American Idol Season 23 returned on Sunday night for the second episode of Hollywood Week, dubbed the “Showstopper Round.” The contestants who made it through last week’s “Idol Arena” returned to the stage for another shot to move on in the competition.
American Idol Hollywood Week Continues in Showstopper Round
After last week’s first round of Hollywood Week, 62 singers remained in the competition. During the Showstopper Round, they performed once again, this time in front of a live audience. After everyone had performed, the judges decided who should remain in the competition.
Four contestants automatically made it into the Top 24 for their performances. They included Platinum Ticket recipient Canaan James Hill, who wowed the panel with his rendition of “Never Would Have Made It” by Marvin Sapp. Lionel Richie called it “the greatest performance I have ever seen.”
Gabby Samone also made it into the Top 24 for her soulful performance of Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” which had Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on their feet before the song was even over. Joining Canaan and Gabby in the Top 24 are Mattie Pruitt and Zaylie Windsor.
The judges narrowed the remainder of the competition down to just 42 contestants, who will go on to compete in Monday’s “Head to Head” round for their chance to grab one of the remaining 20 spots in the Top 24.
Kolbi Jordan, who earned a Platinum Ticket for her audition this season, got to skip the first round of Hollywood Week. Unfortunately, she faced sinus issues during this week’s round, which made her nervous about her performance.
In the end, Kolbi’s rendition of “River Deep – Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner was enough to send her into the next round, although the judges still had some critiques. As Richie said of her performance, “There was a whole lot going on.”
Another notable performance from Sunday’s show came from Jamal Roberts, who went the country route with a cover of “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton. The judges gave Jamal a standing ovation for the song and sent him forward into the Head to Head round.
Among the eliminated singers from Sunday’s show were JMarie, Will Carter, Santina, Christina Stutzman, Isaiah Moore, Jazzy Mae, and Samantha Ray.
Jelly Roll Arrives as Artist in Residence
Sunday’s new episode of American Idol also introduced the contestants to this season’s Artist in Residence, Jelly Roll. He’ll be available to give advice to the singers throughout the remainder of the competition.
For the Head to Head round, the remaining 42 singers were asked to choose a duet partner and prepare a performance for the following day. Based on those performances, the judges will choose 20 singers to join the Top 24. The remaining contestants will be eliminated.
What do you think of this season so far? Have the judges made the right decisions about who should stay in the competition? Who are you rooting for going forward? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
