It’s official – American Idol has its Top 14 contestants. For the past two weeks, the ABC show has been in the process of narrowing down 24 hopefuls to its final 14 with the help of celebrity collaborations. In addition to Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush lending their vocals to several collaborations, “Diane” singer Cam and pop sensation Bebe Rexha came to the rescue for other mash-ups.
Country powerhouse Cam teamed up with Effie Passero and Shannon O’Hara, the former singing “Diane.” Originally slated to perform with Jessie J, Passero quickly amended her performance to sing the latest single from Cam. The performance quickly gets the judges to their feet, with Lionel Richie claiming Passero is “on fire.”
O’Hara gave it her all during her Cam-collab, singing the GRAMMY-nominated “Burning House.” The two harmonized together beyond belief, allowing the judges to forget that O’Hara is only 17 years old. The duet earned praise from Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry across the board.
Finally, Dallas, GA native and Scotty McCreery fan Caleb Lee Hutchinson pushed his boundaries when he was teamed up with Bebe Rexha. Though a stylistically country act, Hutchinson fell into place singing with Rexha’s Florida Georgia Line collaboration “Meant To Be.” The performance allowed the 19-year-old to relax some and even bust out some dance moves. “Nobody has ‘aw shucks country boy’ down better than you,” Bryan told the singer.
While each of the performances earned praise from the judges, only Hutchinson moved on to the next round, alongside fellow performers Mara Justine, Jurnee, Maddie Poppe, Ada Vox, Garrett Jacobs and Marcio Donaldson. The contestants will join last week’s Cade Foehner, Catie Turner, Dennis Lorenzo, Gabby Barrett, Jonny Brenns, Michael J. Woodward and Michelle Sussett.
The final 14 contestants will complete live on Idol for America’s vote on Sunday at 8/7c.
