American Idol Ends Showstoppers Round With Surprise Reveal — Who's Already In The Top 24?
American Idol won't officially solidify its Top 24 until Monday (ABC, 8/7c), but early congratulations are in order to four lucky contestants who just learned that they've already made the cut.
Sunday's Showstoppers round ended with the judges delivering some difficult news to several Idol hopefuls, before gathering four more singers — Canaan James Hill, Gabby Samone, Zaylie Windsor and Mattie Pruitt — for the ultimate fake-out.
"Unfortunately, this is where it ends for you... when it comes to the three of us deciding y'all's fate," Luke Bryan told them after a lengthy pause. "Y'all have made it straight to America's vote. It's official, y'all are in the Top 24."
It was an unexpected announcement, but it was also well-deserved. Canaan's performance of Marvin Sapp's "Never Would Have Made It" was so good, Lionel Richie called it "the greatest performance I have ever seen," which is quite literally the biggest compliment a reality TV judge can possibly pay a contestant, let alone one who's (somehow!) only 17 years old.
Gabby, 22, similarly blew the roof off of the Orpheum Theatre with her so-good-it-made-me-want-to-pull-my-hair-out-and-scream interpretation of Nina Simone's "Four Women," which was more of a spiritual experience than a mere musical performance. A lot of talented people took the stage tonight, but no one showed up like Gabby.
Mattie, this season's youngest remaining contestant at just 15 years old, said she finally feels like she belongs, and it showed in her jaw-dropping cover of James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." Be they low and smoky or high and lovely, she didn't encounter a note she couldn't navigate with grace and maturity, delivering a performance far beyond her years.
And Zaylie, 18, rocked the crap out of Billie Eilish's "Happier Than Ever," showcasing her range as she grew from a stirring start to a fiery finish, pummeling us with emotion through her voice and her guitar. I feel like I can see the dollar signs in the judges' eyes every time they look at her.
With Canaan, Gabby, Mattie and Zaylie's spots in the Top 24 already secure, that leaves just 20 available for this season's remaining hopefuls. Who will join those lucky four after Monday's dramatic Head-to-Head round? Read on for a breakdown of some of Sunday's other top auditions:
* Victor Solomon, 26, kicked things off with Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight." The vocals were impressive, but all that leather was a choice — and those moves were not it. He set out to show the judges a "different layer," and he certainly did, but I'm not sure it's one they were ready to see.
* Platinum ticket winner Kolbi Jordan, 26, was battling allergies and sinus issues this week, but she successfully powered through an impressive performance of Tina Turner's "River Deep Mountain High." She ran out gas towards the end, but it was enough to keep her in the race for now.
* Isaiah Misailegalu, 17, reminded us why they call him "Samoan Silk" with a perfectly pleasant take on Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most." It wasn't flawless, but Richie praised the simplicity of his performance. Meanwhile, that falsetto made Isaiah the envy of Disney princesses everywhere; I'm surprised those notes didn't summon any woodland creatures to the stage.
* One of the night's true showstoppers came courtesy of Breanna Nix, 25, who hit us in the face with every note of Kelly Clarkson's "The Trouble With Love Is." She claims to have confidence issues, but they were nowhere to be seen in this jaw-dropping performance. She just has a really good, strong country sound, and I dig it immensely.
* Another of this season's stronger female country voices belongs to Drew Ryn, 28, who crushed Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind" while rocking the sparkliest top I ever did see. She seems like someone who psychs herself out easily, but if she can get that under control, the sky's the limit.
* Jamal Roberts, 27, tickled Bryan('s ear) in all the right ways with his take on Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey," a performance as smooth and sweet as the drink itself.
* It's fitting that Amanda Barise, 26, wore an animal print pantsuit for her performance of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody," because that growling was god-tier. I love her.
* What kind of an artist is Desmond Roberts, 26, you ask? Based on his performance of Heart's "Barracuda," I'd say he's equal parts '80s rocker, beat boxer and scat man. It was a lot, but a lot of it was very good.
* There was something refreshing about John Foster, 18, whose take on Jamey Johnson's "In Color" was thoroughly impressive without adding any unnecessary bells and/or whistles. He's just himself. He sounds like he's been doing this for decades — and he hasn't even been alive for decades.
* The judges likened Filo, 23, to the cream rising to the top after hearing his performance of Cynthia Erivo's "Anything Worth Holding On To."
* I'm a big fan of Slater Nalley, 17, who has major winner potential in my book. He's fun and charming, which we saw in those moves he learned for his already-impressive performance of The Band's "Ophelia." Emulating Bryan's bare-minimum approach to dance, he was always in on the joke, making it more cute than cringe.
* MKY, 25, had the ladies screaming with his smooth take on Luis Miguel's "Sabor a Mi," but... I don't know. He's extremely handsome, very talented and he can play the heck out of that guitar, but his act feels a little too gimmicky, even for Idol.
* We also got another excellent performance from Thunderstorm Artis, 29, whose rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" (maybe you've heard of it) began beautifully and grew into something exciting. He really knows what he's doing up there.
* And could the next American Idol winner be... Canadian? I loved every second of 23-year-old Olivier Bergeron's performance of Audioslave's "Like a Stone," a song I was not expecting to hear on this show. This was an incredibly welcome surprise.
We also learned that it was the end of the road for several Season 23 contestants we've gotten to know over the past few weeks: Sunday's episode said goodbye to JMarie, Will Carter, Santina Madden, Christina Stutzman, Isaiah Moore, Jazzy Mae and Samantha Ray — and those are just the names the show specifically pointed out. (Hollywood Week is brutal.)
OK, let's talk: Whose performance impressed you most on Sunday? And were the right four singers sent through to the Top 24? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.