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American Idol 5th Judge: King Charles, Queen Camilla Surprise; Night's Strongest Contestant Booted

The night's strongest contestant is shockingly eliminated as Katy Perry and Lionel Richie check in from Windsor Castle — with a surprise appearance from King Charles III and Queen Camilla — as Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran fill in.

It was a night of real challenges for the contestants as Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran brought their catalogs to the “American Idol” stage.

They also brought themselves, as guest judges and (in Alanis’ case) mentor for the Top 8 as Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were still in London celebrating King Charlies III’s coronation. Ryan Seacrest did check in with them from time to time, including a walk-on by the king and queen themselves — don’t they realize how late it is over there?!

When they royal couple walked in, Charles quipped to Katy and Lionel, who’d set up shop in the Grand Reception Room at Windsor Castle, “I just want to check how long you’ll be using this room for.”

The judges across the pond proved they were tuning in live after Luke made the comment that he’d never used the world “liquidity” from Lionel’s chair after Alanis had used it. In their next interstitial, Lionel dropped that very word.

At another point while they were chatting live with Lionel and Katie from England, Luke made a comment that he was loving sitting in Katy’s chair. When we cut back to Katy, she was giving a rather rude hand gesture (it’s American equivalent would not be allowed) before suddenly saying, “Oh, I didn’t know we were still on!”

The contestants definitely had their work cut out for them tackling such emotional songs as those by Alanis and Ed. We found ourselves stunned by a few of the contestants who pushed themselves beyond what we’ve seen so far, leading to some incredible and palpable moments. They took on solo Alanis covers and combined for duets of Ed’s music.

All in all, we’d have to say the duets were more consistently strong, as some struggled with Alanis’ signature reckless abandon in her performances. She brought that to the stage live, too, as both she and Ed delivered heartfelt and beautiful performances.

As judges, Alanis was definitely the stronger presence, offering sound advice as a mentor and solid feedback — albeit mostly praise — as a judge. Ed was very “aw shucks!’ to be there and when he did find something he wanted to say, he often couldn’t find the words to say it. He had a great heart to do this, but he definitely wasn’t comfortable in that seat, nor did he provide much of anything from it.

Fair warning, since I’m safe at home, I’m probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Alanis Morissette, Luke Bryan and Ed Sheeran. 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 in each round. That way I can see who’s the best and then see if you get it right with your votes – i.e., agree with me.

FILLER

Alanis Morissette

(“Thank U,” Alanis Morissette) It’s been 25 years since Alanis released this song and you could rewind the clock back that many years and it would sound just like this. She’s lost none of her power and commitment to performance in those years. What made her a revelation in the ’90s was her abandonment as a performer. There’s magic in watching an artist so lose themselves in the music they almost have no idea what they’re doing physically. The music comes through them and leaves all of us breathless. Alanis was that for a generation, and she still speaks that same language today.

Ed Sheeran

(“Eyes Closed,” Ed Sheeran) Ed performed with his eyes mostly closed, too, but it took nothing away from the incredible, piercing quality of his voice. Ed has this ache that he can deliver almost unparalleled in this genre today (except maybe Lewis Capaldi). He’s mastered that signature vocal sound that is so unlike anyone, not only do you immediately recognize it, but when it cuts through the noise, you have to stop and tune in. This was the kind of audience mastery and control you can have with just the quality of your voice and songs, so take note, contestants!

ROUND 1: ALANIS MORISSETTE

Colin Stough

(“Hand in My Pocket,” Alanis Morissette – 18, Amory, MS) There’s a reckless abandon to this song and Colin wasn’t quite able to get there. He felt surprisingly reserved throughout this piece, as if he was self-conscious about himself. At 18 years old, it’s certainly possible that’s exactly what was going on. He’s got this incredible tone, but this was a moment to break out. This is why Lionel gave him the note to get “nasty.” He still hasn’t done it, as evidenced by him gently bopping his head during moments he’s not singing. It could well cost him a shot at the Finals as someone who felt like a shoe-in for it a month ago.

