American Idol’s Top 7 Revealed Live! Did Katy Perry Save the Right Singer?
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American Idol returned the power to its judges (in more ways than one) on Monday. Not only did they get to choose which songs were sung, but they were also allowed to save one contestant from elimination, ultimately revealing the season’s Top 7.
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With the return of the Judges’ Song Contest, the scent of competition hung even thicker than usual, as Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and (reigning champion) Katy Perry also competed in the game-within-a-game. It didn’t actually count for anything, but hey, games are always fun.
The episode also welcomed back former Idol contestants Danny Gokey, Melinda Doolittle and Colton Dixon for a special performance of Mary Mary’s “Shackles,” which they delivered as a tribute to fellow Idol family member Mandisa; the Grammy Award-winning gospel artist died earlier this month at age 47.
At the end of the live two-hour broadcast, Ryan Seacrest revealed the six contestants voted into the next round by the viewers at home, leaving one spot open for Katy — the winner of this year’s contest — to fill. But with great power comes great responsibility, and we’re sure that not everyone will agree with her decision.
Read on for a complete breakdown of Monday’s results, including the six contestants America voted to keep, the unfortunate singer eliminated from the competition, and the lucky soul who was blessed with a second chance by the judges. Once you’ve processed the Top 7, vote for the five finalists you’d like to stick around and drop a comment with your thoughts on Season 22 thus far.
SAFE: Will Moseley
Will was the first player to enter the Judges’ Song Contest arena, choosing to perform Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” which he called his “favorite song choice so far.” It was a killer performance, an iconic country jam handled with care and precision by a master of his craft. He also stepped up his overall presentation, traversing the stage with confidence and exuding positive energy throughout. We still wouldn’t want to be a pig in the woods with Will, but there’s no denying it — that rocked.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
Will returned to the stage alongside Triston Harper for the most on-the-nose duet of the night, Luke Bryan’s “What Makes You Country.” Two of the most countrified contestants this show has ever seen, Will and Triston both came out of their shells with this one, commanding their audience and owning the stage.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A-“
ELIMINATED: Kaibrienne
We certainly wouldn’t want to be the guy who inspired Kaibrienne’s feel-everything performance of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Traitor,” but we were happy to be a member of her audience. The natural emotions in her voice fit nicely with the angry ballad, and the whole thing just felt really honest.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “B+”
Don’t hate us, but we actually thought Kaibrienne was the weakest member of the Katy Perry quartet — if we must choose one.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
SAFE: Jack Blocker
No one told us that team-ups would be happening tonight, so we were straight-up tickled to hear that Jack and Emmy would be tackling Lionel Richie’s “Hello” together. The second coming of Scarlett and Gunnar from Nashville, these two enchanted the audience with a beautifully blended duet that made us appreciate the song anew.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
For his judges’ pick, Jack performed a song by his all-time favorite artist, Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind.” The vocals were impressive — sweet and simple, then suddenly explosive on a dime, reaching some incredible heights — but we’ll be honest, we were way too preoccupied by whatever he was doing with his hands. Dribbling an invisible basketball? Let’s go with that.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A+”
SAFE: Emmy Russell
We already lavished Emmy and Jack’s duet of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” with praise, so feel free to scroll up and re-read if you’d like.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
Emmy returned at the end of the two-hour broadcast with an absolute gut-punch of a performance, taking on “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the iconic country song made famous by her grandmother Loretta Lynn. Breathier than the original, this was unquestionably Emmy’s most confident song of the season — and hasn’t that been her biggest problem all along? This was a gorgeous tribute to an absolute legend.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A+”
SAVED BY KATY: McKenna Faith Breinholt
McKenna felt an instant pull to Lissie’s “Everywhere I Go,” a song that supposedly changed her life upon hearing it for the first time. And after hearing her performance, it’s impossible to deny her personal connection to the haunting tune. Quietly powerful at times, just plain powerful at others, this was a full experience — a complete story told as no one else in the competition could. She isn’t the only one who got chills from that song tonight, for sure.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A+”
We certainly wouldn’t have picked Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake” for McKenna, but she held her own when she came back on stage as part of Katy’s Ladies.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
SAFE: Triston Harper
As we said earlier, Luke Bryan’s “What Makes You Country” was the perfect song for Triston to tackle, all the better when joined by Will Moseley, a fellow country soul.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A-“
And when Triston returned to the stage for his solo performance, he opted for Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots.” It was a safe choice, and not the most exciting song out there, but there’s no denying that he crushed it.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A-“
SAFE: Abi Carter
Overdone as it is on Idol, we were embarrassingly excited to hear Abi’s take on Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life,” and we weren’t the least bit disappointed. She excelled in the softer moments, as we knew she would, but she really surprised us with the power she summoned when the occasion called for it. Katy was slack-jawed during the entire performance, and we were right there with her. The best part was that Abi managed to make the performance dramatic and theatrical without sacrificing her authenticity.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A+”
We were also thrilled to see Abi back on stage as part of the quartet performing Katy’s “Wide Awake.” We finally know what it would sound like if Sara Bareilles performed it!
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
SAFE: Julia Gagnon
Julia knew exactly what she was risking by tackling an iconic song like “Over the Rainbow,” and she also knew exactly what she was doing. Her unique, soulful spin on the Judy Garland classic took her voice in powerful, unexpected directions that we really appreciated. If we’re comparing reinventions, we’d still take Katharine McPhee’s any day, but this was a phenomenal effort.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
And in the “Wide Awake” quartet, Julia had the honor of sounding the most like Katy Perry, effortlessly crushing her solos.
TVLINE’S GRADE: “A”
Now that we know which seven singers are moving on, vote for the five you’d keep in the poll below:
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