American Idol has revealed 12 of the fourteenth season's Top 24 live-show contenders during Wednesday night's broadcast of the "Idol Showcase" Round on Fox.
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Wednesday night's episode kicked off the "Idol Showcase" in which 48 singers will take the stage and perform in front of the judges and a live audience at the House of Blues.
From there, it's the "Final Judgment" process in which Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr. and Jennifer Lopez will tell the singers one at a time whether they've made the season's Top 24 -- Top 12 girls and Top 12 guys -- and will sing in the upcoming live shows for America's vote.
Some of the artists who were shown advancing to the Top 24 are Michael Simeon, a 21-year-old farmer from Lumberton, MS; Loren Lott, a 22-year-old actress from San Diego, CA; Adam Ezegelian, a 21-year-old toy designer from Wantagh, NY; Lovey James, a 16-year-old student from Portland, OR; Adanna Duru, an 18-year-old student from Diamond Bar, CA; and Maddie Walker, a 16-year-old student from Ankeny, IA.
The rest of the singers are Clark Beckham, a 22-year-old street performer from Whitehouse, TN; Daniel Seavey, a 15-year-old student from Portland, OR; Tyanna Jones, a 16-year-old student from Jacksonville, FL; Rayvon Owen, a 23-year-old singer and vocal coach from Richmond, VA; Shannon Berthiaume, a 17-year-old student from St. Paul, MN; and Jax, an 18-year-old musician from East Brunswick, NJ.
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Maddie Walker was actually first told "no" by the judges, however, they started having second thoughts because there was something about her that was "so captivating," according to Harry Connick Jr. The judges therefore forced her to participate in a sing-off against Rachel Hallack, a 23-year-old singer and songwriter from Baton Rouge, LA.
Maddie sang "Red High Heels" by Kellie Pickler, while Rachel quickly performed "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield. The judges thought Maddie had a "one percent edge" and was ready for primetime, so she got to move forward in the competition and Rachel was eliminated.
Six artists were featured getting cut during "Final Judgment."
Those artists are Cody Fry, a 24-year-old musician from Northfield, IL; Hector Montenegro, a 24-year-old cosmetologist from West Palm Beach, FL; Reno Anoa'l, a 16-year-old student from San Francisco, CA; Hannah Mrozak, a 16-year-old student from Richfield, WI; Zack Kaltenbach, a 22-year-old business intern from Lee's Summit, MO; and J.None, a 24-year-old amusement park performer from Orlando FL.
The episode concluded with "Hollywood" Anderson, a 22-year-old busker from New York, NY, taking the stage for his "Idol Showcase" performance. His fate will be revealed during Thursday night's American Idol broadcast, when the Top 24 will be rounded out.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski