The penultimate night of Hollywood week sees the contestants whittled down to the last 72 – and the competition is heating up. The hopefuls get to be fancy: they have backup singers, bands, and instruments if they choose to use them – and Simon Cowell gets his first real opportunity to spot his latest hot property.
The show begins in the evening with the contestants split into four rooms – with the judges entering each to inform them of their fate.
We flashback to the morning when the day begins with Adam Lambert being the first singer to perform – and after being previously accused of being too theatrical he naturally chooses to sing "Believe" by Cher. Next up is the ‘Duelling Piano Player’ Matt Giraud who sings ‘Georgia’ by Ray Charles. He receives a standing ovation from Kara, Randy and Paula – whilst Simon can only manage a smirk – perhaps a positive sign if you are Simon Cowell.
Joanna Pacitti, Casey Carlson and Stephen Fowler are all singled out after failing to remember the vocals to their song – even despite Fowler given two attempts at singing and failing on both occasions.
Alexis Grace, Kenny Hoffpauer, Jasmine Murray and Nathaniel Marshall are all singled out for their spectacular singing efforts, while Tatiana Del Toro, who has featured prominently throughout the auditions, was left in limbo after being told to change rooms just moments before the judges gave their decisions. Other notable appearances come from Kendall Beard and Anoop Desai.
There is also an appearance from blind pianist Scott Macintyre, who impresses the judges - and makes it through to reach the final 72.
There are a variety of songs and artists chosen, with some choosing to sing songs from ex-Idol contestants including Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood, whilst there were also renditions of Britney Spears, Ne-Yo and Bobby Brown.
After all the singers have performed, Simon Cowell disappears leaving the remaining judges to deliver the news to the contestants – with tears and cheers as each room is told one by one.
Tomorrow night’s episode will feature a nail-biting two hour show where the contestants will head to the judges’ mansion to find out whether or not they’ll make it to the Top 36 – and the chance to sing on the live shows.
The show airs on Thursday night on ITV2 at 8pm.
Tagged in American Idol