The competition is heating up on “American Idol,” with just a handful of finalists left. During the two-hour live episode airing on May 5, 2024, viewers’ votes will whittle the seven remaining finalists of season 22 down to a Top 5.
Ciara will mentor the top 7 as they rehearse their performances of songs that make them want to dance, and the contestants will also each sing a song by pop powerhouse Adele, as judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie provide their feedback. Millions of votes are expected to roll in, with the results announced by host Ryan Seacrest at the end of the show.
Spoiler Alert: Heavy is reporting a full recap of performances, and voting results live throughout the night. If you do not want to know what happens, do not read any further.
‘American Idol’ Top 5 Results: First Hour
For the first hour, contestants focused on the “Songs That Make Me Wanna Dance” with mentorship from Ciara.
Jack Blocker was first up, admitting that he’s “not good” at dancing, but loves high energy alternative songs. He chose to perform Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.” Ciara encouraged him to move even more as he sang, and the two shared a laugh over some of his moves, including the moonwalk.
JUDGE FEEDBACK: Bryan gave Blocker a “10 out of 10,” and Richie marveled that he has no way to explain who Blocker has become compared to his audition months ago. Perry said she’d been nervous about him singing a dance number, but called his performance “crazy” in the best way.
Julia Gagnon was next, and said she dances every morning to get her energy up. She chose to sing the B-52’s “Roam,” and admitted that viewers will see her in a different way than they’ve ever seen. Ciara coached her through some dance moves and lengthening her notes, too.
JUDGE FEEDBACK: The judges were on their feet, and Richie was impressed by how long she held her final note, saying that she must have a second set of lungs. Perry loved the song choice and said she would have loved to see a few more moves, but admitted she “didn’t start dancing” till she was 27. Bryan loved how she arranged the song to feature the background singers at the start, and said that she exuded confidence and is growing as a performer every week.
After a break and the announcement that Kane Brown will be the Top 5’s mentor next week, Abi Carter worked with Ciara, admitting she’s “never been a dancing.” Ciara promised to help her spice up her routine, and loved the ideas that came naturally to Carter as she rehearsed “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) by Fall Out Boy.
JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie and Bryan leapt to their feet, but Perry was so stunned that she could barely got up. As the crowd screamed Carter’s name, Perry said she was “scared for my job” because Carter was such a pro, even handling a tech mishap without issue. Bryan agreed that the performance was “amazing” and both he and Richie said they didn’t realize she had energy and confidence she showed during that song.
Next up, McKenna Faith Breinholt met up with Ciara, expressing how grateful she was that Perry “saved” her in the previous week when she was in the bottom two. So she decided to sing a Perry tune, “E.T.,” that she used to sing all the time as a kid. Ciara reminded her that “every moment matters” even when she’s not singing, and Breinholt said her goal was to prove she belongs in the top 5.
JUDGE FEEDBACK: The judges were on their feet again, and Bryan started the feedback by saying that he could tell the tune was outside Breinholt’s comfort zone, but did a great job and looked like a star. Richie said she made a Katy Perry song “your song” with a unique arrangement. Perry excitedly said, “great job” and that she had no idea she had the “rock star/pop star” within her, encouraging her to keep pushing herself.
As Seacrest and the judges drank margaritas in honor of Cinco de Mayo, viewers watched Will Moseley sweat through several dance steps with Ciara, which he joked was like teaching a preschooler a new skill. “I’m just not a dancer, simple as that,” he said, adding that he was excited to see what he could do this week while singing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps.”
JUDGE FEEDBACK: “That is the way to make it nasty, Will Moseley,” Richie exclaimed, saying that his voice on any track, combined with the joy he was exuding, always works. Perry agreed that seeing him having fun, tilting the mic stand and looking casual, makes all the difference. Bryan joked that his Apple Watch will tell him he took “2 steps today” and added, “I don’t think I’ve heard you sing a bad note all year.”
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