The competition continued on the Monday, April 21, episode of American Idol. After 20 artists performed on Easter Sunday, America voted for their favorites, with only 14 moving on. The top 14 were revealed on Monday night.
Yes, unfortunately that meant that six singers were cut and will no longer have a shot at winning Season 23 of American Idol. All 20 artists had the chance to hit the stage, but some were performing for fun, and others, who earned the least amount of viewer votes last night, were singing for the judges’ save.
Scroll down for a full recap of the night, including reactions from judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie for the performances from those in jeopardy. Plus, find out who was eliminated!
Kolbi Jordan
Kicking off the night was platinum ticket winner Kolbi Jordan, who made the top 14 and performed a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman.” She sparkled in her purple outfit and had the crowd on their feet as she made her way across the stage.
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With Kolbi being the last person announced as safe on Easter Sunday, she was relieved to be the first one into the top 14 tonight.
Isaiah Misailegalu
Isaiah Misailegalu was not voted into the top 14, but he got to perform again for another shot at sticking around via the judges save. He sang “Sleepwalker” by Sammy Johnson and exuded confidence, despite the tough position he was in.
ABC
“What a tough thing to do is get that news that you didn’t make it through. But you’re one of my favorite voices,” Bryan said. “Like I said, I think I’ve pushed you to try and always expand and push yourself outside your comfort zone. I don’t know if I’ve heard you hit a bad note all season. When we get our saves, it’s always really stressful for us, but that performance will certainly keep us talking about potentially keeping you in here.”
Drew Ryn
Next up, Drew Ryn found out she was in the danger zone, so she had to sing for her spot. Drew sang “A Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga.
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Richie gave Drew some advice for if she was chosen to go forward, telling her, “You have to perform now. I need the energy to come out of you from this point on. Think about energy, energy emoting from you. Your voice is spectacular. I need that energy.”
Thunderstorm Artis
Thunderstorm Artis learned that he earned the second spot in the top 14. To celebrate, he performed “I Love You” by Billie Eilish, giving an absolutely gorgeous rendition of the soft spoken song.
Olivier Bergeron
Following his top 20 performance, Olivier Bergeron found out he wasn’t in the top 14 and had to sing for the save. Olivier performed “It’s Not My Time” by 3 Doors Down, which was appropriate for the moment.
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“You know I have been a champion for you since the beginning,” Underwood assured Olivier. “I feel like that was the perfect song choice. You’re telling us, ‘I’m here, I’m not going.’ We have a lot to deliberate and, honestly, I’m so scared that the fate will be in our hands. But you’ve done so much already in this competition and we’ll see what happens.”
Filo
Filo learned his fate next. He earned the third spot in the top 14 and got to celebrate the exciting moment with a powerful performance of “Skyfall” by Adele. Like Kolbi, Filo was a platinum ticket winner, and it seems America loves him as much as the judges.
John Foster
John Foster, who gave a very emotional performance dedicated to a late friend last night, also landed in the top 14. This time, he performed a Brooks & Dunn classic, “Neon Moon,” and looked right at home.
Josh King
Next learn their fate was Josh King, who did not earn viewer votes to get into the top 14. For his save performance, Josh sang “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley.
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The judges gave Josh a standing ovation, which was a good sign. “Josh, listen to me, give me more of that,” Richie urged. “That will do it!”
Mattie Pruitt
Another artist to make the top 14 was Mattie Pruitt, the youngest artist left in the competition. In celebration, she played piano while singing Benson Boone’s “In the Stars.”
Canaan James Hill
This season’s final platinum ticket holder, Canaan James Hill, also made the top 14. He wowed once again with a performance of “Stand” by Donnie McClurkin.
Ché
Unfortunately, Ché didn’t get an automatic top 14 spot and had to sing for survival. He performed “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon.
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“I don’t know how he’s not going through,” Bryan admitted. “You’re a great singer. What I’m noticing is we are chocked full of great singers this year, so it tells me that songs and songs that make you really catch people’s eye at home, do things that really, really stand out. Everyone is singing good so the songs have to be there.”
Baylee Littrell
Baylee Littrell has to sing to try and earn his top 14 spot, as he wasn’t voted through by America. He performed John Legend’s “All of Me” in hopes of winning over the judges.
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“I feel like every time you get on the stage, you give us more,” Underwood said. “I feel like this was your best performance today. I don’t know if it’s just confidence or song choice or what that thing is, but keep doing more of this. The stars are kind of aligning right now. This was really the first time where I was like, ‘He’s a frontman. He means it. He deserves to be on this stage.’”
Desmond Roberts
Desmond Roberts wasn’t safe after the nationwide vote, but he got to sing for survival. He chose to perform “Titanium” by David Guetta and Sia.
ABC
Richie told him, “I’m appealing to your ‘scared to death’ person. That simplicity is what we need more of. That was standing still, slaying it. If you get another chance at this shot, I am telling you, concentrate on song selection and simplicity.”
Keep refreshing because we’ll be updating the live blog as the show goes on.
American Idol, Season 23, Sundays and Mondays, 8/7c, ABC