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American Idol 5th Judge: Platinum Ticket Holder Falls Apart On Stage, Just Misses Top 24

"American Idol" starts building its Top 24 with Showstopper performances and the shocking eliminations of several fan-favorites, including a single mother who fought harder than anyone for her spot and completely shuts down at the bad news!

It’s time to start building your Top 24 on “American Idol,” and say goodbye to some fan favorites, including one hard-luck contestant who did everything they could to fight for their spot … and still came up short!

It was an emotional moment, and it wasn’t the only fan-favorite we had to say goodbye to. This week is a combination of revealing the Top 24 and seeing those Showstopper performances that can make or break the contestant’s entire season. Unfortunately for some, it definitely broke them.

There were forgotten lyrics, missed notes and one unprecedented moment where the judges changed their mind about who was in their Top 24 on the fly — booting one unsuspecting contestant who’d unknowingly made it. Tonight also proved that even Platinum Ticket holders aren’t guaranteed a spot beyond Hollywood Week as one of them crashed and burned!

Fair warning, since I’m safe at home, I’m probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.

And just for fun, I’m going to rank the performances from worst to first to see who my favorites are each week. That way I can see who’s the best and then see how they fare as the season progresses.

SHOWSTOPPERS

Adin Boyer

(“Viva La Vida,” Coldplay – 22, Lake Forest, CA) As inspiring as Adin is and as brilliant as he is on that piano, his vocals were not quite up to the level that we’re used to seeing at this stage of the competition. He’s been a little outclassed vocally before this, but this was the time to throw everything he had at the wall, and we just weren’t feeling it. He certainly gave it all he had, but we’re just not sure his all is enough to compete at this level. He’s a brilliant musical creative, but singing might be his weakest area. He did, however, get an offer to songwrite with Lionel Richie when this is all over — and it sounded like Lionel was dead serious on that.

Results: Going Home

Kaylin Hedges

(“Kiss from a Rose,” Seal – 15, Pound Ridge, NY) This Platinum ticket holder — who memorably was greeted by her military dad as a surprise at her audition — didn’t quite step up to the challenge of this particular song. She sounded sweet, but for the first time that we can remember this season, she also sounded very young and a little out of her element. She was a little shaky with her key and definitely has sounded better before. It was as if the bigness of it all hit her at once and knocked her down a little. She definitely did not hit that stage or sound like a Platinum ticket holder here. Maybe this song choice was just too big for her?

Results: Going Home

Michael Williams

(“Angels Like You,” Miley Cyrus – 21, Mason, OH) From being told he was Top 10 material in his initial audition to this Showstopper performance, Michael has really dropped quite a ways. We won’t go so far as to say he was terrible, but what he was could be even worse. He was completely forgettable. He’s pretty enough, but that only counts for so much. His voice came across as thin and a little shrill on a song that’s got a lot of heart and passion built right into it. He may have been resting on his laurels a bit as we were deeply underwhelmed by this. The judges, though, called back to the great control and vocal presence he had in his audition and chalked this up to the wrong song, but we’re not so sure.

Results: Top 24

Fire

(“Mercy,” Duffy – 23, Lawton, OK) One of the most tumultuous and emotionally draining rides of the whole season, Fire endured two auditions and her duet partner bailing on her (on stage!) to land at this moment. We’d have liked a little more — ahem — fire in the performance, but there’s no denying how much she’s improved in stage presence, confidence, and voice throughout this journey. We’re still not certain she’s up to the caliber of the best in this competition, but she’s one of those people you want good things to happen for. If she’s grown this much from that first audition this fast, how much more could she grow if she sticks around? That could be fun to watch, too! Alas.

The judges tried to buoy her spirits by telling her how much she’s grown and how great it was to see her fire burning bright, but the blow pretty much knocked her right back down to the bottom. Her growing confidence was apparently still paper thin, which visibly upset the judges, and even Ryan Seacrest who tried to get anything positive out of her. Hopefully, time will show her that she did gain something out of this experience.

