Is a eulogy just a speech?

What is a eulogy? How do I put one together? Is it just a speech? Over the past 3 years I have been asked these questions several times. And have always said that yes it is a speech. Recently a very good friend of mine passed away. And just before he died he asked me to be one of 2 people to give his eulogy. Due to seeing so many friends died when I was younger do not normally go to funerals or do memorials. But I could not refuse to honor my friend. Over the past 3 weeks I pondered the questions above and I have come to the following conclusions. Yes, it is a speech. Although it may be highly charged with emotion. It should have an opening, body, and close. It should include positive stories about the deceased and your relationship with the person you are talking about. There could also be some lessons learned. What did they teach you? Humor is OK. In fact I highly recommend it to break the tension. Remember they were human. And humor was part of most of our lives. And close on a positive note. Leave the audience something positive to walk away with. Make the audience see in their minds that person doing or experiencing something good in the after life. Especially if they believed in one. You don’t have to make them saints; many people are far from it. Speakers should not leave the audience in a downer. I’m including a copy of the eulogy that I wrote and delivered on June 16, 2008 to honor my friend Bob Hall. I hope that you can use it as a template for any Eulogy that you might have to give in the coming future. Is it a speech? I think it is. It may be full of emotion, but it does not have to be a downer. You should tell a stories that capture the essence of the person you're talking about. If you are giving the eulogy who is it for? It's for the audience and the person you are memorializing. As the speaker you have a responsibility to be a professional as possible given the circumstances. Will it be easy, "NO". But if you plan and prepare you honor the person you're speaking about by giving the best presentation you possibly can. But the bottom line on this one is to prepare or wing it "you decide". I chose to prepare and get input from others. I’m Bob Freel and that’s “What I’ve Learned”. Below is the memorial I gave for a friend that just past away. To give you some back ground. He was one of the last soldier to actually ride horses that towed artillery pieces at the beginning of WWII. His great grand son is a highly decorated U.S.Marine who now serving on the Presidential Honor Guard. MEMORIAL FOR BOB HALL JUNE 16TH, 2008 (1200/123=91/2min) WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AND THINK ABOUT SERGEANT MAJOR BOB HALL WHAT YOU DO YOU SEE, WHAT DO YOU FEEL? WHAT WORDS WOULD “YOU” USE TO DESCRIBE THIS REMARKABLE MAN. <3pause> AUDRY, FAMILY MEMBERS, AND FRIENDS; AS I REFLECT ON THIS CELEBRATION OF BOB’S LIFE THE WORDS THAT COME TO MY MIND ARE: FRIEND, PROUD, COURAGE, LOYAL, STORY-TELLER, AND LOVE. THE FIRST WORD, FRIEND – WE ONLY KNEW EACH OTHER FOR A SHORT TIME YET WE DEVELOPED A FRIENDSHIP, A BOND THAT ONLY PEOPLE OF COMMON EXPERIENCES CAN SHARE. HE WAS FROM ORANGE COUNTY – I WAS FROM ORANGE COUNTY HE WAS IN