ABCAmerican Idol’s top 14 is now complete. Three more contestants were eliminated after the final all-star duets round last night, revealing which remaining hopefuls will be going on to face America’s vote next week.
With Ryan Seacrest out sick for the first time in 17 seasons, this season’s mentor, Bobby Bones, filled in as host and helped judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan announce the eliminations. Of the ten contestants who duetted with famous music artists last night, the three sent home were Ryan Hammond, Raquel Trinidad and Logan Johnson.
That means Alyssa Raghu, Dimitrius Graham, Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, Alejandro Aranda, Evelyn Cormier, Wade Cota and Eddie Island round out the top 14.
In Katy Perry’s words, Dimitrius had the “best sounding duet” of the night as he teamed up with Lukas Graham on Lukas’ song “Love Someone.” The two bonded over their similar upbringings — and last names — and their connection showed on stage. Luke said Dimitrius was “one of the best singers I’ve ever heard” and Katy dubbed him the “male Beyoncé.”
Alejandro continued to be a judges’ favorite as he duetted with his own personal idol, Ben Harper, on the song “There Will Be Light.” Lionel called it a “magical moment in American Idol history” and for good reason: Alejandro and Harper are both from Pomona, California, and Alejandro used to visit Harper’s family music shop and play guitar. Harper actually remembers hearing Alejandro play and being blown away by his talent. Their soft and skillful duet garnered a standing ovation from the judges, with Katy calling Alejandro her “emo homie.”
The night’s other standout was Jeremiah singing Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” with Broadway star Cynthia Erivo. He nailed the song’s big note at the end, and Lionel called the performance “glorious.” Katy said it was a “spiritual moment” for her.
Evelyn had her dream come true when she got to sing her audition song, “Wicked Games,” with the artist who wrote it, Chris Isaak. Katy said Evelyn has the “it factor.”
Eddie tried to show off a more serious side during his duet of “7 Years,” with Lukas Graham, but still let his fun-loving personality shine through, which the judges liked.
Both Alyssa and Logan sang with Julia Michaels, but Alyssa, singing “Issues,” delivered the better duet. The judges appreciated Logan’s rendition of “What a Time,” but it wasn’t strong enough to put him through.
Wade and Raquel each teamed up with lovelytheband. Wade sang the band’s song, “broken,” and showed off a newfound confidence. Raquel sang Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” a song she’d never heard before, and tried to make it her own with a lot of vocal runs.
Ryan sang “Hold On, I’m Coming” with Cynthia Erivo, and while the judges loved his vocals, they wanted him to let loose more.
The rest of the top 14 — previously announced on Sunday’s episode — are Walker Burroughs, Riley Thompson, Uché, Madison VanDenburg, Ashley Hess, Laci Kaye Booth, and Laine Hardy.
Watch them all compete for America’s vote on American Idol next Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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