‘American Idol 21’ episode 10 recap: Who made the Top 24 in ‘Final Judgement Part 2’? [LIVE BLOG]

Denton Davidson
Updated ·8 min read
2
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

“American Idol,” the iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music competition genre, is back for another season on ABC. Helping determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Emmy Award winner Ryan Seacrest hosts the reality TV competition series for the show’s sixth season on ABC and 21st overall.

Performing with a band for the first time, contestants sing their hearts out in their last chance to make it to America’s vote. In the “Final Judgment,” contestants face off with the judges sealing their fate for a spot in the Top 24. Follow along with our live blog for this episode airing Monday, April 10 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC, below.

More from GoldDerby

Contestants who advanced on Sunday night (in the order shown) were Kaeyra, Warren Peay, Nutsa, Michael Williams, PJAE, Malik Heard, Wé Ani, Zachariah Smith, Tyson Venegas, Haven Madison and Lucy Love. There are 13 spots remaining.

SEE Everything to know about ‘American Idol’ Season 21: Premiere date, judges and host

8:00 p.m. — Previously on “American Idol”! The Showstoppers round kicked off with 11 singers advancing to the Top 24. Sunday night’s episode left on a cliffhanger with Paige Anne and Megan Danielle dueling it out in a sing-off of Adele‘s “Easy On Me.” Who will make the cut tonight? Let’s find out!

8:05 p.m. — Paige sang last night and it’s Megan’s turn to take a stab at “Easy On Me.” She nails her performance and Katy looks like she’s on the verge of tears. Unfortunately, Paige was just about as good yesterday, so it’s tough to say who won this face-off. The judges deliberate and decide the singer moving into the Top 24 is Megan. They just hope that she believes in herself more as the competition continues.

8:10 p.m. — Marybeth Byrd is singing “Flat On the Floor” by Season 4 champ Carrie Underwood for her Showstopper. The song allows her to show off her chops as a true entertainer and work the stage. Marybeth didn’t think she did her best, vocally, and the judges sort of agree. Nonetheless, she’s done enough to make the Top 24!

8:20 p.m. — Oliver Steele has been sailing through this competition, so his Showstopper of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears For Fears should be just a formality, right? The judges seem to like his reimagining of this classic and Lionel says, “This is one of my favorite songs.” Katy warns Oliver that he overthinks everything, but he’s simply too talented to let go. He’s moving on to the Top 24.

8:25 p.m. — Theater major Emma Busse is ready to bring the drama with her Showstopper, “Chasing Pavements” by Adele. She gives an impressive vocal that causes Katy to blurt out, “Top 10,” while watching from the balcony. Lionel delivers the news to Emma that she is in the Top 24.

8:30 p.m. — Country charmer Preston Duffee is up next singing “Crazy Town” by Jason Aldean. It’s a nice burst of energy from the 21-year old after his subpar Duets performance. Katy looks thrilled, but Luke appears less impressed, saying, “I wish his voice was just a little stronger.” Sadly, this is the end of Preston’s journey on “American Idol.”

8:35 p.m. — America’s Platinum Ticket winner Elijah McCormick is next, singing “Believe For It” by CeCe Winans. Luke has nothing but compliments for this 21-year old after his gospel performance. He’s an easy pick to move forward to the Top 24.

8:45 p.m. — The judges call forward Elise Kristine and Olivia Soli at the same time. For her Showstopper, Elise sang “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone and sang some notes Katy says she hasn’t even heard before. It really was a powerhouse performance that included whistle register notes and all. Olivia sang “All By Myself” by Celine Dion and Katy calls her “an incredible talent.” The judges debated about which of these two should move forward, but ultimately decide they will BOTH make the Top 24.

8:50 p.m. — Singer-songwriter Dawson Wayne is up next singing a song about his faith, “Flying” by Cody Fry. He has a unique storyteller quality and has been one of Katy’s favorites all season. Lionel delivers the news that Dawson will make the Top 24 and he’s one step closer to achieving his dreams.

9:00 p.m. — Platinum Ticket winner Cam Amen is the next to learn his fate, and there’s some added pressure because he just found out that his girlfriend is pregnant. Lionel confronts Cam about his lack of confidence, and the singer reveals he has never been able to hear what other people hear in his voice. For his Showstopper Cam chose to sing “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” from “Man of La Mancha.” Again, Lionel comments that Cam continuously fluctuates between confidence and obvious insecurity on the stage. Then, Lionel delivers one final dagger and tells Cam he did not make the Top 24 this season. That one’s a bit of a shocker!

9:10 p.m. — The results for three contestants are edited together in this next clip. Kya Monee is having a little bit of PTSD after singing “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus because this is where she was cut the last time she auditioned. Caroline Kole sang “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls and received compliments for finally “letting her hair down.” Mikenley Brown belted out “The Joke” by Brandi Carlile and felt confident, but Katy simply called the performance “solid.” Sadly, all three of them were cut from the competition.

9:15 p.m. — Mariah Faith is nervous after seeing so many talented singers get the axe. For her Showstopper Mariah sang “I Ain’t Living Long Like This” by Waylon Jennings. She wasn’t thrilled with her vocals, but says, “I performed my little tail off.” Luke calms her nerves by telling Mariah that she’s in the Top 24!

9:25 p.m. — Ex-volleyball player Hannah Nicolaisen will hear her fate next. For her Showstopper the 23-year old sang “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw, which showed a different side of the singer-songwriter. It wasn’t the strongest vocal, but Hannah has reached the Top 24.

9:30 p.m. — Nailyah Serenity hopes the stars will align for her following a performance of “Superstar” by Luther Vandross. Her goal was to show a more vulnerable side of herself with this song. After giving herself an astrology reading, Nailyah is convinced she’s destined for the Top 24 and the judges agree! She’ll be moving on.

9:36 p.m. — Trey Louis has prepared himself for elimination, but holds a positive outlook that this is simply a competition. Some people will stay, while others go home. For his Showstopper he sang “Waiting For the Thunder” by Blackberry Smoke, with a Texas flag proudly sewn into the back of his shirt. Luke says Trey has won “American Idol” in terms of personality, but had a pretty big bump in the road during his last performance. As much as the judges love Trey, his journey has come to an end.

10:00 p.m. — Only one spot remains in the Top 24 and it’s all come down to an unlikely trio: Iam Tongi, Matt Wilson and Colin Stough. These three early standouts all crossed paths at the New Orleans auditions. Katy says Matt has everything they’re looking for and then we see his Showstopper performance of “Forever” by Chris Brown. The judges comment that Colin is just 18 years old, but quickly finding his footing in the competition. He sang “Cold” by Chris Stapleton in the Showstoppers round and the judges believe he’s a true artist. Iam is called “a beautiful human” before we see his Showstopper performance of “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel. With the judges gushing over Iam from the balcony, it’s pretty obvious what their decision will be, right? As expected, Iam takes the final spot in the Top 24…or does he? There’s a plot twist! Katy says there’s so much talent, they don’t think there is a Top 24. They think there’s a Top 26. All three of them have made it through! And that completes the Final Judgement. Next week they will sing for America’s vote in Hawaii.

Be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs on CBS. You’ll compete to win eternal bragging rights and a spot on our “Survivor 44” leaderboard. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Best of GoldDerby

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.