COMBAT – I WAS IN COMBAT HE WAS STATIONED AT FORT ORD – I WAS STATIONED AT FOR ORD HE WAS COMMISSIONED – I WAS ALMOST COMMISSIONED THAT THING CALLED GEOMETRY GOT ME EVERY TIME. HE WAS IN VIETNAM – I WAS IN VIETNAM HE WAS MARRIED 3 TIMES – I WAS MARRIED TWICE. I SAID TO BOB, YOU WON THAT ONE. . THE FIRST TIME I SAW BOB IN HIS UNIFORM WAS VETERANS DAY NOVEMBER 11TH 2007. I WAS STANDING ON THIS STAGE AND AS I LOOKED OUT OVER THE SEA OF PEOPLE THERE HE WAS, BRASS POLISHED, UNIFORM FITTED, BERET PERCHED PERFECTLY ON HIS HEAD. ON HIS RIGHT SHOULDER WAS THE PATCH OF THE 2ND INFANTRY DIVISION, THE UNIT HE FOUGHT WITH IN KOREA. HE WORE IT WITH GREAT PRIDE. AS THE COLOR GUARD BROUGHT THE FLAG FORWARD THAT DAY HIS AGE SEEMED TO MELT AWAY, HE STOOD UP, STRAIGHTENED HIMSELF AND SALUTED LIKE THE SOLDIER HE WAS. HE KNEW I WOULD DO PUBLIC SPEAKER COMPETITIONS AND WOULD ALWAYS TAKE THE TIME TO ASK ME HOW I’D DONE. THE SECOND WORD I CHOSE IS PRIDE: HE WAS PROUD OF HIS SERVICE TO HIS COUNTRY, THE MEN HE SERVED WITH, HIS FAMILY, AND ESPECIALLY HIS GREAT GRANDSON, ___________. I GAVE HIM A T-SHIRT THAT HAD THE INSIGNIA OF THE 2ND INFANTRY DIVISION PAINTED ACROSS THE FRONT. HE LOVED IT AND WORE IT SO OFTEN I THOUGHT BOY, MAYBE I SHOULD GIVE HIM A SECOND ONE SO HE COULD AT LEAST WASH IT. THE THIRD WORD IS COURAGE: HE HAD THE COURAGE TO STAND BY HIS CONVICTIONS. HE TOLD ME ABOUT TAKING OVER AS THE SERGENT MAJOR (NCO) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATIONS OF ALL THE PX’S IN VIETNAM (FOR YOU CIVILIANS & YOUNGER FOLKS, THAT’S THE POST EXCHANGE, A MILITARY RETAIL STORE). HE TOLD ME ABOUT HOW SOME PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON WHO TRIED TO PRESSURE HIM INTO DOING THINGS HE KNEW IN HIS HEART WERE NOT RIGHT, BOB REFUSED. HE WOULD NOT COMPROMISE HIS INTEGRITY NO MATTER THE COST. HIS COURAGE UNDER FIRE WAS THE KIND THAT HOLLYWOOD MOVIES ARE MADE OF. THERE IS A LINE ON PAGE 489 IN CLAY BLAIR’S BOOK, “KOREA THE FORGOTTEN WAR”. IT READS “ONLY ONE MAN - AN UNIDENTIFIED 9TH INFANTRY SERGENT WAS SHOOTING BACK”. THAT WAS BOB, ALTHOUGH HE WAS NOT NAMED, HE KNEW WHAT HE HAD DONE AND WAS PROUD OF IT. THE FOURTH WORD IS LOYAL: HE FELT HE HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO THOSE MEN IN KOREA THAT SERVED WITH HIM. BOB SAID “AS A FIRST SERGEANT I COULD HAVE STAYED BACK FROM THE FRONT LINES WHERE IT WAS SAFER. BUT I FELT I NEEDED TO BE UP FRONT WITH MY MEN SHARING THE DANGERS. KNOWING FIRST HAND, WHAT WAS GOING ON, DOING MY PART. IT WAS NOT MY JOB TO CARRY A RIFLE BUT I’M GLAD I DID.” TODAY THAT SAME RIFLE BELONGS TO HIS GREAT GRANDSON. __________. HE MADE SURE THAT ALL HIS MEN WERE REWARDED FOR THEIR COURAGE (HE WROTE 2 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MEDAL OF HONOR) AND AWARDED THE SACRIFICES ALL HIS MEN MADE DURING THOSE HORRENDOUS DAYS IN KOREA, THE TIME BOB CALLED, “MY DAYS IN HELL”. HE HAD AT LEAST ONE, REGRET: HE WAS SO BUSY MAKING SURE ALL HIS MEN WERE TAKEN CARE OF, HE NEVER ONCE MADE SURE HE WOULD BE RECOGNIZED FOR HIS, OWN BATTLE WOUNDS. UNSELFISHLY THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GAP ON BOB’S CHEST RIGHT NEXT TO HIS BRONZE STAR, THAT’S WHERE A PURPLE HEART SHOULD, HAVE BEEN. FOR