'American Idol' Finalists Share Their Theme Dreams

Carrie Underwood won her season of American Idol without ever singing a song that didn't sound country. Not every contestant is so lucky. Most Idol Finalists get to celebrate some weeks, when the theme goes right in their wheelhouse, and dread that awkward theme that forces them out of their comfort zones and into musical jeopardy.

At the American Idol Top 12 Party last week, I chatted with seven of this season's Top 12 (for quotes and an explanation as to why I didn't talk to Presumptive American Idol Winner David Archuleta check out the story) and I asked them to tell me their Dream Themes and what their Nightmare Week would be.

Here's what they said:

Carly Smithson

Dream Theme: I like Duets. We've all been saying we'd like to do duets with fellow contestants on like an elimination night when it's not competitive.

Nightmare Theme: I don't really know. Rap? I'm so not really the rapper. I used to sing in a bar down in San Diego every Saturday and you get wee requests every week and this one guy, one time, goes 'Tupac!' You know, every week it's 'Freebird,' but this one guy wants Tupac. I was all like 'Wha? Have you looked at me? Are you kidding?' As much as Tupac's fantastic, no rap for me.

Michael Johns

Dream Theme: What I've liked from past seasons is when they've done songs from the year of your birth. I was born in '78. That's right, I said '78. And there were a lot of good albums that year. But what can you get that's more of a dream than Lennon-McCartney?

Nightmare Theme: It might have been country, but I loved in South Georgia for six years, so I'm blessed to have listened to so many country artists. Maybe if they do polka? I'm not too good at dancing.

David Hernandez

Dream Theme: Man, some R&B/soul night. That would be my perfect night.

Nightmare Theme: Maybe, possibly rock night. I'll leave it to David Cook to rock out. I don't know if I have that in me.

Amanda Overmyer

Dream/Nightmare Theme: All of them are dream themes for me. Any theme week that they have, it's gonna end up sounding rock, regardless. All the weeks are good as long as I'm out there with a camera for me to sing to and that many people in the audience, I'm happy and I'm not going to complain.

Kristy Lee Cook

Dream Theme: Country

Nightmare Theme: Rap. If I had to sing rap, I'd be voted out in no time. I could not rap if my life depended on it.

Ramiele Malubay

Dream Theme: The Bee-Gees

Nightmare Theme: I'm really bad with country music. I'd probably sound like I'm yodeling or something. I would butcher a song so bad.

Chikezie

Dream Theme: You'd think it would be a soul or Motown week, but no. Musical theater. That'd be it. There are so many great songs. I can't even thing about that right now, but even lately you've got Dreamgirls and Chicago, all the ones that have been turned into movies. Then you've got musicals like The Wild Party, The Color Purple and you can even go back to musicals like Oklahoma.

Nightmare Theme: No such thing. I'm in it to win it.