American Idol Recap: Hollywood Week Begins With Surprise Twist
Did you see this change coming?
After five nights of auditions, viewers and American Idol contestants finally learned what the mysterious twist in the first round of Hollywood Week would entail, but it wasn’t nearly as daunting as host Ryan Seacrest and judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie would have you believe.
For the first time in Idol history, contestants were required to choose a specific genre to perform in. And while not all singers were shown during the televised portion of the show, the performances that did make the cut revealed the immense talent of all of the singers and how difficult Luke, Lionel and Katy’s job is. Fortunately for the young artists, mentor Bobby Bones was on hand to listen to their concerns and dispense sound advise for calming their nerves.
Hollywood is where the rubber meets the road. Performers who may have just barely made it, were encouraged to leave it all on the line. Some did with great success, others found the end of their journey.
The following fan-favorite contestants were among those sent through to the next Hollywood round.
JULIA GARGANO (21) – Staten Island, New York
- Performed “The Joke” by Brandi Carlile
ARTHUR GUNN (22) – Wichita, Kansas
- Performed “Hard to Handle” by Otis Redding
LEWIS KNIGHT (19) – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Performed “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye
GENEVIEVE LINKOWSKI (21) – Goodrich, Michigan
- Performed “You Are The Reason” by Leona Lewis
ROBERT TAYLOR (27) – Donaldsonville, Louisiana
- Performed “Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin
BILAAL AVAZ (19) – New York
- Performed “Stone Cold” by Demi Lovato
SHANNON GIBBONS (20) – Bellport, New York
- Performed “All I Want” by Kodaline
LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH (16) – Vancouver, Canada
- Performed “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson
CYNIAH ELISE (17) – Atlanta, Georgia
- Performed “All I Ask” by Adele
MAKAYLA PHILLIPS (17) – Temecula, California
- Performed “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” by Jennifer Hudson
JUST SAM (21) – Harlem, New York
- Performed “Hearts Ain’t Gonna Lie” by Jonas Blue and Arlissa
ADAM CURRY (25) – Chicago, Illinois
- Performed “Somebody Else” by The 1975
FRANCISCO MARTIN (19) – San Francisco, California
- Performed “Hold Back the River” by James Bay
JOHNNY WEST (23) – Murietta, California
- Performed “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi
DILLON JAMES (26) – Bakersfield, California
- Performed “Vienna” by Billy Joel
MARGIE MAYS (26) – Wilmington, Delaware
- Performed “The Voice Within” by Christina Aguilera
NICK MERICO (23) – Woodland Hills, California
- Performed “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” by Donny Hathaway
KIMMY GABRIELA (17) – Lakeland, Florida
- Performed “Say Something” by A Great Big World
LAUREN MASCITTI (27) – Nashville, TN
- Performed “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle
HANNAH PRESTRIDGE (24) – Rockdale, Texas
- Performed “Over You” by Miranda Lambert
GRACE LEER (28) – Nashville, Tennessee
- Performed “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers
AMBER FIEDLER (23) – Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Performed “Rise Up” by Andra Day
SOPHIA WACKERMAN (20) – Long Beach, California
- Performed “Let It Be” by The Beatles
JOVIN WEBB (28) – Gonzales, Louisiana
- Performed “Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran
Next Sunday’s Hollywood Round is being teased as yet another twist in the normal evolution of competition. Online spoilers suggest that instead of groups, there will be duet performances. We’ll see in a week!