Ryan Murphy has long been regarded as a prophet of the airwaves (okay, just go with us), but on last night’s Glee, things really got eerie: How could he possibly have known that Whitney Houston would pass away a mere three days before this episode — featuring a rafter-rattling rendition of “I Will Always Love You” by Mercedes Jones — would air? Is he some kind of psychic? Or like, arbiter of death? In any case, it happened, and therefore we must address it in the way we know how, our weekly “Who Did It Best?” with the caveat that in this particular instance the phrasing is not quite accurate: Obviously, Whitney did it best, so this is really “Who Did It Best (Who Is Not Whitney)?” Sorting through our options on YouTube, we quickly eliminated the Dolly Parton version (sort of the opposite of a reinterpretation) and Jennifer Hudson’s performance from last weekend’s Grammy Awards (too on the nose), and were left with Taiwanese phenom Lin Yu Chun, our trusty friend Sam Tsui, and a lady from the Balkans who will really blow your mind. Watch them all below and decide, who did it best (who is not Whitney)?
Lin Yu Chun
If Whitney Houston had been a 23-year-old Taiwanese boy, she would have been this 23-year-old Taiwanese boy.
Nevena Tzoneva
Not overstating when we say that this is life-changing.
Charice
Sunshine Corazon returns! Keep on making trouble, Sunshine.
Kirk Whalum
It's fair to say we would have sax with him.
Sam Tsui
A tribute performance.
Mercedes
Warning: Not suitable for those who don't want to be spooked.
