Current:Home > MyWho survived and who was eliminated in the 'biggest cut' in 'American Idol' history? -×
Who survived and who was eliminated in the 'biggest cut' in 'American Idol' history?
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:31:01
Things are heating up in the "Hunger Games"-like "Idol Arena."
On Sunday's episode of "American Idol," Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie kicked off "Hollywood Week" by being tasked with cutting at least 80 singers from the contestant pool.
One by one, the 143 remaining contestants gave their all on stage in a battle to the death. Though some crumbled under the pressure, others – including 15-year-old Triston Harper, mortician Kennedy Reid and college student Justice Murphy – thrived in the spotlight.
This left the judges with a conundrum. “We have to have an emergency meeting (with) the ABC network because we have a problem," Richie said as the performances were underway. "There’s no way on Earth... half of this class cannot go. It’s just impossible.”
Here are the night's highlights (and lowlights) — and who made it through to the "Showstoppers" round.
What happened last week?'Bachelor' star Juan Pablo's daughter is season's youngest singer
Madaí Chakell gets a second chance after criticizing pianist who 'completely flipped the script'
Madaí Chakell – who, if you recall, earned two yeses from Perry and Richie for singing "I Kissed A Girl" and "Happy Birthday" – was, unfortunately, one of the contestants who was feeling the heat during "Hollywood Week."
Shortly after launching into Ariana Grande's "Tattooed Heart," Madaí cut the song due to an instrumental issue.
“Hold on. Hey, can we start over? I wasn’t feeling that one. Sorry y’all," she said. When it still didn't sound how she wanted, Madaí stopped her performance again. “OK, we’re going to do this acapella because that’s not flowing the way we practiced," she told the audience.
Ouch. To the pianist's credit, she wasn't wrong because she sounded better without the distraction of the piano.
Off-camera drama:Alyssa Raghu denies hijacking friend's audition, slams show's 'harmful' edit
She might not have garnered much support from her comrades with this stunt, but it showed she took her one shot seriously.
Things started breaking down further when Bryan – the sole dissenter during her audition – asked whether Madaí was “feeling OK” and if her voice was “a hundred percent.” She went off on the judge in an interview later.
“My pianist completely flipped the script on what we practiced," she said. “They also tried to play the card (of) ‘Oh, is your voice OK?’ What do you think? I was shaky because look at what y’all just did!”
She added, “Is your voice OK, Luke? I haven’t heard you sing. Obviously, I can sing.”
After the show's producers made a good-faith effort to give her a second opportunity, Madaí got through a full performance of "Tattooed Heart." However, the judges didn't know what to do after she seemingly threw away her second shot by singing the last word, “heart,” with a Southern twang.
Bryan asked, “Why the ‘heart’ that way?”
She replied in a British accent: “You know, you said something before like I don’t know who I am quite yet. So I wanted to show you I can be everyone and everything; isn’t that what an American idol is?”
After she walked off the stage, Bryan told his colleagues, “Maybe we’ll do American humble at some point!” adding, “Probably not winning the audience with that one.”
KB Richins brings everyone to tears by getting choked up while singing
There was nary a dry eye when Kaibrienne "KB" Richins challenged herself to perform a "risky" song "that brings up so much emotion."
“As a little girl, I went through things that I don’t think a little girl should have to go through, things that I haven’t really dealt with," she explained.
As she belted out Jessie Murph's "How Could You," KB choked her way through the song's title lyrics, persevering with the help of her fellow contestants' applause. The 20-year-old came back stronger the second time when she accused her tormentor, "How could you?"
During her performance, it became apparent that the platinum ticket holders – Abi Carter, Julia Gagnon and Odell Bunton Jr. – were unwell, as they were shown holding each other's hands for support as tears streamed down their faces.
On the subject of these platinum ticket winners: The show really made sure they were targets for the nearly 150 contestants by having them sit in their own exclusive VIP section on set.
Here's who survived the 'biggest cut in 'Idol' history' – and who didn't
The judges could only pick a not at all arbitrary 56 contestants to advance to the "Showstoppers" round.
They brought out the 143 hopefuls in more manageably sized groups before dividing each in half, with one group being safe and the other going home.
Here are some of the contestants who are moving forward:
- Triston
- Will Moseley
- Quintavious Johnson
- Sam "Kayko" Kelly-Cohen
- Mia Matthews
- Jennifer Jeffries
- KB
- Nya
- Kennedy Reid
- Scarlett Lee
- Anna Grace Hunt
- Elleigh Marie Francom
- Ajii Hafeez
- Ziggy
- Emmy Russell
- McKenna Breinholt
- Blake Proehl
- Roman Collins
- Alyssa Raghu
- Abi Carter
- Julia Gagnon
- Odell Bunton Jr.
Episode 6 marked the end of the road for these contestants:
- Madaí
- Noah Peters
- Kyra Waits
- Kimi
- Abby Blake
- Conall Gorman
- Bethany Teague
- Meggie Iyer
- Jacy Matthews
- Amari Scott Keys
- Athena Jett
- CJ Rislove
The judges' decision split up the Matthews sisters as well as friends Kayko and Abby Blake.
The "Idol Arena" survivors were the "best of the best" – but only for now, because more than half of them will be eliminated during Monday's episode.
The "American Idol" pool will soon be whittled down to 24.
veryGood! (35155)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Can I claim my parents as dependents? This tax season, more Americans are opting in
- How Travis Kelce Celebrated Lifetime MVP Jason Kelce For National Siblings Day
- Usher to receive keys to Chattanooga in Tennessee: 'I look forward to celebrating'
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Patrick Mahomes' Wife Brittany Mahomes Is Feeling Spicy After Red Hair Transformation
- Lonton Wealth Management Center: Professional Wealth Management Services
- Frozen Four times, TV for NCAA men's hockey tournament, Hobey Baker Award
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- First Muslim American appellate court nominee faces uphill battle to salvage nomination
Ranking
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Smudges on your TV? Make your own DIY screen cleaner with just two items
- Henry Smith: Summary of the Australian Stock Market in 2023
- ‘Forever chemicals’ are found in water sources around New Mexico, studies find
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- How Ryan Gosling Fits Into Eva Mendes' Sprawling Family
- Salmon fishing is banned off the California coast for the second year in a row amid low stocks
- Massachusetts city agrees to $900,000 settlement for death of a 30-year-old woman in custody
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Runaway goat that scaled bridge 'like a four-legged Spider-Man' rescued in Kansas City
Former Mississippi Goon Squad officers who tortured 2 Black men sentenced to decades in prison in state court
Megan Thee Stallion's Fitness Advice Will Totally Change When You Work Out
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Masters Par 3 Contest coverage: Leaderboard, highlights from Rickie Fowler’s win
Can I claim my parents as dependents? This tax season, more Americans are opting in
Judge in Trump’s election interference case rejects ‘hostages’ label for jailed Jan. 6 defendants