American Idol kicked off Hollywood Week with 190 hopefuls chasing their dreams.
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The 190 contestants will eventually become a Top 40, and Wednesday night's broadcast featured the show's traditional "Lines of 10" format in which 10 singers stood on the stage at once, performed a solo one at a time, and then waited for a round of cuts.
American Idol judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban instructed the Hollywood Week contenders to really show off their personalities and attempt to stand out from the pack. By the end of "Lines of 10," half the hopefuls would be eliminated.
Last night's broadcast started out very strong.
Jordan Sadder, a 27-year-old worship leader from Raleigh, NC; Dalton Rapattoni, a 19-year-old vocal coach from Dallas, TX; Jaci Butler, a 19-year-old musician from Rowlett, TX; Jenn Blosil, a 23-year-old in child care from Brooklyn, NY; Thomas Stringfellow, a 17-year-old student from Bentonville, AR; Olivia Rox, a 16-year-old student from Agoura Hills, CA; and Jessica Cabral, a 21-year-old worship music director from Worcester, MA, all advanced to the next round with flying colors.
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A big shock then came when Melanie Tierce, a 21-year-old student from Murrieta, CA, was ousted from the competition.
Melanie had wowed the judges with her initial audition to the point where Harry gave her an immediate "yes" and just left the room in excitement while she was singing. The judges initially suggested she'd make it very far on the show and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her first Hollywood Week vocal, so it was unclear why she got cut.
Sonika Vaid, a 20-year-old student from Martha's Vineyard, MA, and La'Porsha Renae, a 22-year-old call representative from McComb, MS, then made it through to the Group Round.
A ladies' man this season, Harrison Cohen, a 17-year-old student from New City, NY, unfortunately didn't survive the line.
However two other charming young men made the cut -- Daniel Farmer, a 25-year-old student from Memphis, TN, whom Jennifer previously called "sexy," and Manny Torres, a 20-year-old worship leader from Flushing, MI.
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Afterward, Lee Jean, a 16-year-old student from Bluffton, SC, made it through. Melany Huber, a 17-year-old student from Livonia, MI, however, got sent home.
Day 1 ended with a bang, as Shelbie Z from The Voice advanced to the next round. She's a 23-year-old hair dresser from Sumiton, AL.
On Day 2, Jeneve Rose Mitchell, a 15-year-old student from Crawford, CO; Gianna Isabella, a 15-year-old student from Jackson, NJ; Tristan McIntosh, a 15-year-old student from Nashville, TN; and Michelle Marie, a 16-year-old student from Daytona Beach, FL, survived "Lines of 10."
Gianna and Tristan were both memorable auditions because of their mothers. Gianna is the daughter of former pop star Brenda K. Starr, who previously took dance lessons at Jennifer's old studio in New York. Tristan's mom is in the military and flew to the audition to surprise her daughter, who clearly missed her mother terribly.
The good news was then followed by some bad. Kyrsti Jewel, a 16-year-old student from Arcadia, CA; Kerry Courtney, a 25-year-old musician from St. Petersburg, FL; Brook Sample, a 28-year-old waitress from Tuscon, AZ; and Usen Isong, a 23-year-old background actor from Queens, NY, were all eliminated.
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The episode ended on a high note, however, when Trent Harmon, a 25-year-old waiter from Amory, MS, made it through to the Group Round after finding out from doctors he's suffering from a serious condition called Mono. Despite his fever, shaking and failing voice, Trent delivered a killer performance.
Miranda "Poh" Scott, a 17-year-old student from Baltimore, MD, and Emily Brooke, a 17-year-old student from Wellington, FL, also survived. Poh's sister had made it far into Hollywood Week last season, while Emily herself made it to the Top 24 contestants in Season 14.
American Idol will air another Hollywood Week episode Thursday night from 8-10PM ET/PT on Fox.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski