‘American Idol’ Pairs the Top 24 Up for Celebrity Duets

Sugarland boosted up contestants Layla Spring and Gabby Barrett through their critical performances.

Written by Kelly Brickey
‘American Idol’ Pairs the Top 24 Up for Celebrity Duets
AMERICAN IDOL - "110 (Top 24 Celebrity Duets)" - As the pool has been narrowed to the top 24 contestants, 12 of the top 24 finalists perform duets with celebrity partners at Academy LA in Hollywood during this week in the competition, as the search for America's next superstar continues on its new home on America's network, The ABC Television Network, MONDAY, APRIL 9 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT). (ABC/Eric McCandless)

Now that the Top 24 contestants found their fate moving closer to the live shows that American Idol is known for, the judges called upon their famous friends to step in and perform some duets with the potential singers.

Layla Spring found herself lucky enough to team up with country duo Sugarland for her performance, in which the collaboration put them together to play “Stuck Like Glue.” Although it’s hard to beat Jennifer Nettles’ infectious personality and effortless vocals on stage, Spring held her own by adding a raspy sound to the lighthearted track. She even danced her heart away next to Kristian Bush once she gained the confidence to stand strong with the duo.

After Spring fangirled over the opportunity to sing with Sugarland live and in person, Luke Bryan saluted her efforts in going head-on with Nettles’ remarkable voice. Nevertheless, the singer also applauded how well the singer “fit in” with the duo like they’d been working together for more than a week’s time.

Sugarland also helped out Gabby Barrett in a slower ballad style with “Stay,” in which she followed Nettles’ lead and even powered through just as strong as her mentor of the week. Needless to say, the judges were absolute floored to the point where Bryan could hardly speak a sentence. But when he, and the others on the panel, made their remarks, they all stood in favor of Barrett’s progress from day one until these critical performances.

While 12 of the 24 showed their talent on stage, only seven were confirmed to move on to the cut of 14. Thankfully for Barrett, she proved her worth and snagged one of those limited spots to continue her journey on the show. Spring’s journey, unfortunately, ended here.

New episodes of American Idol air on Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.