‘American Idol’ Recap: Top 14 Revealed as Artists Sing for Judges’ Save
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
American Idol Season 20 returned on Monday night, as the Top 14 was revealed. America’s votes from Sunday night’s Top 20 episode determined the Top 10, and then the judges chose to save four more singers. Half the contestants performed in celebration, and the other half for the chance to move on.
‘American Idol’ Judges Send Four Singers to the Top 14
Throughout the night, contestants learned whether they had made it into the Top 10 or were in danger of elimination. Each of the in-danger singers performed for the chance at making it into the Top 14 based on the judges’ choice.
There were some surprising contestants up for elimination, including Platinum Ticket winner Jay and former The Voice contestant Allegra Miles. The audience actually booed when it was revealed that Jay was in danger, but he wowed with a cover of “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. Meanwhile, Allegra performed her audition song, an original called “Tainted.”
At the end of the night, the judges chose to save Allegra, Jay, Mike Parker, and Tristen Gressett. That means we had to say goodbye to Cameron Whitcomb, Katyrah Love, Cadence Baker, Sage, Jacob Moran, and Elli Rowe.
Contestants Perform Songs by the Judges
Two contestants performed songs originally sung by the American Idol judges on Monday night. One of those contestants was Dan Marshall, who made it into the Top 10 thanks to America’s vote. He performed “Stuck on You” by none other than Lionel Richie.
Richie gave him a standing ovation, and host Ryan Seacrest noted that the judge was lip syncing along to the performance. Richie told Dan that he “knocked it out of the park.” We’ll see him next week as the Top 14 takes the stage.
Meanwhile, Jacob Moran performed Katy Perry’s “Rise” for a chance at the judges’ save. Perry was impressed, joking that she’s “retired that song now.” She added that Jacob hit “a few notes that I’ve never heard in that song.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep him in the competition.
Singers Got Personal with Their Performances
There were a few performances on Monday night that seemed to hit close to home for the contestants. First was Christian Guardino, who performed Radiohead’s “Creep” after learning he made it into the Top 10. Christian says he relates to the song’s lyrics about belonging.
Another singer who connected with their song’s message was Lady K, who sang “Bust Your Windows” by Jazmine Sullivan. After singing Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” in the Top 24, she felt the need to clarify that she’s never damaged anyone’s car.
Tristen Gressett closed the show by singing “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz, pointing at the judges while asking the title question. It worked, because they chose to put him in the Top 14.
Lip syncing.. not ok for a live show… Bad move AI