Melinda Doolittle
A backing vocalist who has worked with stars like Aaron Neville, Doolittle, a 29-year-old Brentwood, Tenn., resident, is this season's closest thing to a front-runner. ''There's Melinda Doolittle and then there's a different competition,'' says Abdul. ''She's so in a different league.'' Doolittle doesn't want to hear it. ''Even the term front-runner, it can be a lot of pressure. It's harder on me to hear it knowing that the rest of the group's backstage like, 'Okay, well, what about me?' I want it to be fair for everybody.''
She certainly has received her share of online ribbing about her appearance (''I've been called Shrek, Platypus, you name it''), as well as from cynics who claim her constant humility is an act. ''Everybody keeps telling me, 'Put your shoulders down! Quit acting so surprised every time something happens.' I don't think there's a problem with being truly grateful. I don't know how to stand there and take it right, but I'm working on it.'''
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