The Top 7 contestants on “American Idol” Season 22 played double duty tonight, putting on a whopping two performances that put both their choreography skills and their vocal range to the test.
The “Idol” hopefuls, mentored by “1, 2, Step” hitmaker Ciara, were challenged to sing one dance song and one Adele hit that would springboard them into the Top 5.
Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan found themselves surprised (in ways both good and bad) multiple times throughout the two-hour live episode.
As singers Abi Carter and McKenna Faith Breinholt gave performances that showed their determination to stay in the competition, Emmy Russell befuddled the judges – who, the consummate professionals they are, still doled out positive feedback – by remaining seated at the piano for one of the most literal dance songs of the past decade.
Georgia native Will Moseley got out of his comfort zone to add a little dance step to his performance of “Gimme Three Steps.”
Here’s what happened in Episode 16, what each contestant sang and who was sent home.
Will Moseley performed “Gimme Three Steps” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Will Moseley performed “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele.
During rehearsals, Ciara declared she was going to help Abi “put some sauce” into her performance.
She didn’t disappoint.
For her dance song, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter donned a bold red jumpsuit with cutouts and stretched her already impressive vocal range in a new rockstar-worthy style as she performed Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up).”
Flames firing into the air behind her and all, Abi gave her most unexpected performance yet. The performer that Perry describes as “angelic” week after week? She can’t come to the mic right now. (Well, until she returned for a stunning and, yes, “angelic,” performance of Adele’s “Hello” later in the program.)
As well as delivering on the vocals, the Californian smoothly rescued her unsecured mic pack early in the song, amazing the judges.
“Where has all this energy been? Where has all this physicality been?” Perry exclaimed. “Why were you saving that for almost the last show? You can do that?” She added, “That performance made me scared for my job.”
“You handled it like a pro,” Bryan said of the mic pack issue. “We thought you just played piano and sang.”
Another platinum ticket winner bites the dust.
Julia Gagnon (songs: “Roam” by The B-52’s and Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain”) and Mckenna Breinholt (songs: “E.T.” by Katy Perry and Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”) unfortunately didn’t muster enough votes to stay in the competition this week.