Results: Going Home

Haven Madison

(“Bird Set Free,” Sia – 16, Clarksville, TN) Haven has brought the house down every time she’s performed an original song. For this one, she went with a cover she said she wishes she’d written, but it still was’t quite as strong. The biggest difference, though, was the overall tonal shift. This was more of an uptempo full-throated song and that’s not the kind of intimacy Haven has as a singer-songwriter. She’s such an incredibly gifted artist, we’d hate to see her go, but she definitely misfired a bit on her upward trajectory on a song that felt out of her wheelhouse and didn’t suit her voice or style very well. If anything, she should have reinterpreted it into her coffeehouse vibe.

Results: Top 24

Lucy Love

(“Flying Without Wings,” Ruben Studdard – 28, Holly Grove, AR) Lucy wasn’t quite as in command of this song as we’ve seen in the past, but we applauded her passion and the emotion she poured into the piece. We also absolutely loved her conducting the band behind her as she performed, taking full advantage of the climax of her piece to sing a cappella so no one could deny the strength and power of her voice. Lucy is one of those special people that sings with full heart every time. We wish her control was a little more on point, and we wish she could push her range up and down just a bit, but we still find ourselves wanting things to work out every time she sings. For the most part, it does. This wasn’t her best, but it still had its moments that stood out.

Results: Top 24

Warren Peay

(“Whipping Post,” Allman Brothers – 24, Bamberg, SC) Warren took a chance this round by ditching the guitar to really dig into the vocals, but it actually hurt him. What made him special was his storytelling and his ability to connect a lyric to the audience. He’s still got that great rasp that reminds us of Chris Stapleton and an overall killer voice, but we didn’t feel that other Stapleton edge with that emotional hook that leaves you sobbing from the first line. That said, it was still a killer vocal performance with all that grit mixed with a tender vibrato and that glimpse into his greatness.

Results: Top 24

Tyson Venegas

(“Cuz I Love You,” LIzzo – 17, Vancouver, BC) Look, man, you can sometimes get away with it in a duet with that crazy overnight stress, but forgetting the lyrics at Showstoppers? On to of that, he’s one of this season’s Platinum Ticket holders who really blew everyone away with his audition and seemed to sail through. The biggest problem is that he wasn’t able to play off the fact he basically forgot the first two lines of the verse, mumbling and ba-ba-ba-ing his way through it. It was a disaster of epic proportions on a song that should have been a real showstopper with his talent. Luckily, he made the most of all those moments he did remember, bringing it home in the end. There’s no denying the power and variety of his talent, but this was definitely a shaky performance.

Results: Top 24

Zachariah Smith

(“Don’t Stop Me Now,” Queen – 19, Amory, MS) The burger flipper took on one of the biggest vocalists of all time and wow did he bring the energy. Look, we’d be lying if we didn’t say the song was a little bigger than he could handle from time to time, but only occasionally. For the most part, he really surprised us with how well he handled the range, the tempo, the power and the whole vibe of the song. Who knew he had such manic stage presence inside of that unassuming Southern charm. It was actually a revelatory performance.

Results: Top 24

Nutsa

(“Proud Mary,” Tina Turner – 25, Tbilisi, Georgia) After a rocky duet that left her partner salty because Nutsa went to bed early — the partner got eliminated — Katy told Nutsa to remember grace. She showed that and humility in apologizing to Katy for how all of that went down, including her silence in the moment. She was trying not to break down in the moment. Katy said she could relate to her being a strong woman who doesn’t want to show that vulnerable side, but that’s just not real. By showing her vulnerable side, Nutsa reveals her humanity.

She also revealed her talent with her take on a very demanding classic. What we loved about this performance was how she broke it down when the tempo kicked in, throwing aside the mic stand and really giving her all with a rock-and-roll level attack. She was giving hair throws, strutting and all the kind of attitude Tina brings to the track every time she performs it. Pair that with a solid performance and, yes, grace at the end, and Nutsa has made her someone you want to root for.

Results: Top 24

Wé Ani

(“Ain’t No Way,” Aretha Franklin – 23, Harlem, NY) What an incredible and daunting challenge to lay before herself, but Wé handled Aretha Franklin like an absolute boss. With this performance, she put her potential right up there with the likes of Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson as a big powerhouse R&B vocalist. It’s just incredible what this seemingly timid woman turns into when she hits the stage and grabs hold of the mic. It’s so endearing and incredible to watch her transformation into a truly showstopping beast on stage. It’s exciting every time; she’s one of those contestants you find yourself rooting for before they even open their mouth to sing. And then they do and then wow!

