The “American Idol” Top 20 of 2013 were widdled down to 10 contestants! Who made the cut? (Photo property of 19 Entertainment and FOX)
By: Jacob Elyachar
Thousands of people of auditioned. Hundreds made it to Hollywood Week. 40 made it to Las Vegas….
But only five girls and five guys were left standing!
Read on to find out, who was sent home and who will be traveling across the country this summer on the American Idol tour?
The guys were the first group to find who made it to the Top 10.
Paul Jolley was the first person to sing his victory song: a sub-par version of Heart’s “Alone.” He has long uphill battle ahead of him because throughout the competition, Paul seemed that he could give up and I personally do not like people who have a quitter attitude. For these reasons, Paul will be my punching bag of Season 12.
The second guy to advance was frontrunner and Louisiana native Burnell Taylor. He proved that he has what it takes to make it to the Top Five with his wonderful interpretation of “Ready for Love” that received a standing ovation from Keith, Randy and Nicki.
Soul powerhouse Curtis Finch, Jr. was the third guy to make it into the Top 10. This was one of his best vocal performances because he showed off his incredible range and I think he could be the last guy standing against the vocal juggernauts known as the girls.
The second to last guy to receive a spot in the Top 10 was bilingual sensation Devin Valez, who delivered a strong victory song. Throughout her critique, Nicki stated that he was consistent all throughout the competition and advised him to keep on this path.
Lazaro Arbos was the final boy to receive a spot. He has come a long way since his audition and to see the entire room explode in joy was a delight to see. Lazaro performed the song that got him onto the show: “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” He would have made Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Clay Aiken and Chris Mann proud.
As the five guys celebrated their victories, the show said goodbye to Charlie Askew, Nick Boddington, Elijah Liu, Vincent Powell and Cortez Shaw.
The first girl to receive the result was three-time auditionee Janelle Arthur. While Janelle has earned the right to be in this group, she has lost of momentum because of her past two performances and if she does not improve, Janelle could be the first of the girls to go.
Early frontrunner Candice Glover was the second girl to be sent to safety. The news of Candice’s induction received a standing ovation from all four judges and countless of screaming from the audience. She delivered a strong cover of Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down” that was worthy of being voted into the finale.
Angie Miller was almost crying when she made the walk into the studio as she received a standing ovation from Randy, Keith and Jimmy Iovine. She took a brave risk and performed Beyonce’s “I Was Here.” While it was not her best performance, Angie should not tackle that kind of song in the future because I could not connect with her.
Houston’s native daughter was the second to last girl to make it into the Top 10. Mariah was the first judge to welcome Amber to the Top 10 as she led the judges in the standing ovation. Amber greeted the fans as she tackled an up-tempo cover of “I’m Every Woman.”
The last spot belonged to Kree Harrison and she received the final judges’ standing ovation of the evening. While Kree celebrated with the audience, the eliminated girls: Aubrey Cleland, Adriana Latonio, Breanna Steer, Tenna Torres and Zoanette Johnson gave their final curtain calls.
Next week, the competition gets serious as the Top 10 take the stage for your votes!
