American Idol Recap: Hollywood Week Begins With Surprise Twist

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!