The judges cut the number of contestants to 51 after their solo performances.
- Feb 4, 2016
AceShowbiz - "American Idol" again narrowed down the contestants as the Hollywood Week is nearing its end. In the Wednesday, February 3 episode, 75 singers who survived the group round had to sing solo. They only had one night to prepare their performances.
Stephany Negrete was the first to sing, showing off her powerful vocals with a cover of Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain". Thomas Stringfellow was off key with his rendition of "A Thousand Years" and admitted that the nerves got to him. Avalon Young who sang "One Last Time" by Ariana Grande was also aware that she made mistake. John Wayne Schultz lost his cowboy hat, but was still able to perform with confidence.
Olivia Rox sang an original song and Keith Urban said she had "decent enough songwriting skill" for a 16-year-old. MacKenzie Bourg also sang an original song called "Roses" and it was a standout performance.
Shelbie Z, confident she could be the next Idol, sang "Alone" by Heart, followed by Kory Wheeler who sang "Fix You". James VIII put a unique spin on Chris Isaac's "Wicked Game". Tristan McIntosh didn't sign her song choice "What Hurts the Most" in time, but luckily fellow contestant Malie Delgado let her take her slot and it was indeed the perfect song choice for her.
Sonika Vaid sang "One Last Time" and while her vocals didn't disappoint, she needed to show some star quality. Lee Jean sang "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes, followed by Sarah Sturm who had become close friends with Lee. Sarah sang "Somewhere Only We Know".
Jenn Blosil was tearful as she thought that she wasn't good enough after singing "True Colors". Emily Brooke thought her voice hadn't been its strongest and couldn't sing "What Hurts the Most" like she envisioned.
Malie Delgado, who has been fighting laryngitis, was still able to perform "Stitches" well. Mionne Destiny and Jessica Cabral also struggled through sickness, but they managed to overcome it and delivered a solid performance before the judges.
New father Joshua Wicker got emotional as he sang "A Thousand Years" while thinking about his kid. CJ Johnson's energetic cover of "Go Your Own Way" showed his polished skills. Jennifer Lopez wasn't impressed by Jeneve Rose Mitchell's performance, but Keith and Harry Connick Jr. disagreed with her. Dalton Rapattoni had an interesting song choice, "Hopelessly Devoted", which was originally sung by Olivia Newton-John.
After all the remaining contestants performed, the judges separated them into three rooms. The first room, which included Shelbie Z, Lee Jean, Jessica Cabral, Dalton Rapattoni, Jordan Sasser, Tristan McIntosh, MacKenzie Bourg and La'Porsha Renae, advanced. Room Two with Joshua Wicker, John Wayne Schultz and many others didn't make the cut. The third room with Malie Delgado, Jenn Blosil, Avalon Young, Sonika Vaid, Emily Brooke, Trent Harmon, Kory Wheeler, Olivia Rox, Tommy Stringfellow, Michelle Marie, Manny Torres, Adam Lasher and Sarah Sturm was also sent through.
They 51 remaining singers will next be cut to 24.
