By Chip Dombrowski, Entertainment Editor

In a balanced field, anyone can win Saturday’s final, judges say

“It’s anybody’s game at this point.”

Ask the judges in any talent competition in the week before the final what they think about the contestants’ chances, and that is what they’ll say. Every time.

What’s different about this year’s Bay Area Teen Idol final is that these aren’t just obligatory words. When judges Kim Handsaker and Barbara Boots say anyone can win among the four finalists — Destyni Fuller, Thaddeus Miller, Star Moralez and Emma Wampler — they mean it.

Indeed, the results of the first eight weeks of competition show that it’s not just a platitude.

“All four of them have won a week, so you know any one of them could do it,” Handsaker said.

Even after Moralez won three in a row ending with the semifinal, judges say there’s no edge.

“It’s been close each of those weeks,” Handsaker said. “This is the first year that I’ve gone in not knowing” that one or two contestants have the best chances.

Boots agreed.

“The kids that came up really started stepping up,” she said. “You don’t get complacent. You have to keep stepping up every week.”

Each of the contestants has different styles and strengths, making it difficult to compare them, Handsaker said.

“It’s gonna totally depend on what songs they pick,” she said. “All four of them are good, and all four keep getting better.”

Destyni Fuller accentuates

Standout performances:

“No Good Deed,” from “Wicked”

“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” Andrews Sisters

“Don’t Rain on My Parade,” Barbra Streisand

“It’s a Heartache,” Bonnie Tyler

“Destyni is born for Broadway,” Handsaker said. “She was good last year, but she has grown so much this year.”

Boots also has noticed a difference. “She came across as sweet and innocent,” she said. “But she’s picked up an edge to her performance, the attitude that follows the clothes.”

Handsaker has also praised Fuller for her confidence and connecting with the audience in a genuine way.

But song choice is especially important for Fuller, Handsaker said, because some selections haven’t shown her style and ability.

“She can do big … she can take over,” she said. “She needs songs that are the type of take-over songs.”

Thaddeus Miller entertains

Standout performances:

“Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison

“Hound Dog,” Elvis Presley

“Blue Moon,” Frank Sinatra

“Sold,” John Michael Montgomery

“Thaddeus has huge charisma,” Handsaker said.

“From the time you come out, it’s a performance,” she told him at the semifinal. “But you don’t do the same thing — every song is something new.”

His biggest problem, she said, is staying in pitch.

Boots said she’s seen a lot of growth in Miller through the competition.

“He can sing,” she said. “I’m glad he’s showcasing his singing voice. He’s bringing the whole package instead of just focusing on one aspect.”

However, it was his theatrics that first caught her attention.

“I think he needs to be on stage,” she said. “He is an audience pleaser.”

Star Moralez is original

Standout performances:

“Respect,” Aretha Franklin

“Car Wash,” Rose Royce

“Maybe This Time,” from “Cabaret”

“Stormy Weather,” Lena Horne

“Star is awesome,” Handsaker said. “She’s a powerhouse.”

Boots said her potential is limitless.

“She’s not afraid to step out of her comfort zone,” she said. “She still brings her personality into whatever she’s doing. No matter whose it is, she makes it her own.”

That’s exactly what Moralez needs to do, Handsaker said.

“Star needs to get up there and be herself,” she said. “When she tries to be too showy … she needs to not try to be anybody else.”

Both praised her ability to show emotion in her voice, especially on bluesy songs.

“She can sing just about anything,” Handsaker said.

Emma Wampler understates

Standout performances:

“Alone,” Heart

“Popular,” from “Wicked”

“Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac

“Love Will Keep Us Together,” Captain & Tenille

“She was a sleeper,” Boots said. “She’s like a little hothouse flower. She’s blooming.”

Handsaker also noted Wampler’s shyness and increasing confidence.

“You have a quiet presentation, and when you’ve picked songs that have that same feel to them, it’s very powerful,” Handsaker has told her.

“She hasn’t reached that point where she just takes over,” but there are glimmers of it, Handsaker said.

“She has incredible vocal control,” she said. “She needs to let her power out.”

Boots expects that growth to come.

“All it takes is just finding your stride and realizing, ‘I like this,’” she said.

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