Following last week’s voting hiccup, in which the results were held due to concerns over “accuracy,” the April 6 episode of “American Idol” opened with an explanation (of sorts) from host Ryan Seacrest.
“Last week, your millions of votes came in an unprecedented way,” he began. “We held off on your results to make sure every vote was counted. I’ve got them here in my hand, and we’re about to find out who makes your Top 12. I can tell you that the vote was incredibly close.”
With that straightened out (sort of), we reached our first unceremonious eliminations of the night. Based on America’s votes, we said a very quick goodbye to Julian Kalél and Jake Thistle, who would have been eliminated after last week’s episode. After awkwardly thanking the duo for their “charisma and charm,” Seacrest sent them packing, never to be seen again… at least not until the finale, if they’re lucky.
This left 12 contestants — Brooks, Jesse Findling, Hannah Harper, Kyndal Inskeep, Philmon Lee, Lucas Leon, Jordan McCullough, Rae, Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, Daniel Stallworth, and Chris Tungseth — to take the stage on Monday for the time-honored Judges’ Song Contest, with each singer performing a ’90s song selected by either Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, or Carrie Underwood.
With Richie victorious in this year’s competition, it was up to him to decide which of the bottom two would be saved from elimination. And neither Underwood nor Bryan helped make that decision for him. “Heavy is the crown,” Underwood said, happily passing off the stressful responsibility.
Read on for a complete breakdown of this week’s “Idol” to find out who went home, including our own grading of each performance, then drop a comment with your thoughts below. Did Richie save the right person? And while you’re down there, vote for the contestants you want to see in the Top 10.
This story originally appeared on TVLine