ALL OF THE MEDALS HE WORE, IT’S THE PURPLE HEART, THAT WOULD HAVE SHOWN, BOB’S REAL PAIN AND SACRIFICE. THE FIFTH WORD IS STORY-TELLER: BOY, DID HE EVER LOVE TO TELL A STORY !!! EVERY TIME WE GOT TOGETHER IT WAS A STORYTELLING MARATHON WE WOULD TAKE TURNS TELLING EACH OTHER ABOUT OUR LIVES, CHALLENGES AND ADVENTURES, MOST OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY TRUE. SERIOUSLY THOUGH, SOME STORIES OLD SOLDIERS MIGHT NEVER TELL ANOTHER LIVING SOUL. ONE DAY AS WE SWAPPED STORIES ABOUT LIFE, THE PEOPLE WE KNEW AND OUR WARS, HE LEANED FORWARD, PUT HIS HAND ON MY ARM THEN SAID “YOU UNDERSTAND.” (PAUSE) CHILLS RAN UP A DOWN MY SPINE. THE SIXTH WORD THAT DESCRIBES BOB IS LOVE: BOB LOVED THE ARMY – BOB SAID “I WOULD HAVE STAYED UNTIL THEY TORE THE UNIFORM OFF MY BACK. IF ONLY THEY’D, LET ME STAY WITH THE MEN AND NOT GIVEN ME A DESK JOB. BUT, MY FAMILY NEEDED ME MORE, SO I LEFT THE ARMY AND STARTED A NEW LIFE.” HE DEARLY LOVED HIS FAMILY – HE TOLD ME ABOUT ALL 3 OF HIS WIVES I COULD TELL HE LOVED THEM EACH ONE OF THEM. BUT HE WAS ESPECIALLY HAPPY WHEN HE AGAIN FOUND AUDRY, HIS HIGH SCHOOL, SWEETHEART. "THERE WAS NO WAY SHE WAS GOING TO GET AWAY" “THIS TIME”". HE SAID. ON THEIR WEDDING DAY HE WAS 71. "BETTER LATE THAN NEVER" HE SAID. BOB WAS PROUD OF HIS GREAT-GRANDSON AND WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE SEEN HIM AGAIN, BEFORE HE PASSED. THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL NOT LONG BEFORE HE CAME HOME FOR THE LAST TIME. WE SWAPPED STORIES FOR A WHILE AND I COULD SEE HE WAS GETTING TIRED. “COME CLOSER.” AND WHEN I DID HE PUT HIS HAND ON MY HEART THEN SAID: 1. WE HAVE ONLY KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR A SHORT TIME BUT I KNOW I CAN CALL YOU “MY FRIEND”. 2. IT’S TOO BAD THAT YOU ARE SO MUCH YOUNGER THAN I AM (THERE WERE 28 YEARS DIFFERENCE) BECAUSE I FEEL WE WOULD HAVE SERVED WELL TOGETHER IN THE SERVICE, WE THINS SO MUCH ALIKE. 3. THEN HE SAID “I HAVE CHOSEN 2 MEN TO GIVE MY EULOGY AND I WOULD LIKE YOU, TO BE ONE OF THEM”. I CHOKED UP AS I ASKED, WHY?? "YOU KNOW I DON’T DO FUNERALS". HE SAID, “BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER AND YOU KNOW THE RIGHT WORDS TO SAY. “ I AM HONORED TO DO THIS FAVOR FOR YOU MY FRIEND. (PAUSE) HE LAID HIS HEAD DOWN ON HIS PILLOW , TOOK MY HAND: “IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO GO”. THEN,CLOSED HIS EYES. SOMETHING TOLD ME THIS WOULD BE THE LAST TIME WE’D EVER SPEAK. I STOOD THERE FOR A MOMENT, LOOKING AT MY FRIEND, THEN SLOWLY BACKED OUT OF THE ROOM. BOB LIVED A LIFE OF LOVE, CHALLENGE, AND ADVENTURE. FROM A SMALL FISHING VILLAGE CALLED NEWPORT BEACH CALIFORNIA. IF YOU CAN IMAGINE NEWPORT BEACH BEING A SMALL FISHING VILLAGE. TO THE FREEZING COLD ROCKY MOUNTAIN SLOPES OF NORTH KOREA. TO THE STIFLING HEAT, AND HUMIDITY OF SOUTH VIETNAM. WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES I CAN SEE BOB SMILING, I CAN FEEL HIS PRIDE, AS HE SERVES AS THE BRIGADE SERGEANT MAJOR FOR THE ANGELS OF THE 2ND INFANTRY DIVISION, FIGHTING THE WAR BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. THESE ARE THE WORDS AND THOUGHTS THAT COME TO MY MIND WHEN I THINK OF MY FRIEND, BOB HALL (PAUSE) … I WILL MISS HIM.