Oliver Steele

(“You Oughta Know,” Alanis Morissette- 25, Mount Juliet, TN) Saved by the judges last week, Oliver said that he’s seen comments that he was a little sleepy, which is a word we used last week. We were glad to hear he was ready to wake us all up with a surprising and bold song choice this week. Alanis encouraged him to embrace the feeling, “I love anger, I think it moves worlds,” she told him. It was wonderful that his father was able to be present for this moment, and we did see Oliver pushing himself. It wasn’t quite as much abandonment as Alanis puts on the track, but definitely more than we’ve seen from him. We loved seeing him push his artistry like this, but we’re still weren’t sure it would be enough to overcome an incredible Top 8 (that he barely made it into). The shorn scalp was a fun surprise at the end, too.

Warren Peay

(“All I Really Want,” Alanis Morissette – 24, Bamberg, SC) There were some really nice elements to this track that felt like signature Warren, putting his stamp on an iconic song so many know note for note. Not for nothing was Alanis one of the biggest stars of her era. On top of that, her delivery is so unique it’s not that easy to cover. Warren struggled a bit at the beginning to find himself, but quickly did. His own signature sound was a good fit for this track and he really brought it home in the end in a way that felt fresh and exciting for today.

Megan Danielle

(“Head Over Feet,” Alanis Morissette – 21, Douglasville, GA) Megan had us in the palm of her hands through the heartfelt opening lines, but she lost us a bit when she belted that big ol’ note halfway through. Maybe because we already knew she could do that and it felt a bit like pandering to us, or like she was singing for the vote. It yanked us right out of a beautiful narrative she’d been building. Megan is a born storyteller, but that moment, if anything, should have been more of a reckless yell than a beautifully polished run.

Zachariah Smith

(“Ironic,” Alanis Morissette – 20, Amory, MS) Alanis gave Zachariah some great advice on this one, helping him to loosen up and (as he wanted) rein in the excesses of his physicality. It was all about relaxing into the movement rather than being tense. The advice helped, and we got to see a softer side of his voice that rarely comes out. It created a multi-layered vocal experience that was fun to watch. He wasn’t as solid on his softer side early on but the second time he went into it, we were fully on board. He’s such a uniquely special artist, it’s great seeing him learn new ways to express himself.

Haven Madison

(“You Learn,” Alanis Morissette – 17, Clarksville, TN) A perfect song choice for Haven who could definitely learn from Alanis that the best way to tackle this industry — and life in general — is to unashamedly be yourself at all times. She didn’t really do anything to this song that was different from the original, but it sounded very real coming from her. The singer-songwriter in her really connected to the lyrics creating a palpable experience that left us believing in her more than we have in recent weeks. We were ready to write her off this week, but she didn’t make that an easy decision with this performance.

Wé Ani

(“Uninvited,” Alanis Morissette – 24, Harlem, NY) We will give you all the moments you need after that. When Wé hit that growling “moment,” we sat up a little straighter. She is a revelation every time she hits the stage, with power and grace and an incredibly diverse quality to her voice. She really can sing anything, and that roar teased yet another place she could fully go we’ve not seen since Hawai’i; and only hinted at there. Wé remains an incredible front-runner this season. If Iam is the likely winner, Wé feels like the logical contender to land right behind him, and then hopefully get a real shot at a career, too.

Iam Tongi

(“Guardian,” Alanis Morissette – 18, Kahuku, HI) Written for her children, Iam switched it up and sang it as a tribute to his mother and boy was it palpable. His tone is like no one else’s, with this ability to wrap you up like a warm hug and a safe place all in one note. We appreciated Alanis helping him to learn how to go big as it gives more variance to his performances and allows for big and small moments to stand dynamically stronger next to one another. We say it over and over again, but Iam just seems untouchable this season. Not since Fantasia won (Season 3) has a season felt so dominated by one artist since the audition rounds.

