Pussycat Dolls Present Girlicious: "Vocal Expression" (Episode 206)

It's mid-season and time for the competition to shift focus from who looks good to who sounds good.  The PCDs announce that this week is about how well the remaining seven girls express themselves vocally.  "If you've been hiding behind a smile," they warned, "We're about to find out!"

The girls were broken down into two groups and assigned songs before being given a private performance from vocal coach Kenn Hicks.  Who knew he was a trained operatic singer?!  His demonstration on how to bring emotion to a performance brought Charlye to tears.  The song reminded her of her family and of her father who passed away.

After his turn in the spotlight, Kenn whisked the girls off to vocal practice.  Working with the "What A Feeling" group (Chrystina, Carrie and Tiffanie), Kenn designated Chrystina the opener instead of Carrie, the typical choice.  While Chrystina was struggling with her newfound responsibility, Charlye's usually strong dancing skills were failing her.  Robin and Mikey were in complete dismay over her inability to pick up a simple chair dance, and Mikey coldly threatened that if she can't get this choreography down in a snap, she has no business being there.

Group two continued to suffer in vocal practice.  As Nichole, Charlye and Jenna rehearsed "Emotion," Natalie decided to pitch a fit and demand that a certain line be hers.  But Kenny wasn't having any of the diva attitude and told her to tone it down.  Natalie, claiming to be upset by his "negative energy," threw down her lyric sheet and stormed out of rehearsal.  Obviously this was not the way to Kenny's heart or the way to get the vocal part of your choice!  Kenn tracked Natalie down and gave her hell for the hissy fit, but all's well that ends well, and they sealed the deal with a hug.

Robin soon announced that the girls would be taking a trip to Geffen Records to lay down the first Girlicious track, "Leave You Alone," with Ron Fair.  Nicole Shererziger popped by the studio to give the group some advice (half-heartedly, at best), but before long the girls were itching to get into the booth and sing.  Jenna volunteered to go first, followed by Natalie.  Nat was the surprise of the day, sounded much better than both Ron and Robin expected.  Chrystina decidedly didn't sing with enough soul, while Carrie and Tiffanie impressed.  Charyle rounded out the group, letting her nerves get the best of her.

Announcing the winner of this "vocal screen test," Ron declared Tiffanie the winner thanks to her soft-spoken tone.  He also complimented Natalie, saying if there was a honorable mention she would have nabbed it.  Back at the loft, Charlye's downward spiral continued as she became infuriated with Jenna not giving up the phone.  The pressure of the competition began to take it's toll, and even Kenn noticed.  Gathering the group, Kenn said he would be giving a special one-hour personal session with Charlye.  Hoping to get her back on track, Kenn provided Charlye with some tips and succeeded in boosting her self esteem.

Meanwhile, Chrystina couldn't manage to get a grasp on her opening solo and Robin snapped when she forgot the words to "What A Feeling."  Still, nothing made Chrystina snap to it, and she eventually lost her solo to Carrie in dress rehearsals.

At the elimination performances, the "Emotion" group kicked things off.  Nichole was the lead and sounded awfully nasal.  Natalie did well, but wasn't as strong as her in-studio work earlier in the week.  And while the other girls worked their performances the best they could, Jenna dished out her signature low-key vibe--except this time it was even more lackluster than usual.  The real standout of the number was Charlye.  Despite her rough week, she managed to pull it together and the judges loved her performance.  They also dug Nichole's energy but gave Natalie a hard time for walking out on Kenn.

With no practice, Carrie opened the "What A Feeling" performance better than Chrystina ever could have.  For her part, Chrystina seemed beaten down over loosing her original part and couldn't make something special out of her new lines.  Tiffanie also floundered, causing the judges to comment she sounded better in the studio.  Mid-performance, the rest of the gang joined Carrie, Chrystina and Tiffanie on stage for the infamous "chair" dance.

Deliberating, the judges decided that Jenna's definitely a singer but her spot in Girlicious was questionable at best along with Chrystina's.  Natalie's spot was also mulled over--she needs to be vocally trained and given an attitude adjustment.  Tiffanie is a judge favorite, although Lil' Kim can't handle her over-the-top quality at times.  They also love Nichole's bubbly personality and Carrie's voice, but feel that Carrie sometimes doesn't know what to do with her power in order to blend with the group.  So, it came as no surprise when the elimination came down to Jenna and Chrystina.  However, it was a shocking move for them to keep Chrystina, especially since this was a vocally-focused week.