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It's not a wig. In AOL's interview with Robbie Carrico, the eliminated American Idol contestant said of the controversy: "I've been growing this hair for a very long time. I think it's ridiculous that they have to come up with something like that." Considering how powerfully strong his performances had been and the praise he'd generally gotten up to this point, I can't help but wonder if the controversy helped spell his doom.

He also took flack for his "authenticity" as a rocker, to which he said, "I've spent the past six years working my tail off in grungy bars. Pulling our own trailer with our equipment and living out of a van sometimes and doing all of the grunt work that they said they didn't see me doing, because of what I did before with pop music." Did all this side drama detract from viewer's abilities to just judge him for his performances?



His hair or no, real rocker or no, Robbie has a fantastic voice and I think it was too soon for him to go. I don't know that he could have gotten past the distraction of always feeling like he had to prove himself as a rocker, and maybe he should've just accepted being a pop rocker, but his voice will be missed.:


If the controversy didn't do him in, he didn't do himself any favors with his Top 20 performance of "Hot Blooded." The song offers nothing for a singer to wrap his chops around and thus it left Robbie looking kind of flat. It's even more disappointing when you keep going back and remembering some of the vocal prowess he's shown in the past.:


Before the controversy about his hair began, but after his strong Top 24 performance, a local station did a piece on Robbie, talking about how the local schools were coming out in support of their hometown hero (apologies for the obnoxious "technical difficulties" tone at the beginning of the video--hang in there):


Robbie came out as the "One" to beat. His vocals were beautifully powerful and his stage presence and command was spot-on. His prior time as a professional singer really showed in his performance, and after this performance, I really felt that he was a real contender for the Final Four, if not the finals.:


The strength and control he consistently portrayed in performance after performance quickly catapulted Robbie to "early favorite" status.:


This was an absolutely amazing a capella audition. Robbie seemed to have it all. Was it the hair accusations that really spelled his doom, as his fall seems nigh catastrophic.:


After his "boy/girl band" career fizzled and faded, Robbie decided to become a rock singer. Most recently he's been performing as lead vocalist for Missing Picket. You can hear sample tracks and find out more at Missing Picket's MySpace page. Here's a video of them performing their single "The Long Way Home.":


And of course, the reason that Simon and Randy just refused to buy Robbie as a rocker. When he was a teen he was one fourth of Boyz-N-Girlz United, a pop band that released one album, had one "hit" and even went on tour with Britney Spears. Robbie even reportedly dated the pop star. Here's their debut video "Messed Around.":


If you're curious what Boyz-N-Girlz (BNG) Robbie was like, a Robbie Carrico fan page that was set up for him back in the day is still live. It features pictures from his BNG days as well as exciting personal details. For example: Did you know that Robbie's full name is Robbie Carrico IV and that before joining BNG he always thought he'd find fame with his street style jazz and hip-hop dance moves?

I'm really disappointed to see Robbie cut so soon in the competition. Before the hair and authenticity distractions came up, he seemed a shoe-in for a long run on American Idol. He's good looking, has a great stage presence, great vocal control and great stylistic range. He would have had little trouble adapting to the more specific theme weeks to come and I think the competition is weaker without him.

Robbie was the last of the four cut from Idol this week. As such, the packaged American Idol goodbye video was made for all four eliminated contestants combined: Jason Yeager, Alexandrea Lushington, Alaina Whitaker and Robbie Carrico. Goodbye guys and the best of luck to all of you!:


IDOL SEASON 7 FAREWELLS
#18 - Alaina Whitaker
#19 - Alexandrea Lushington
#20 - Jason Yeager
#21 - Colton Berry
#22 - Joanne Borgella
#23 - Amy Davis
#24 - Garrett Haley