Region 2 International Speech Contest

On June 7, 2008 I attended the Region 2 International Speech Contest. I have been requested to give my impressions on how the speeches went Here is “What I’ve Learned” In speaking order I will give descriptions on the placing speeches. All others I will give brief comments. 1) DAVID ADAMS ( District 49 – Hawaii) Speech Title “Small Stuff” This was David’s 3rd or 4th try at this title (He did not place). Paced a lot, poor eye contact, favored one side of the audience, seminar style delivery. In order to make it beyond this level David needs a coach who had been there done that. 2) JOE VALERY (District 12 –Riverside/San Bernardino Counties) Speech Title “A Haul Away” Placed 2nd in the contest Joe started off with a great story on how his wife got him into the Junk Hauling Business even though he already had a full time job. He talked about going to homes and hauling away their junk. He transitioned into how we all have junk in our lives and how much better life would be if we unloaded our junk. Good delivery, pausing, eye contact, and fitting close. Facial expression and gestures were appropriate to the message being delivered. 3) CARL WALSH (Founders District – Orange County & East Los Angeles) Speech Title “How Dumb Can You Get” Placed 3rd in the Contest Carl started off with a story about his grandfather asking him what he wanted to do when he grew up. He responded he wanted to be a tiger. He transitioned into how we should get dumb about what we can’t do and our self limiting ideals and go for our dreams. 4) BOBBY DALE LEE (District 4 – San Francisco, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Mateo) Speech Title “Somebody Else” Bobby speech was about taking action and not to wait for other people to do it for you. He talked about growing up in Alabama during the 50’s/60’s. Lynchings as he was growing up his mother always told him to do it himself but then when he started to work on integrations issues she wanted him to let someone else take the risk. Hard to understand at times, speech somewhat a downer. 5) SUSAN MAYBERRY (District 52 – Downtown LA, Burbank, San Fernando Valley) Speech Title “10 Items or Less”. Speech was about kindness, transitions were weak, little vocal variety or gestures. Hard to hear at times, speech somewhat of a downer. 6) KRISTIN HALVIN (District 5 – San Diego) Speech Title “Now That’s Deep” I felt that she was more speaking at the audience than with the audience. Almost, a lecture feel to her presentation style. Somewhat overwhelming at times overly, loud vocal presentation with little eye contact during the speech. I suspect she went over time. 7) ROBERT MacKENZIE (District 1 – West Los Angeles, Long Beach) Speech Title “My Alter Ego” Winner of the Contest Robert talked about creating an alter ego named Bob. He started out early in his school life and progressed the story giving examples about how bob would always have him say “NO” in order to avoid pain and risk. Then he met his wife and it forced him to reevaluate how he approached life. He talked about having a heart attack and his family, and friends gathered in his hospital room to support him. His gestures and how he made you believe that Bob was right there on the stage with him made his speech very believable. His transitions were clean and his close was right on. He tied all the elements together, his stage use was well done. He was just a slight bit better than Joe Valery. 8) Christine Kitchenmaster (District 33 – East Central California, Southern Nevada) Speech Title “A Word of Kindness”. Speech was somewhat Loosey Goosey, did not fit together well, so soft spoken she was hard to hear at times. She was more of a cutesy presenter than a contest speaker. Christine used a gesture that was to signfy the ups and downs of life but did not support that gesture by looking at it. This makes the gesture look like a wild hand movement and not a meaningful part of the speech. When we gesture it must be congruent with the words that come out of our mouths. SUMMARY: Having reviewed over 155 World Championship Speeches and at least 30 Regional Level Speeches I came to these conclusions about this contest. Like most high level contests one or two (Joe and Robert) were head and shoulders above the rest. There speeches were well written, practiced and coached. The 3rd place winner was at the next level down and deservedly so. Several of the speeches were entertaining but not of championship quality. The quality of judging at this level is superior to that at the District levels and lower due to the fact of knowledge, experience and expectation of performance. Being cute can possibly get a speaker through the District level but it cannot at the Regional level. The reason that a speaker has to write a new speech at the Regional and Finals level is to challenge their ability to be consistent and perform at a high level worthy of a champion. Having less time to perfect their speeches separates the pretenders from the contenders. Unfortunately most speakers can write one great speech sometimes two great speeches but fall very short when it comes to writing three great speeches This fact is very evident when you watch the videos/DVD’s of the World Championships of Public Speaking. Having analyzed 17 years and 155 speeches given at the World Championship level it is obvious that at these levels it is more about skills in delivery, writing, and knowing your audience and less about who you know or who knows you. In speech competition it is the Judges (therefore the audience) that is King. If you connect with the audience you connect with the judges. Remember it is Heart, Head, Humor in that order that makes the speaker a winner. So my friends thats "What I've Learned"

