Who Advanced Into The Top 14 On American Idol?
Following the reveal of the Top 14 contestants, American Idol judge Carrie Underwood offered an inside look into how she and her fellow judges chose their picks to advance.
During Easter Sunday’s “Songs of Faith” special, the Top 24 became the Top 20 after four contestants were eliminated. Afterward, on the following night (April 21), six additional contestants were cut from the competition.
This outlines how the April 21 episode worked:
- Host Ryan Seacrest called on each contestant to step forward.
- Then, Ryan revealed whether America’s votes had saved them or if they were in jeopardy of being eliminated.
- After learning about their fate, each contestant took to the stage to perform.
- Ten contestants advanced on America’s votes.
- The fate of the ten remaining contestants was left in the hands of judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie.
- They voted on four contestants to “save” for the Top 14.
- The six contestants that the judges didn’t save were eliminated.
See who advanced into the Top 14 on American Idol, and whose journey has come to an end:
Saved By America’s Votes
- Kolbi Jordan
- Thunderstorm Artis
- Filo
- John Foster
- Mattie Pruitt
- Canaan James Smith
- Breanna Nix
- Jamal Roberts
- Slater Nalley
- Gabby Samone
Saved By The Judges
- Josh King
- Desmond Roberts
- Amanda Barise
- Che
Eliminated
- Isaiah Misailegalu
- Drew Ryn
- Olivier Bergeron
- Baylee Littrell
- Zaylie Windsor
- Victor Solomon
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Carrie Underwood Offers Inside Look Into The Judges’ Deliberations Over Who They Saved For The Top 14
At this stage in the competition, the Idol judges have formed close connections with all of the remaining contestants. Therefore, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to vote on who to save and who to send home.
Carrie offered a little insight into the judges’ deliberations over who they chose to advance into the Top 14. Speaking to USA Today, she said they had to make some “concessions” when picking the four singers they saved:
“My brain was almost like: ‘[Eliminating] six! I can’t do it!’ We were pretty much aligned; there were a couple of concessions that had to be made, but all in all I think we’re happy with how it turned out, other than six people had to go home, which is a huge jump.“
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Also speaking to USA Today, Lionel Richie confirmed Carrie had a tough time making her picks. As the winner of Idol‘s fourth season, she’s been on the other side of the table before, which makes each elimination extra challenging for her now as a judge.
“The 2½ minutes [they had to decide on who to save] was: ‘Come on, Carrie. Give us the answer,” Lionel said.
Although, Luke Bryan told USA Today there were two contestants he, Lionel, and Carrie “were really focused on” saving. However, as they deliberated, they made a point to consider each singer’s “whole body of work,” not just their most recent performances.
“I’m really happy with who we gave a second chance to, and hopefully they can proceed to further rounds,” Luke said.
You can watch the Top 14 compete on the next episode of American Idol on Sunday, April 27.
Do you think Carrie Underwood and the other Idol judges picked the right contestants to save for the Top 14?