you if you have everything I have and more?

You’ve had some time now to sit back and replay everything. If you could jump in Mark Burnett’s magic Survivor time machine and go back and change one thing about how you played, what would it be?
I think I would have tried to spend more time with J.T. and make him feel comfortable and convince him that he wouldn’t’ have been my target later on.

Which is more frustrating, making it as close to the million dollars as you did inMicronesia, or getting voted out as early as you did here?
Oh, hands down, no question — making it that close in Micronesia. This was actually easier. I’m not saying I wanted to be voted out, but it was so much easier than having it within your grasp, and having it taken away and not having a shot at all.

You know, Cirie, some of those players in Micronesia don’t get injured or quit, and that final two becomes a final three and you’re a million dollar winner.
Gee, thanks a lot, Dalton. [laughs]

You’ve played three times now? Will you go for four?
The problem, as I’ve been made aware, is that my name is out there. People are threatened by me. I love this game and really want to have an opportunity to win this game, but it really seems like the deck is stacked against me with people’s perception of me. So I don’t know if I were offered the opportunity again that I would have a legitimate shot at winning. And as much as I love the experience, I love my family. And if I’m not going to be playing the game, I would rather be at home with my family.

Last question: Have you made it all the way down the slip-and-slide mat yet?
That’s not funny, Dalton.

WE ALL WANT TO BE LIKED

COACH: (battling tears) “Why doesn’t anybody ever say anything nice about me?”

There it is. The Answer. The great mystery has been solved. Nine simple words and you have the secret to understanding Coach.

He just wants to be liked.

Is that so much to ask?

SCREEEECH! Oh, for crying out loud, I can already hear the Coach haters telling me to get over my “Coach Crush.” Let me just deal with you guys right quick by delving into my 7^th grade bag of insults. How ’bout this one… “Bite me.” Has a nice ring to it. I may use it again later.

Let me also tell you up front that I’m slightly annoyed as I write this.
It’s late, it’s been a long day and as I was driving home at 10 p.m., it started raining. Not a big deal except that I had hosted a big charity event at my little tree house of a home on Sunday and so I pulled out the cushions to my patio furniture and I forgot to bring them back inside, knowing it was scheduled to rain. So I came home to the dreaded… wet cushions. Ah, we’ve all been there, right? The dreaded wet cushions. Right up there with that load of laundry you left in the washing machine and now it smells of mildew. Crisis. I wasn’t in the mood. Now the cushions are in my living room creating a small pool of water as I write this. Just not in the mood. Annoyed. It happens. Hard to believe, I know, but I’m not always Mr. Positive. Shocking.

So… if you pick up on any pettiness, it probably stems from wet cushions. Guess I’ll have to get out my Pottery Barn catalog and order new ones. I’m kidding. I’m not gonna call Pottery Barn, I’ll have my assistant call Pottery Barn. I don’t deal with that kind of domestic crap. Relax. I’m kidding again. I don’t have an assistant. I have an intern, they’re free.

I GET NO RESPECT, I TELL YA

Okay, back to Coach. We all want to be liked. I want to be liked, politicians want to be liked, musicians want to be liked, tree trimmers want to be liked, grocery store clerks want to be liked, even Hollywood talent agents want to be liked. Check that, they REALLY want to be liked. I’m guessing most of you reading this blog also want to be liked. It’s a universal desire to be liked. Well, Coach is no different. Coach believes he is living a very noble life and playing a very honorable game of Survivor and he wants to be acknowledged for doing so… he wants to be liked…but it just isn’t going to happen. It’s Survivor. Nobody gets any respect.

Case in point – Tyson.

Tyson’s actions regarding Coach are a perfect example of why Survivor is so damn tough to play. On one hand Tyson was a source of comfort to Coach. He listened as Coach shared his feelings and he even offered counsel to Coach with some candid advice that Coach would be wise to take to heart.

But then Tyson turned around and shared every single thing Coach said with the rest of the tribe, including the fact that Coach had shed tears and considered quitting. Man, that ain’t right. That’s some bullsh*t up in here.

But that’s how the game of Survivor is played. Information is king. If you give information to someone else, you give them power. Coach gave Tyson power when he shared his feelings with him. It’s harsh but it’s true.