WIN, PLACE, SHOW

WIN, PLACE, SHOW

Contains 9 championship speeches written by the First Place - Ed Hearn, 2nd Place - Douglas Wilson, and the 3rd Place winners of the Toastmasters 2006 World Championship of Public Speaking.

Only $19.95 this book is a great resource for any person interested in the thought process that goes into creating a winning speech.

This book will take the reader through how these 3 winners developed their winning speeches. In addition you can read the speeches that each wrote and delivered that allowed them to win at the Club, Area, Division, District, Region and World Championship of Public Speaking .

I felt this book gave me great insight into the thought and emotional process that each winner went through in developing and delivering their winning speeches.

Here is a short quote from Douglas Wilson the 2nd Place Winner of the 2006 Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking (WCPS). In his introduction for his District 58 (South Carolina)winning speech "It's Not About Me" he wrote.

"It was not an easy process. I had to get in touch with emotions I was uncomfortable talking about and put those emotions out there for the audience to feel, so they could learn the lesson too". He goes on to talk about letting his audience see and feel. He used 3 keys to write his wining speech they are Head, Heart, Lesson Learned (more about this at a later date).

I highly recommend WIN, PLACE, SHOW to any competitor/judge or serious speaker interested in how a winner of a speech is created.

You can order it through rich@richhopkins.net

I'm Bob Freel and this is:

"What I've learned".

So you think you're ready to speak!

You have been scheduled to speak. You have picked your topic. Are you now ready to go? Here are some questions that you need to answer before even starting to prepare your speech. 1. What is your premise? If it is not clear to you what you are going to say do you really think that your listener will know what your talking about. 2. Can you sum up your speech in a paragraph of 50 words or less? If not your premise is not clearly defined. 3. How many points are you going to make? Any more than 4 within an hour and you will fill your listener sensor overload. 4. Does your audience really need to hear what you are going to say? Or are you going to talk about what interests you reguardless of the audience? 5. How are you going to open? Will the listener remember your opening 5 minutes after your done? Same with your closing. 6. Remember no matter what you may think the listener is thinking who cares! Why should we listen to you. 7. What emotions do you want your listener to experience/relive? 8. What is the take away value for your listener? As speakers we owe them value for their time. Remember: "IF YOU ARE AFRAID BEFORE YOU SPEAK YOU ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT YOURSELF THAN YOUR LISTENER". When we are more concerned about what is important to the listener and not ourselves then we are becoming better speakers. I'm Bob Freel and this is: "What I've Learned".

Where does my next speech come from?

