American Idol: Which Fan Favorites Didn't Survive Hollywood Week?
Between a contestant’s frightening on-stage collapse to an equally frightening performance by future momager Kellyanne Conway, Monday’s American Idol was full of surprises.
But before we dive into the results, here’s a quick reminder of the notable names we lost on Sunday: Ammon Olayan, Brianna Collichio, Cameron McGhar, Celeste Butler, Christian McGuckian, Christian Terry, DJ Johnson, Erika Perry, James Perdue, Liv Grace Blue, Mason Picks, She Nova, Trinity Rose, Tryzdin Grubbs, Vahhley and Yurisbel. (I’d say they’ll all be remembered… but this is Season 19, so let’s not kid ourselves.)
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Those who remained were paired off by the judges (plot twist!) for a series of game-changing duets. Read on for a complete breakdown of Monday’s results, including videos of the night’s best performances:
LAILA MACH & LIAHONA OLAYAN | Throughout this pair’s rehearsal process, Liahona repeatedly emphasized how sad she was that her older brother was eliminated on Sunday. Katy Perry tried to convince her to put those feelings aside and fight for her brother, but from the look on Liahona’s face during her and Laila’s performance of Rihanna’s “Stay,” it was clear that she wasn’t able to overcome her sadness. Cue some of the harshest words Perry has ever spoken on this show: “Liahona, do you want to be here?” she asked. “You do? You’re not showing it. There’s other people behind me that want it more, and they’re fighting tooth and nail to get it, and you’re wasting everyone’s time.” She accused Liahona of putting Laila’s dreams on the line, and being “really selfish.” In the end, Perry told Liahona to stop sabotaging herself… before sending both ladies through to the next round.
CAMERON ALLEN & GRAHAM DEFRANCO | “Watermelon Sugar” proved to be a make-or-break song for several singers on Monday, beginning with this duo’s chill, coffee-house version of the Harry Styles jam. It was enough to send Graham through, but it Cameron’s news wasn’t quite as sweet.
BEANE & KARI ERICKSON | Styles’ Grammy Award-winning song proved just as divisive for this pair, which simply “did not deliver it like they were supposed to.” Beane managed to impress the judges enough to make it through to the next round, while Kari was cut from the competition. And on that note, Perry announced: “We have officially banned everyone from singing ‘Watermelon Sugar.'”
ANTHONY GUZMAN & ADRIEL CARRION | Unlike his Viking duet partner, Adriel was relatively unknown to Idol audiences before Hollywood Week. But we won’t soon forget the duo’s performance of — wait for it — “Watermelon Sugar,” which not only brought his and Anthony’s polar-opposite voices together in glorious harmony, but also changed Perry’s mind about hearing the song on Idol. It was truly a win for all, especially since both guys were sent through.
MADISON WATKINS & DESHAWN GONCALVES | Several duet partners became close through this experience, but few bonded quite like these two, who were talking about getting matching tattoos before taking the stage for an incredible performance of “Stay.” As Lionel Richie told them, “That was an experience. You have two very powerful voices, and your chemistry together was a slam dunk.” No surprise here: both singers made it through. Watch:
CLAUDIA CONWAY & HANNAH EVERHART | These two singers “from totally different worlds” struggled to find common ground ahead of their duet — especially when Claudia had to go looking for Hannah, who explained that she has trouble relating to people her own age because she’s an “old soul.” They eventually worked things out, but it didn’t help their performance of Styles’ “Sign of the Times,” which was simply unpleasant to the ear. Still, the judges saw enough potential in Hannah to send her through, while Claudia’s Idol journey came to an end.
ALEX MILLER & EMISUNSHINE | Luke Bryan tried to steer this folksy duo away from Johnny Cash’s “Walk the Line,” feeling that Alex needed to break out of his old-timey comfort zone and EmiSunshine needed a chance to deliver big notes. But they chose to ignore the judge’s recommendation, a risk that paid off with a performance they absolutely slayed. Bryan couldn’t even come up with any critiques, outside of EmiSunshine needing to tone down her falsetto a bit, sending them both through to the next round.
MURPHY & LIZZY O’VERY | I didn’t think I could love Murphy any more… until he joined Lizzy in being barefoot for their appropriately dreamy performance of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” I’m a big fan of Lizzy’s gorgeous, ethereal sound, and I’m a big fan of Murphy in general. As I watched him jump for joy upon hearing that both he and Lizzy were continuing, I appreciated how many sides of Murphy we’ve already been fortunate enough to experience — and I can’t wait to see more.
CASSANDRA COLEMAN & WYATT PIKE | Like two professionals, these two took the stage in perfect balance and absolutely crushed Alex Clare’s “Too Close.” There was a timelessness to their combined sound that made me want to fire up Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand. The success was both in her conquering her fear, and him supporting her as a duet partner, and they both made it through to the next round. Watch:
MONICA LEAH & MIGUELA | There’s a reason we haven’t heard much from these two, who proved that just because you can hit a crazy high note… it doesn’t mean that you should. “It was a classic example of what you don’t want to do,” Richie said, explaining that their performance was more of a duel than a duet. Sadly, both women were cut.
