‘American Idol’ Recap: Hollywood Week Continues with Stressful Duets Round
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 3 minutes
American Idol Season 21 returned on Monday night for the second round of Hollywood Week, as the contestants paired up for duets. The episode was full of several stressful situations, as yet another contestant quit the competition.
Kaya Stewart Quits American Idol During Hollywood Week
Monday’s episode ended with a dramatic moment, as contestant Kaya Stewart chose to leave the competition. Kaya, who brought her dad Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics with her to her audition, was paired up with Fire, who had a second chance to audition earlier in the season.
Things were going well between the two singers, until Kaya woke up too sick to give 100 percent. She voluntarily left the competition rather than perform, walking off stage in tears. Fire also broke down as she was left without a duet partner. Luckily, fellow contestant Jayna Elise volunteered to sing with her.
Judge Katy Perry started crying as Fire and Jayna performed “What Do You Want From Me?” by Adam Lambert. In an emotional moment, Fire was told that she made it through to the next round of the competition.
Kaya isn’t the first contestant to quit the show during Hollywood Week this season. On Sunday, Sara Beth chose to leave after the performance challenge, saying she wanted to get home to her kids.
SEE ALSO: LIONEL RICHIE SAYS ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ IS ‘NOT SCRIPTED’
Contestants Are Stressed During the Duets Round
Not all of Monday night’s duets went according to plan. In the first mishap of the night, Nutsa and Carina DeAngelo teamed up to sing “I Put a Spell on You.” Carina wanted to stay up and rehearse, but Nutsa wanted to go to bed, causing tension between the pair that followed them on stage.
Lionel Richie called the duet “underwhelming,” while Perry told them that they’re “better than that performance.” Ultimately, the judges chose to send Nutsa through to the next round, while Carina was eliminated.
Later, Zachariah Smith and Isaac Brown paired up to sing “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John. The singers had trouble remembering the lyrics and were about to use their phones during the performance before the judges told them to trust themselves. They ended up singing made-up lyrics, but it worked out for them, as the judges sent both of them through.
Another stressful moment came when Platinum Ticket winner Cam Amen thought his duet partner Jay had left the competition. Jay returned the next morning, and the pair rushed to rehearse. Still, they both pushed through and ended up moving on to the next round.
All Four Platinum Ticket Winners Move On
This season’s four Platinum Ticket winners got to skip the first round of Hollywood Week, and they were also the first to choose their duet partners. Tyson Venegas ended up choosing his fellow Platinum Ticket winner, Kaylin Hedges.
The pair performed “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. Although they messed up a few of the lyrics, their powerhouse voices earned both of them a spot in the next round. Perry even showed off the visible goosebumps she got from their performance.
America’s Platinum Ticket winner Elijah McCormick also moved on with his chosen partner Lucy Love. The two of them earned a standing ovation from the judges for their performance of “My Girl” by the Temptations.
American Idol returns next week for the Showstoppers round, as the remaining contestants continue to fight to stay in the competition.
Can the dues partners sell the song they performed during their duet rounds I would love to be able to purchase.
I would agree fire will
More and Jayna was good but I thought Ian and Oliver was good and Elijah and Lucy was good