Most all of us have pondered where do I get my material for my next speech? Here is some food for thought. We all have stories to tell, none of us lives a life where nothing happens or has ever happened. Over the coming days sit down and create a list of headings. I did mine in Microsoft Word. Make as many headings as you feel you need there are no limit or right or wrongs here. Here are some examples of the headings/sub headings for events, people, ect in my life. 1. Before High School. (Schools, Teachers, Friends, ect) 2. High School.(I bet there are stories you have forgotten) A. Friends. B. Clubs C. Sports Teams (Football) D. Other stories or events 3. College (If you attended more than one name each). An example might look like the following. A. Orange Coast College B. Golden West College C. Cochise College - Arizona D. University of Alaska. 4. Military Service (list duty stations, training) A. Fort Ord, Calif B. Fort Benning, Ga C. Vietnam (places in country and stories for each) D. Redstone Arsenal - Huntsville Alabama E. Fort Wainwright - Alaska F. Fort Sill - Oklahama G. Fort Carson - Colorado H. US Army Recruiting Command - Garden Grove Calif I. US Army Induction Center - Los Angeles, Ca J. Fort Huachuca - Arizona E. Cal State University Long Beach. 5. Companies I have Worked For. A. Foodmaker Corporation B. Potlatch C. Franklin Ect 6. Places I have Lived. A. Hamilton Ontario Canada B. Gardena, Calif C. Westminster, Calif D. Montery, Calif E. Huntsville, Alabama F. Fairbanks, Alaska G. Lawton, Oklahoma H. Colorado Springs, Colorado I. Garden Grove, Calif J. Huachuca City, Arizona K. Corona, Calif L. Menifee, Calif ECT 7. Toastmasters. A. Club Name, Number, Location, Year, Offices Held, B. District Offices Held (ie Area Governor) C. Contests (Types, years, speech titles, where you placed, lessons learned). 8. Childern/Grand Children. A. Sean (Wife Joyce) 1. Son Jacob B. Marnie a. 1st husband - Earl Pappas 1. Helena Ann 2. Christian Bernard b. 2nd husband - Tony Squier 1. Jackee Levar C. Patrick (Wife - Kimberly Vandereyken) 1. Bradley 2. Amanda D. Megan 1. 1st husband - Michael Croxton a. Ashley 1. Holloween Candy - Pause. 2. Riding bike 5 yrs old - hot, brain melt, heart cry 3. How else train him 4. Its fat like yours. Cars you owned, Vacations (name places), Names of People who were significant in your life, Any other major event, person, or story that you remember as time goes on. One you have this list you can start adding additional heading/subheadings (key words that help you remember stories about each person or event). Keep a digital recorder with you or a small pad and pencil. Things will happen that will jog your memory or develop new memories. Now you have an outline for developing personal stories to support the main ideas that you want to deliver to your audience. By putting it on your computer you now have the flexability to update the list as events, new ideas, or stories from your past present themselves to you. Now you can expand each catagory as you remember people, lessons learned, or events from your life. I was amazed at the memories that came back to me as I wrote this list. And as time goes by my list continues to grow. As you can see this list could become quite large over time. But think of the possibilities. A second benefit of this exercise in that you now have an outline for a journal that can be passed down for future generations. I'm Bob Freel and this is: "What I've Learned".

San Diego Northern Division Contest

On 4/11/08 I competed in the District 5 (San Diego) Northern Division Contest. Here are some of my observations. 1. The venue selected was one of convience and not one that was in any manner conducive to the Art of Public Speaking. It was outdoors only 50 yards from a 6 lane highway where trucks, cars and emergency vehicles roared up and down the road constantly. 2. The speakers did not get the opportunity to eat due to the fact that the speakers briefing was held just as the food was brought out. The briefing was held a 1/2 hour late and only 15min before the first contest. 3. The intermission between the Evaluation contest and the International was over a 1/2 hour long due to the lack of planning. 4. Being a seasoned competitor and a long time diabetic I should have known better that to have not eaten since 2pm. The International started at approx 8 pm . 5. During my speech my blood sugar crashed, you can see in the video I made 3 errors I would normally not make. And I began to babble during my closing. In addition when I took a hold of the hand held mike my right hand began to quiver. This is normal for me due to my femural tremors, but the shaking was more pronounced due to my low blood sugar. I grabbed the mike with both hands in order to keep it steady. Many of the judges took points away from me because of this action. All the problems caused by my blood sugar were my own fault. A lesson I learned the hard way. 6. The venue and the judging left a lot to be desired. When picking a venue the person in charge needs to consider the impact on the audience and competitors. Judges need to put their prejudices aside and find a way to compare the speakers against the established judging criteria and understand that the contest is not a popularity contest but a skill contest where all the judges scoring criteria must be considered. And until they do D5 and D12 will never have anyone finish in the top 3 of the WCPS. A good example of this is currently being played out on American Idol. I started watching the show this year for 2 reasons. 1. To see what the competition is all about. 2. To see how the judges rate the performers and compare it to what the possible popular vote shows. There is one performer out of the 4 finalist whom is being kept on the show by popular vote, not talent. His range is limited but he's "cute". While more talented people are being voted off he remains. I predict that the only remaining female will go next (syesha). Just like Dancing with the Stars popularity is more important than talent. Lets hope that in the end real talent will prevail. American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, Toastmasters World Championship. It leads one to wonder did the "Real Champion" win or was it just the one with the most popular, cutsie or luck? Maybe in some instances a little of all 3. I'm Bob Freel and these are just my observations based on: "What I've Learned".