Results: Top 24

Kaeyra

(“River,” Bishop Briggs – 21, Algonquin, IL) She took full advantage of her last moment to impress by bringing out the bass and giving a command performance the likes of which we’ve never seen from her before. We really enjoyed the playfulness she showed with the audience, teasing out a note here or giving a side-eye there. It was a confidence on stage that will play very well with the home audience, as well. Add to that a stellar vocal performance with sass, grit and a sweetness at times and you’ve got an authentic rock type of voice with lots of crossover appeal in almost any genre. On top of that, we felt every word of this performance. It was brilliant!

Results: Top 24

SING-OFF

Unable to make a unanimous decision on some singers, the judges brought back last season’s Final Judgment Sing-Off. In it, they pitted two singers against one another. They each had an hour to agree on a song (narrowed down by the judges) and prepare to sing it live for their lives on the show.

PJAE v Malik Heard

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(PJAE’s Showstopper: “I Want You,” Luke James – 23, Lawton, OK) PJAE gave us everything within the first few notes of this performance. He was full-throated at the start with a shocking amount of depth and texture in his voice, like an R&B soul master. Then, he threw some grit before flying into an effortless falsetto. He makes it all look so easy and he’s so unassuming, it still shocks us every time he sings. It’s like we forget how good he is and then he reminds us again with a smack right in our eardrums.

(Malik’s Showstopper: “Can We Talk,” Tevin Campbell – 26, Dallas, TX) Malik hit the stage like he was born in the ’90s and already a part of that era’s R&B movement. He’s so smooth as a performer with great stage presence and a very pleasant tone to his voice, though it stayed mostly toward the top of his range and in his falsett. Does he not have confidence in the mid and low end of his voice? The biggest problem is that he sounds a little too much like all of the other R&B singers in his lane and not enough like a singular artist with his own voice and vision of who he is.

(Sing-Off: “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish) These best friends were crushed to have to fight against one another for a spot in the Top 24, but nevertheless the dream trumped friendship (and a little friendly rivalry never hurt anyone).

Malik stepped up in a huge way on this Eilish track, bringing all the pathos of the lyric to the forefront. It was a much more intimate and connected performance and we could start to see a bit of his individual artistry creeping out. On top of that, his range and control was stronger, too.

PJAE, though, was almost all passion on this one with an incredibly raw ache and cry in his voice that pushed through. He also took chances and played with the melody just a bit here and there to make the song even more his own. Malik gave us a great cover with a great vocal, but PJAE gave the kind of cover performance that can be released as a new single.

In an unprecedented move, though, both vocals were so strong the judges actually booted someone else out of the Top 24 (who’d yet to hear their results) to make room for both of them. Hopefully that person never finds out just how close they were, or at the very least they get pulled aside and encouraged to come back next year because they were in until this moment!

Results: Both in Top 24

Paige Anne v Megan Danielle

(Paige’s Showstopper: “California Dreamin’,” The Mamas & The Papas – 16, Idaho Falls, ID) Paige wasn’t feeling her best and so she did her Showstopper performance from her hotel room. The poor judges had to huddle around a phone just to see and hear her, and there was definitely a tinny quality to the audio. It didn’t quite work, and certainly wasn’t the kind of showcase wow moment Paige was looking for. But she does have a beautiful tone and brought an ethereal and almost haunting quality to the song, which suited the moment perfectly. Could it translate through a phone, though, enough to carry her through?

(Megan’s Showstopper: “Always Remember Us This Way,” Lady Gaga – 20, Douglasville, GA) The scratch in Megan’s voice is everything. Whether she’s singing lyrics or just wailing because she (maybe) forgot some of them, Megan managed to hold the crowd in her hand. She’s got power and control and that beautifully authentic grit that injects that extra does of truth into what she’s singing. Megan is a storyteller with an incredible instrument, but we’re not sure she has any idea how good she is.

(Sing-Off: “Everything I Wanted,” Adele) Paige had this stunningly gorgeous tone throughout this make-or-break performance. She lost her way a bit on the higher notes toward the end, but overall, this was a beautiful moment. Her voice is so rich and mature for such a young age, and she really shined in this intimate spotlight. Then Megan stood up and … that was it! We have to wait until Monday night’s show to see how it plays out.

Results: Cliffhanger!

“American Idol” continues Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.