‘American Idol’ Recap: Platinum Ticket Winner Withdraws After Top 24 Performance
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 3 minutes
American Idol Season 20 returned on Monday night, as the second half of the Top 24 performed for America’s vote. The night had a few notable moments, including the news that Platinum Ticket holder Kenedi Anderson withdrew from the competition.
The singers were mentored by Bebe Rexha during their time at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii. You can vote for your favorite singers until Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. ET. Next week, we’ll find out who made it into the Top 20 in a three-hour episode.
Kenedi Anderson Withdraws from ‘American Idol’
During Monday night’s show, Kenedi Anderson performed “Human” by Christina Perri. She even got a video call from Perri before her performance. The Platinum Ticket winner owned the stage and showed off her powerful voice.
However, there was no voting information on the screen during Kenedi’s performance. Host Ryan Seacrest addressed this in a message to viewers afterward. He explained that since taping the Top 24 show, Kenedi decided to withdraw from the competition for “personal reasons.”
Kenedi has since posted on social media explaining that leaving the show was one of the “hardest decisions” she’s ever had to make. Fellow Platinum Ticket holders Jay and HunterGirl are still in the competition and fighting for a spot in the Top 20.
Cameron Whitcomb Ignores Bebe Rexha’s Advice
Cameron Whitcomb is known for his onstage energy, which he usually displays in one or two backflips during his performances. While rehearsing for his Top 24 performance, mentor Bebe Rexha gave him some advice about focusing that energy.
Rexha suggested that Cameron should use a mic stand to control his movements on stage. Cameron tried it out and seemed to be on board with the suggestion, but when he walked on stage for the performance, the mic stand was nowhere to be seen.
“He didn’t listen to any of my advice!” Rexha said to the camera as Cameron jumped around the stage while performing “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Afterward, she told him, “I’m mad at you.”
The Idol judges were shocked by Cameron’s continued energy, bowing down to his parents for handling him growing up. Katy Perry praised Cameron’s voice on the reggae-infused performance. They seem to have accepted that there’s no taming Cameron’s hyper stage presence at this point.
Leah Marlene Loses Her Phone During ‘Call Me’ Performance
Another notable performance from Monday night’s show came from Leah Marlene, who sang “Call Me” by Blondie in her own unique style, while playing guitar. She finished the performance by spinning around. In the process, her cell phone fell out of her pocket.
“Was this symbolic?” Seacrest asked Leah as he picked the phone up off the stage, saying it was “meant to be.” Leah joke that it was all planned.
The judges gave Leah a standing ovation for the performance, with Lionel Richie saying he couldn’t sit down. He told Leah that she’s “in a lane all by yourself.” Perry agreed that she’s “one of a kind.” Luke Bryan said she didn’t have him at first, but she blew him away as the song progressed.
Other strong Top 24 performances Monday included Allegra Miles’s cover of Harry Styles’ “Adore Me,” Ava Maybee’s rendition of “Tell Me Something Good” by Chaka Khan (which came to her in a dream), and Christian Guardino’s take on Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.”
Remember to vote for your favorite American Idol artists overnight. You can submit 10 votes per contestant until 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning. Then tune in next Sunday night to find out which of the Top 24 singers made it into the Top 20.
