American Idol’s Top 5 Revealed Live! Were the Right Two Singers Let Down Gently on Adele Night?
American Idol’s seven remaining singers said “hello” again on Sunday, each ready to set fire to the stage on Adele Night. And once the votes were counted live, the show found itself rolling five contestants deep. Needless to say, it was an evening full of turning tables.
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Ciara one, two stepped in as the celebrity guest mentor, helping the finalists level up their first performances from goodie to great-y. The night’s first round tasked each contestant with performing a song that made them want to dance — an assignment that most of them seemed to understand.
For the second round, Idol‘s Top 7 cracked open the Adele songbook, belting out some of the singer’s biggest hits — and on her birthday, no less. All that and a dual performance from Meghan Trainor? What a night. (Speaking of Meghan, are we adding her to the shortlist of Katy Perry replacements for next season? Not only is she a seasoned Idol mentor, but she already has judging experience. Some of us still remember The Four.)
So, which five singers felt the voters’ love and which two were sent chasing pavements? Read on for a complete breakdown of Sunday’s results, then drop a comment with your thoughts on the night. And while you’re down there, vote for the three singers you’d like to see in the grand finale.
SAFE: Jack Blocker
Did you know that Jack has apparently been sleep-competing all season? Because he woke the eff up on Sunday, fully coming to life on stage with a rocking performance of Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.” When the show played footage of Jack from his alt-rock band days, we wondered where he’d been hiding that version of himself, so we were thrilled to see it take the stage tonight. It was commanding, it was high-energy and (most importantly) it was authentic. He’s always been a frontrunner in the competition, but Jack definitely got an extra boost with this one.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
The musician of many faces returned with a silky smooth takes on Adele’s “One and Only,” occasionally growing to some very exciting places. Katy hit the nail on the head — Jack was fully feeling himself tonight, and so were we.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
ELIMINATED: Julia Gagnon
We’d barely wrapped our brains around the concept of a B-52 member playing guitar in the American Idol band by the time Julia appeared on stage with a pitch-perfect take on the deceptively difficult classic “Roam.” There was so much to love about this performance, we don’t even know where to start — that yodel-y flip she kept sneaking in there? The final killer high note that established her as a true rock goddess? Those sparkly silver boots? Julia’s consistent growth and genuine commitment makes it even easier to root for her as she continues to rise in the competition.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A+”
We thought Julia was looking to shake things up with her second song, starting out softly on Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” but she left nary an inch of the stage unscorched as she delivered her uniquely Julia-fied take on the Grammy-winning ballad.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
SAFE: Abi Carter
We love Abi’s rock side. Always have, always will. So we were thrilled to hear her take on Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark,” which she absolutely destroyed. Those screams? Other worldly! That (almost) whistle tone? A treat! Even without the literal flames exploding behind her, Abi brought plenty of heat with this one.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A+”
Seated at the piano, Abi wrapped up the night’s Adele tribute with a mind-blowing performance of “Hello,” one that excelled as thoroughly in the song’s bombastic high moments as it did in the softer segments. This was unquestionably the best she has performed all season.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A+”
ELIMINATED: McKenna Faith Breinholt
As a thank-you to Katy for saving her last week, McKenna took on “E.T.,” one of the judge’s more overlooked hits. There was no overlooking McKenna, however, who made sure to also dress the part, taking the stage in a black PVC gown fit for a pop star. (“Who got into whose closet?” Luke asked.) Not only did the performance radiate the gratitude we knew McKenna was feeling, but she pushed herself harder than usual to master the power ballad.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
McKenna went with something much more subtle for her second performance, strapping on a guitar for Adele’s version of “Make You Feel My Love.” The song was a perfect fit for her signature smoky sound, resulting in a haunting, moody, gorgeous take on the classic song.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
SAFE: Will Moseley
Will has proven himself to be many things this season. But a dancer hasn’t been one of them, so we weren’t expecting anything elaborate footwork during his performance of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps.” Ciara managed to get two steps out of him (tee-hee), which he followed up with some aggressive clapping — which, to be fair, isn’t not choreography. Handwork counts! As for the vocals, it was Will and it was a country song, what possible critique could one offer?
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
Will probably never expected to hear himself singing something out of the Adele songbook, but the growling king of Season 22 got along just fine with “Rolling in the Deep,” the perfect song to fit his boot-stomping sensibility.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
SAFE: Emmy Russell
Reminding us that slow-dancing still counts as dancing, Emmy put a soft spin on Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance,” delicately breathing out each note from the comfort of her piano bench. We hope this performance was successful in healing Emmy’s school dance-related trauma, because it didn’t do a whole lot for us.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “B+”
We preferred Emmy’s second song, a simple-but-effective rendition of Adele’s “Water Under the Bridge.” It was giving early Ellie Goulding with a hint of Taylor Swift, which is an interesting vibe we can definitely get down with.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A-“
SAFE: Triston Harper
Who knew that his Elvis performance a few weeks ago would awaken a dancing machine in Triston? His signature moves (specifically those hips) were in full force for an electric performance of Travis Tritt’s “T-R-O-U-B-L-E.” Even Luke had to admit that Triston “out-gyrated” him. And did you see him reaching out to those hands in the audience? Our little boy is a full-grown star, and we’re not sure how to feel about this.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
A lower-energy song like Adele’s “Easy on Me” allowed Triston to deliver an impressive dramatic performance in the episode’s second half. It was an emotional moment that reminded how capable Triston is of tapping into a voice and a vibe far beyond his years.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A-“
With the season’s final five singers now revealed, vote for the three you’d like to see in the finale below:
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