American Idol featured judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie advancing eight contestants from the Top 40 into Season 18's Top 20 contestants after the Showcase Round during Sunday night's Season 18 broadcast on ABC.

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The American Idol broadcast began with host Ryan Seacrest revealing the Showcase Round of solo performances in Hawaii was filmed back in January.

The Top 40 contestants were asked to perform in front of a loud, cheering crowd in attempt to land a spot in the Top 20, who will be able to sing for America's votes.

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After performing a solo, each hopeful learned his or her fate in the competition through the Final Judgment.

The eight hopefuls who were shown making the Top 20 were Faith Becnel, a 20-year-old server from Destrehan, LA; DeWayne Crocker Jr., a 23-year-old worship leader from Pensacola, FL; Louis Knight, a 19-year-old pizza delivery guy from Philadelphia, PA; Francisco Martin, a 19-year-old college student from San Francisco, CA; Nick Merico, a 24-year-old server from Woodland Hills, CA, Just Sam, a 21-year-old subway singer from Harlem, NY; Jovin Webb, a 29-year-old musician from Gonzales, LA; and Jonny West, a 23-year-old piano teacher from Murietta, CA.

Nick Merico kicked off the episode by singing "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars for the Showcase Round, and the judges revealed he had advanced to the next round.

"I went from not liking you to appreciating you, and you are in our Top 20," Lionel told Nick.

"You earned it!" Katy added. "Your not getting by with anything other than talent, man."

MakAyla Brownlee, a 17-year-old high school student from Wellington, KS, performed "More Hearts Than Mine" by Ingrid Andress and changed up the song a lot.

Luke told Makayla her voice is "timeless" and she will "inspire people."

"I don't think last night was your strongest performance. We're at the time in the competition where everybody has to be at the top of their game. For right now, you're not going to make it into the Top 20, but I want you to know that we love you," Luke told her.

Katy added that Makayla was the strongest person on the show, and Makayla said she was "so thankful" for everything.

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DeWayne Crocker Jr. sang "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

"Sometimes a gimmick will work. We've been really wrestling with you. This was a very hard decision for us. But now, what is your great grandmother going to wear when you come back to Hollywood? You're going to be in our Top 20," Lionel told DeWayne.

Katy told DeWayne that he had one of their favorite performances of the night.

Camryn Leigh Smith, a 16-year-old high school student from Acworth, GA, belted out "Break Every Chain" by Tasha Cobbs.

"We were looking for a risk, and it felt like you went back into that safe zone of knowing that you are a fantastic worship leader. You know that you can do that with your eyes closed, but here on American Idol, we need to see that growth," Katy told Camryn.

Katy told Camryn she has a "God-given" and "beautiful" voice but her journey wasn't going to continue on American Idol.

"I'm not worried about you. I love you and I see you," Katy noted to the eliminee.

Devon Alexander, a 23-year-old used car salesman from Sonora, CA, performed "Tell Me You Love Me" by Demi Lovato, but was cut from the competition.

Jordan Jones, a 26-year-old lounge pianist from Scottsdale, AZ, took the stage with "Redbone" by Childish Gambino. Although Lionel said his experience showed onstage, he unfortunately didn't make it through to the next round.

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And Geena, a 27-year-old musician from Los Angeles, CA, sang "Finesse" by Bruno Mars. Luke said she has some "signature artist qualities," and Katy noted she could see herself in the artist, but Geena was also eliminated from American Idol.

Louis Knight performed "Castle On the Hill" by Ed Sheeran for the Showcase Round.

Katy said Louis' performance was a bit shaky and he seemed too much in his head instead of his heart.

"We love you, but your future based on last night was not there," Katy said.

"You go home, you figure out what you have to do to win this competition, because I've got a bet on you... and we want you to succeed. We see it in you; see it in yourself. You're going to the next level... Don't let yourself down."

Louis knew he hadn't performed his best, so he was so grateful to have received another chance.

Francisco Martin took the stage with "Falling" by Harry Styles on his guitar.

Katy said she didn't recognize Francisco anymore but that was "a good thing." She compared Francisco to Bruno Mars, and Luke noted it was clear the contestant was figuring out who he is as an artist. Francisco therefore made the Top 20.

Jovin Webb sang "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne.

Lionel could tell Jovin was a nervous wreck on the stage and pointed out he didn't hit all the notes, but the judges agreed Jovin has a special, unique voice for the industry as well as great artistry. As a result, Jovin made it through to the next round.

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Faith Becnel sang "Ain't Nobody" by Rufus and Chaka Khan and said she left it all on the stage.

"The reason I've been invested in you is you're intriguing, fun. You really [show us] that personality," Luke told the singer.

"We've kind of picked your voice apart a little bit... Last night was not a step up for you, personally... But we still love what you're potentially going to grow into, and you are in our Top 20."

Amber Fielder, a 23-year-old server from Coeur D'Alene, ID, performed "Good Kisser" by Lake Street Dive.

Luke said the judges loved Amber's tone and she had grown "every step of the way." Katy said Amber's performance the previous night went up a notch.

"You're not going to make our Top 20. We hope this journey has given you a ton of confidence. I pray it has, and walk out of here with your head held high," Luke explained.

Amber cried because she had given it her all, only to learn it wasn't enough.

Just Sam shocked the judges with a performance of "Como La Flor" by Selena in Spanish.

"You walked out on that stage and you were the definition of elegance," Katy told the contestant. "You were beautiful and feminine. I was using the word 'metamorphosis.'"

Lionel said he couldn't have been more proud than if his own child went on the stage and performed. The judges could tell Just Sam was free on that stage, and the singer said she felt comfortable and beautiful for the first time.

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Just Sam was given the green light, and she was so happy that she couldn't control her emotions.

Jonny West performed "You Found Me" by The Fray and played piano simultaneously. His girlfriend, Margie Mays, was supporting him in the audience, and Katy said she could finally understand why Margie was "so obsessed" with him.

"I think you're a real serious artist. That can also mean that you real seriously have some intense thoughts," Katy said, asking Jonny not to self-sabotage his dreams and goals.

"You are no longer in the Top 40, you are in the Top 20."

Dillon James, a 26-year-old construction worker from Bakersfield, CA, performed "The Times They Are a Changin'" by Bob Dylan.

The episode ended on a cliffhanger, with Ryan Seacrest announcing Dillon's fate will be revealed next Sunday night on American Idol's upcoming broadcast.

There will be no American Idol broadcast on Monday, March 30.




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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