Based on the assessment of people in the streets, the second live show of the Digicel Rising Stars competition last Sunday Night was a complete dud.

The Courtleigh Auditorium was the venue where the second set of nine contestants faced off with hopes of taking one of the five remaining spots in this seasons coveted top 10.

Most of the performances were below par and those that made the grade were merely as safe and forgettable. The evenings performances were truly mediocre, but we can only say that  at the risk of grievously understating the awfulness of the nights performances. In fact, maybe a whole new vocabulary needs to be invented to express just how disappointing it was. Because to say that this years slate of Rising Star contestants are ordinary is merely to affirm the obvious.

The acerbic judge Anthony Miller was at his witty best, eviscerating the contestants with relative ease. Kahlil was one of the few to escape his rapier wit, using a c****ination of creativity and talent, to wow the packed Courtleigh auditorium. The reggae medley had Judge Anthony Miller declaring, Finally, some electricity while judge Clyde McKenzie, normally vanilla in his comments,  lauded the group by saying: Youve shown that there is strength in numbers. You were fabulous.

Wayne Williams, who completed his performance of Missing You, a popular song by reggae artiste Sanchez, generated loud applause from the crowd, but got snubbed for his efforts by Miller who intoned that the performance was done fpr cheap success. The ebullient Nadine Sutherland disagreed gushing: Wayne youre a star; youve got that special charisma that the audience feels.

The Sony Ericsson Chill Room was also a favourite for the crowd, as host Kerrie-Ann Kiki Lewis and DJ Flamez interacted with the contestants, while they rocked to some of the hottest songs on the local and international entertainment scene. Constable Leisha Rose b****ed with a rendition of Etanas I Am Not Afraid, and McKenzie used his dry wit commenting that it was reassuring to know that the police are not afraid and added that he was not going to throw the book at her because her performance was a misdemeanour.

Even Top Team, a deejay/singer duo, had the crowd rocking at one point only to be shot down in a heap of smoldering metal by Miller who said: you have lots of vibes, you just didnt sound good. Other contestants such as Daniel Palmer and Sheri-Ann (insert last name here) were merely forgettable. One contestant massacred the Polices Every Step I Take in a performance that was innocent of melody. Were just hoping that it doesnt get any worse than this.

On Friday Night, the outcome of the publics votes will be made known when the top five contestants were revealed during the result show on TVJ at 8pm. Sunday nights performance show will feature the top 10 contestants of the 2008 season.

Catch repeats of tonights show on Wednesday at 10am and Thursday at 10:30pm.