American Idol judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban advanced or cut the fourteenth season's 175 Hollywood Week hopefuls on Day 2 during Thursday night's broadcast on Fox.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
Last night's episode picked up where Wednesday night's broadcast had left off, with Gabby Zonneveld, a 16-year-old student from St. Paul, MN, having a meltdown. She forgot her lyrics halfway through the song and then froze and got emotional. Harry asked her to get off the stage, take a deep breath and then come back and do it again. She ended up doing a great job and making it to the Group Round.
The other artists who performed and were shown advancing to the next stage of the competition were Kelley Kime, a 23-year-old teacher from Fairfax, VA; Katherine Winston, an 18-year-old musician from Lenox, MA; Maddie Walker, a 16-year-old student from Ankeny, IA; Alexis Gomez, a 22-year-old Spanish tutor from Dayton, OH; and Cody Fry, a 24-year-old musician from Northfield, IL.
The following contestants also made the cut: Loren Lott, a 22-year-old actress from San Diego, CA; Rayvon Owen, a 23-year-old singer and vocal coach from Richmond, VA; Shi Scott, a 19-year-old artist from Belcamp, MD; Clark Beckham, a 22-year-old street performer from Whitehouse, TN; Daniel Seavey, a 15-year-old student from Portland, OR; and Qaasim Middleton, an 18-year-old student from Brooklyn, NY.
Two hopefuls were featured being eliminated from Idol's fourteenth season. They were Andrew Annello, a 22-year-old actor from Springfield, AL, and Dakota Suarez, a 19-year-old drag queen from Falfurrias, TX.
The Group Round then began. The remaining hopefuls were instructed to divide themselves into groups of four. The groups then had to choose a team captain and a song from a supplied list of options. They faced the daunting task of executing an amazing performance after rehearsing only for a matter of hours overnight.
The judges revealed that, in the Group Round, there would be no excuses or second chances.
Two groups who took the stage delivered excellent performances and were advanced in their entirety. One of them was comprised of Clark Beckham; David Oliver Willis, a 23-year-old coffee shop owner from Mount Dora, FL; Jesse Cline, a 20-year-old musician from Ashland, KY; and J. None, a 24-year-old amusement park performer from Orlando, FL.
The other group whose members all advanced was made up of Jaq Mackenzie, a 15-year-old student and actress from Santa Monica, CA; Nick Fradiani, a 29-year-old musician from Guilford, CT; Hunter Larsen, a 20-year-old hostess, nanny and florist from Malibu, CA; and Michael Simeon, a 21-year-old farmer from Lumberton, MS.
Two groups managed to have three out of its four members advance to the next round. Andrew Bloom, a 17-year-old student from Yorba Linda, CA, was eliminated. However, his teammates Shi Scott; Adam Ezegelian, a 21-year-old toy designer from Wantagh, NY; and "Big Ron" Wilson, a 24-year-old accountant from Gretna, FL, survived the cut.
Steffi Ledbetter, a 20-year-old student from Auburn, AL, failed to progress in the competition although all her group members advanced. Her teammates were Maddy Hudson, a 16-year-old student from Pleasanton, CA; Reno Anoa'l, a 16-year-old student from San Francisco, CA; and Tyanna Jones, a 16-year-old student from Jacksonville, FL.
The episode concluded with Alexis Danielle Granville being pulled off the stage before her group started to perform. She appeared to be shaking and having some type of panic attack. She had fainted from what doctors told her was "exhaustion" just moments before that.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