GET IT TOGETHER, MAN, I’M SERIOUS

I loved the exchange between Coach and Boston Rob because it brought out Rob’s very limited patience for topics such as feelings and whining. More than any other guy I know Rob is the quintessential “guy’s guy.” He’s just not one to have long talks about feelings. You’re either with him or you’re against him. It’s so clear that Coach desperately wants to be with him and that is probably at the heart of why he’s feeling left out. He just wants Rob to like him! But with Rob, it’s not so much if he likes you as much as it is if he doesn’t despise you. Coach, he doesn’t despise you, so take his advice – stand up straight and get back in the game. It’s too soon for you to go home.

INTERMISSION

Oh, while we’re here…how about another response for those of you who are still screaming at me to get off the Coach topic? Let’s see…hmmm…how about this 8^th grade classic… “Up yours.” Ya like that one? I do too. It’s straight to the point.

I’m kidding. It’s just a joke. Where’s your sense of humor. Fun. You remember fun, right? That thing you used to have before you became a pain in the a–? Yeah, that thing. Listen, if I can laugh at myself with wet cushions, you should be able to take a little Coach humor.

IDOL PLAY

I was a bit surprised at the different way the two tribes approached the idol clue. I never would have guessed that it would be the Villains who chose to not look for the idol, while the Heroes were tripping over each other in a mad dash to uncover it. Further proof that at this point, the Villains are more in control of their game. They just have it more together than the Heroes.

Yes, of course it makes sense to want the idol in your possession, but the fact the villains were fine keeping the idol out of their game tells me they are more concerned with keeping their tribe strong than they are dividing it by looking for the idol.

Russell of course has a different idea and thank heavens, because let’s be clear – we put the idol in the show because we want it to be found…and we would like it to be played.

Preferably many times.

So the Villains’ decision to sit on the clue and do nothing about it is not the most exciting news to hear back at base camp. That’s just one of the reasons Russell was invited back – he plays the game. He’s not an observer, he’s a participant. And he still should have won last season.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE – TAKE TWO

Yes, that was the same Immunity Challenge from last season’s Survivor: Samoa in which the dreadlocked Russell went down…and almost did not get up.

As emotional as it was to run the challenge again, we never debated. We felt that it belonged in this season because of the distinction of being the only challenge in the history of Survivorto not be completed and it offered a chance to create new history when it finally was completed.

Once again Boston Rob showed his ability to lead as he single-handedly won that challenge for the Villains. Rob is a guy who wants the ball in his hands when there are only seconds left on the clock. He’s not afraid to step up and take the big shot. That’s the same way he plays Survivor – to win. I respect anybody who plays this game full tilt boogie every day.

Here’s something that will aggravate Russell and probably every other Survivor. Every other Survivor except Ashley from last season – Ashley gets it and she’ll understand that what I’m about to say is not a slight to anyone else, it’s just a really wise bet.

Here’s the bet: If I had to put money on only one Survivor it would be Boston Rob. Overall, he has the qualities that I would most want to have if I played the game and I think that if I bet on him every day that over the course of the run I’d come out ahead.

FINALLY THE HEROES GET IT RIGHT

While I’m sorry to see Cirie gone from the game, I’m happy that she got voted out because this philosophy of getting rid of the strong players simply because they’re not in your alliance was about to make me throw my laptop through my television screen. Imagine that, a living room filled with wet cushions and a busted TV. That would really suck.

Cirie was the right vote. Voting out Colby or Tom over Cirie would have been yet another idiotic vote by the Hero tribe – one that I fully expected them to make. I was shocked to see JT switch his vote, but I do think he made the best overall move.

That doesn’t mean JT won’t be the next one voted out, but if you want to win…you have to have a strong tribe and at times you have to make big moves. JT did both tonight – he kept his tribe strong by making a big move. Cirie is only strong in one area – strategy. She’s a master strategist, in fact, but she was not going to help them at camp or in challenges.

NEXT TIME ON… SURVIVOR

So maybe the Heroes can turn things around now. They’re clearly the stronger tribe physically if they can just get their attitudes to catch up to their muscles.

Next week’s episode offers another interesting tribal council and…another Survivor goes down!

See ya then. By the way, the cushions are now dry.