Monday’s American Idol marked several Season 23 milestones: not only did it feature the debut of Idol‘s new “Head to Head” round, but it also brought Hollywood Week to a merciful end, finally revealing the 24 singers whose fates now rest in the viewers’ hands.
Oh, and Jelly Roll. The show’s first-ever “artist in residence” was on hand to provide guidance and encouragement in the contestants’ darkest hours. And because Hollywood Week is pretty much just one long, dark hour, the guy definitely had his work cut out for him.
Four contestants — Canaan James Hill, Gabby Samone, Zaylie Windsor and Mattie Pruitt — were already sent through to the Top 24 after Sunday’s Showstoppers round, leaving just 20 slots for the remaining 42 hopeful singers. Even the most mathematically challenged among us (me!) can tell that those odds aren’t great.
Sure enough, the judges had to give bad news to more than half of the season’s remaining contestants, many of whom left the stage in tears. And they were in good company, as even newbie judge Carrie Underwood was crying by the end of the night, proof that Hollywood Week takes its toll on both sides of the judges’ table.
Read on for a breakdown of Idol‘s just-revealed Top 24, then gather your thoughts, because we have a lot to discuss: Did Jelly Roll make a good first impression? Were any of your favorite contestants sent packing? And which singers will get your vote(s) next week when the Top 24 heads to Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii? Drop a comment and vote in our poll below.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Canaan was one of the lucky four sent through to the Top 24 after Sunday’s Showstoppers round, thanks to his performance of Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It.” Lionel Richie literally called it “the greatest performance I have ever seen.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Gabby also received early admission into the Top 24 after blowing the roof off of the Orpheum Theatre with a so-good-it-made-me-want-to-pull-my-hair-out-and-scream performance of Nina Simone’s “Four Women.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- It feels like the judges have big plans for Zaylie, who rocked the crap out of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” in the Showstoppers round on Sunday. Straight to the Top 24 with her!
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- This season’s youngest remaining contestant delivered a jaw-dropping cover of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” on Sunday, and the beyond-her-years performance earned her immunity on Monday.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- This one didn’t exactly come as a… shocker. Thunderstorm, a favorite of the judges all season, was the first contestant sent into the Top 24 on Monday, with extra appreciation being shown to his voice’s natural growl.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- It was also good news for Thunderstorm’s duet partner, with whom he had major chemistry. The judges thought their voices blended beautifully on Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met,” praising both singers for gently pushing each other throughout.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Ché took the stage with Sonny Tennet, but only one of the “humble kings from the UK” was left standing after a good-but-not-great duet of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- This was another case of two voices lifting one another up. Penny and Grayson Torrence’s voices blended beautifully on Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” bringing good news for all members of the Pink Penny Club.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Grayson and Penny were hugging and sobbing by the end of their duet — and that was before they got the good news that they both made it to the Top 24! Well done, ladies.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- I won’t lie, I thought MKY and Josh King’s performance of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You” was pretty cheesy. The song already leans hokey, and they leaned in even further with their “discount Righteous Brothers” energy. The judges felt differently, however, sending both MKY and his partner Josh King through to the Top 24.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Here’s hoping Josh has an easier time memorizing the lyrics for his next performance!
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- With this next duo, Amanda was the no-brainer. Her powerhouse vocals were a perfect fit on “Lady Marmalade,” and we had no doubt she would make it through to the Top 24.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- But Victor wasn’t exactly a sure thing. He was swallowed up by Amanda’s huge sound, and he was often lost in the overall performance. Still, the judges understood that his voice wasn’t in fighting form, so hopefully a little vocal rest will serve him well as he enters the Top 24.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Kyana and her partner Yani had one humble request for the judges: “Please, Please, Please” send us through to the Top 24 — but only Kyana got her wish.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- I’ve assumed this guy to be Top 5 since his audition, and I’ll continue beating that drum until it comes to fruition, so I wasn’t surprised to see him sail through to the Top 24 after his duet of “I Remember Everything” with Nina Daig. They both came across like fully seasoned country performers, but only he impressed the judges enough to stay in the game. Eliminating Nina felt like one of the more difficult choices of the night.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Son of a Backstreet Boy, he did it! Despite having some issues learning the lyrics, Baylee impressed the judges with his performance of “Shallow,” even though partner Keilene (who did not advance) overpowered him several times. Underwood made sure Baylee knew that this decision wasn’t unanimous, telling him to “step it up” moving forward.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- John and Clara Rae also cooked up a take on Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You,” but unlike our previous encounter with the TikTok-friendly jam, they did it without being too cheesy. Unfortunately, the judges felt that Clara’s contribution to the duet lacked a little sauce, so only John was sent through.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- You’d think that pairing up two platinum ticket winners on a monster hit like Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” would be a slam dunk. And you’d be right. Filo and his partner “dazzled” the judges with their duet, especially their ability to regulate their emotions as they sang.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Despite Kolbi’s voice not being at 100%, she showed up and powered through when it counted, and both she and Filo absolutely earned their spots in the Top 24. (Rest up, Kolbi! I’m pulling for ya.)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Isaiah’s duet with Krystal Molina “wasn’t his finest performance,” according to Underwood, which I thought was putting it nicely. During the judges’ deliberation, it wasn’t looking too good for either of them, and I was prepared to see them both go home. But the judges apparently want to hear more of that sweet Samoan silk, because they decided to keep Isaiah around for another week.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Unless I temporarily blacked out (which is possible), we didn’t hear too much of Olivier and Cali Morris’ duet of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive.” Still, I trust the judges’ call on this one, sending Olivier through and sending Cali packing.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- Neither Desmond nor his partner Jamal had ever heard Teddy Swims’ “The Door” before picking it as their Head to Head song, but I have to imagine it shot to the top of their favorites list after getting them both through to the Top 24. Still, Underwood warned Desmond not to rely too heavily on his runs moving forward.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- The judges also had some critiques for Jamal, but mostly, they just loved it. Lionel Richie even told the star-cheeked singer that he’d “never heard more feeling before” on the show. How do you top a compliment like that?
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC- It all came down to this. Breanna teamed up with fellow mom Rylie O’Neill for a powerful (and very fitting) duet of Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude.” It was gorgeous, and I’m frankly surprised that the judges didn’t decide to make this a Top 25… again. Still, if one voice had to rise above the other, I’m glad it was Breanna’s.
- Now that we’ve made it through the contestants, let’s talk Jelly Roll:
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