Katy Perry makes 'Idol' contestant cry with cruel joke
It was Hollywood Week on American Idol Monday night and, during the group round, Crystal Alicea was feeling very overwhelmed as she struggled to keep up with her more experienced group members. "There's so many people here in the competition that know what they're already doing and I'm just a girl that used to sing karaoke and has done a couple talent shows," said Alicea. She also explained that she has never been a part of a group performance before, which made harmonizing a challenge for her. However, despite feeling the pressure and slowing down the rest of her group during rehearsals, the rest of the ladies supported Alicea and helped her work through it. Ultimately, when it came to their performance in front of the judges, Alicea totally held her own. Unfortunately, hearts sank when Katy Perry told the girls there were only three spots left, and one of them would need to volunteer as tribute. "Girls, you were great," Perry told the ladies. "You guys all got stardust on you and, I mean, honestly, like, you guys as a group, you picked well. You guys know what you're doing. But we have room for three more people. Out of you girls, I need one person to volunteer to not go on to the next round." As the four women stood shocked on stage, all (understandably) unwilling to make the sacrifice, the silence in the room was palpable. That is, until one person stepped up to the plate- Alicea. "I'll do it," she said, immediately bursting into tears. It was a truly sad moment... until we found out it was all a joke. A very cruel joke. "Oh, sweetie, don't cry! You're all going through," exclaimed Perry. "I'm just trying to see your girl power!" In the end, all of the ladies made it through to the solo round and, although sad, there's something to be said about Alicea's bravery and willingness to sacrifice her Idol dream. A sacrifice that may work out in her favor later down the road. Even Perry told everyone in the theater, "Look at her heart. Round of applause for her heart. Round of applause for her heart. Honey, I will never forget that."