RONDA FELTON & FUNKE LAGOKE | The twists and turns in this performance, my goodness! First, Ronda received a visit from her inner saboteur, to quote the great RuPaul. She admitted to feeling like she didn’t deserve to be there, which Funke countered with words of inspiration and encouragement that really spoke to Ronda. Unfortunately, their performance of Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion’s “Tell Him” was a train wreck of poor timing, missed lyrics and bundled nerves. And while they were receiving their critiques, poor Funke fainted on stage, busted her chin and was taken to the hospital on a stretcher. (Click here to watch the frightening ordeal.) While Ronda sobbed in the audience, the judges informed her that both she and Funke made it through, despite the issues with their duet.
WILLIE SPENCE & KYA MONEE | Willie admitted to being under “a lot of pressure” taking the stage after a crisis, but we needed some good music to lift out spirits after Funke’s frightening ordeal — and these two delivered. Willie killed it from the jump, harnessing so much emotion and power in his voice. As the pair’s harmonies soared, the judges rose to their feet, with Perry full-on sobbing by the end of the incredible performance. “That was divine,” Richie told Willie and Kya, before sending them both through. “That was an experience. You fractured us.” Watch:
BEN DODSON & HENRY THOMPSON | Our time with these guys was short, but between their matching haircuts and solid performance of Shawn Mendes’ “Mercy,” they gave us (and the judges) very little to dislike. I’m curious to see more of them down the line.
JAZZY ROSE & RE’H | Unfortunately, there won’t be a “down the line” for either of these singers, who simply underwhelmed the judges with their take on Maren Morris’ “Common.” It ended better than it started, but the judges agreed that they more life experience, cutting them both.
ZACHARY D’ONOFRIO & SLOANE SIMON | Catie Turner isn’t going to be happy about this one. Her boo was paired with cheerleader Sloane in the hopes that opposites might attract, but the end result was not that. Bobby Bones warned Zachary that he was letting himself fall into the role of Sloane’s back-up singer, which ultimately led to his undoing. Hey, at least Sloane made it through!
CHAYCE BECKHAM & CHRISTINA DAUGHERTY | These two had an instant connection, one that only grew as they worked together to perfect their take on Noah Cyrus’ “July.” Unfortunately, that connection only made it more devastating when Christina — whose good performance was simply overshadowed by Chayce’s great one — learned that she was eliminated. “It hurts my heart,” Chayce said of his partner’s axing, and Katy Perry definitely shared in his pain. Watch:
SAMANTHA SHARPE & ALANA | We didn’t get to see what became of these two, but based on the fact that Samantha started over twice, we have to assume that neither made it through. (Sorry, Alana! You were right to look so annoyed.)
ALTHEA GRACE & CAMILLE LAMB | This was another stressful performance. From the jump, Althea felt no connection to Camille, which made her wonder why she was wasting her time at Idol instead of being home with her daughter. And things only got worse when she learned that her daughter was in the emergency room to have her feeding tube fixed. Fortunately, Althea managed to channel all of her emotion into a stunning duet of “You Don’t Own Me.” She and Camille didn’t just eat this song — they chewed it up, digested it and dropped it right back on that stage. This was easily one of the best duets of the night, and they both absolutely deserved to go through.
AVA AUGUST & HUNTER METTS | They may not know who Ryan Phillippe is (this show makes me feel so old!), but they both know how to put on a show. And even though the judges felt that Ava and Hunter played it too safe with their easy-breezy cover of “Dancing On My Own,” they couldn’t deny the beauty of their voices, sendinf both through to the next round.
ALYSSA WRAY & GRACE KINSTLER | This was the duet I was most looking forward to, and these powerhouses did not disappoint, delivering a cover of “Grenade” so good, it blasted me back to 2010. (Remember 2010? Good times.) Anyway, their voices sounded incredible — both separately and in those sweet, sweet harmonies — and I have half a mind to declare Grace the winner of Season 19 right here and now. Some of those notes! These two sailed through to the next round, and I can’t wait to see what they bring us on Sunday. Watch:
All told, here were the big names we said goodbye to on Monday: Cameron Allen, Christina Daugherty, Claudia Conway, Jazzy Rose, Kari Erickson, Miguela, Monica Leah, Re’h and Zachary D’Onofrio. (I also assume that Alana and Samantha Sharpe were eliminated.)
How did your favorites fare in the duets round? Were you surprised by any of the results? Drop a comment below with your thoughts on Season 19 thus far.
Launch Gallery: <i>American Idol</i> Season 19: Here Are Our (Extremely) Early Top 10 Predictions
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