ROUND 2 DUETS: ED SHEERAN

Wé Ani & Warren Peay

(“Perfect,” Ed Sheeran) If we’d have to guess who’d come out on top in this pairing, we’d have guessed Wé, but we would have been wrong. She sounded lovely and they shared a beautiful sweetness on stage, but this was a revelatory performance for Warren. There were beautiful layers in his voice and an emotional nuance that we hadn’t really experienced before. We loved that they were able to convincingly portray the feeling of the song to one another (Wé’s little touch of his arm was everything in that moment). This was a fully realized artistic vision from how they moved around the stage to their interaction to their stunning vocal work together and separate.

Oliver Steele & Iam Tongi

(“Photograph,” Ed Sheeran) Once again, Iam and Oliver unite for a duet and it is just as magical the second time. The audience erupted the moment Iam started singing — yeah, he’s still the frontrunner this season — but we really felt like this duet elevated Oliver a bit in our eyes. They work beautifully together and with such mutual respect. That said, Iam has a different quality to his voice that makes it richer and filled somehow with more emotion and authenticity even with just a sustained vibrato. Their harmonies were stunning, creating a stunningly gentle sound throughout. Even Oliver seemed to since the difference, telling Iam, “I don’t know if I’m going to go home or not, but if I do, my money’s on you.”

Megan Danielle & Colin Stough

(“Dive,” Ed Sheeran) Megan brought back the Colin we’d been missing. Here he was, fully connected and invested in the message of the lyric, his undeniable gravel on full display. This is the Colin we all fell in love with, and the Danielle we can’t get enough of. It’s no wonder “Idol” saved this duet for the end because the song was such a natural fit for their tone and country style. They could release the full version of that tomorrow and probably find a hit with it.

Zachariah Smith & Haven Madison

(“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran) Haven is definitely having a night, putting a hint of stank at one point on a beautifully connected vocal. Zachariah continues to show off the different levels of his voice and the result was a palpable performance that felt like two people expressing their feelings of love. Haven’s voice came through with this gorgeous haunted quality we’ve heard before, a little breathy but penetrating, that left us reeling. She’s got such potential, we hope (probably) losing this show barely slows her down. This felt like a couple of pros delivering their own duet, as Alanis noted.

PREDICTIONS & RESULTS

Our own results have us scratching our heads at all three of our gravelly country fellas in the bottom: Colin Stough, Oliver Steele and Warren Peay. It’s not that we think any of them are weak, it’s just how tight the competition is right now. Plus, we think that none of them have been living up to their full potential.

When combining the average rankings of both performances tonight, we still wound up with them in the bottom, though Haven Madison slipped to the top of our rankings, next to Zachariah Smith. We have no delusions that either is likely to win the season, but it is a testament to what a remarkable night they had.

If we lost all three of our country guys, that would give us our Top 5, but we definitely don’t see that happening. Instead, we figured it would be time to say goodbye to Oliver Steele and Warren Peay, but the duet from Colin was probably enough to keep him alive.

Based on the season to this point, though, that left us worried for Haven. Despite having her best night of the entire competition, we just don’t see her having the groundswell of support that both Megan Danielle and Wé Ani enjoy — and we don’t see all three women advancing.

The first person Ryan sent into the Top 5 was Zachariah Smith. He was followed by Megan Danielle and Iam Tongi. After he was announced safe, Iam gave the lei his aunt mailed him to Oliver, likely as a testament to the brotherhood they’ve forged on the show — and because he had the same bad feeling we did.

Next into the Top 5 was Wé Ani, and we were left with exactly the conundrum we anticipated. All three of the gritty guys were standing there next to Haven. More recently, we’d say she’s more deserving to go on, but we still had full confidence America would back Colin to continue his journey.

And that’s exactly what happened, as Colin Stough survived and Haven gets to ride a high out of the competition, alongside Oliver, who showed new sides of himself and allowed himself to feel deeper, and Warren Peay, who has such a unique tone that could really make a mark on country and/or Christian music.

“American Idol” takes the Top 5 to Disney Night next week as the show continues Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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