American Idol's judges eliminated Tristan McIntosh during Thursday night's broadcast on Fox, determining the farewell season's Top 5 artists.
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The Top 5 singers each got to sing two songs last night with the first round being "America's Choice" in which the contestants were limited to songs selected by Twitter users.
Idol host Ryan Seacrest announced four of the Top 5 artists one by one, prompting them to perform for home viewer votes. When two singers were left onstage at the end of Round 1, they both had to perform for judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. in the hopes of being saved.
The contestant ultimately ousted from the competition was Tristan, a 15-year-old student from Nashville, TN. The judges chose to save Sonika Vaid, a 20-year-old student from Martha's Vineyard, MA, who had landed in the bottom two with Tristan. Last week, Sonika had fallen into the bottom three with eliminees Lee Jean and Avalon Young.
The contestants who received the most votes and therefore automatically advanced to the Top 5 on Thursday night were Dalton Rapattoni, Mackenize Bourg, La'Porsha Renae and Trent Harmon.
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For the first round, America picked the song "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic for Trent Harmon. It was definitely a challenge but the judges gave him a pass since it wasn't a song he'd normally sing and feel comfortable with. They agreed he did the best he could with it because the hit didn't match his personality.
Dalton sang "Numb" by Linkin Park, and while he usually hits his original arrangements out of the park, this one fell a little flat. Jennifer said he took "the oomph" out of the song and it lacked excitement. However, Harry appreciates how Dalton always pours himself into a song's lyrics.
La'Porsha performed "Ready For Love" by India.Arie. It turned out to be a phenomenal ballad with so much feeling. It was pleasing and mournful as it was supposed to be, and Keith noted he stopped judging at one point in order to just listen because he was so captivated by her.
Mackenzie took the stage with "Wild World" by Cat Stevens, a jam selected for him by America. Keith said Mackenzie is like cake batter in which it's still really good even when it's not cooked. Jennifer thought the performance was really good and she thoroughly enjoyed "every second of it."
This is the point in the night when Tristan and Sonika were declared the week's bottom-two contestants.
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Tristan sang "Independence Day" by Martina McBride. Jennifer advised her to try different things going forward because she can't flatline in the competition and show people the same thing over and over again. Harry said it was just "okay" but she'll definitely improve as she gets older.
Sonika then belted out "Let It Go" by Demi Lovato. It was a very strong vocal and Keith called it beautiful. The judges could see her performances were starting to come alive, and Jennifer dubbed Sonika "fierce" and a "fighter." Jennifer noted that Sonika's performance showed she wasn't ready to go home yet.
After the judges deliberated, Keith announced that although the two girls are both beautiful singers, they wanted to save Sonika and see her come back next week. Tristan took her ouster graciously.
For the second round of competition, everyone performed again except for Tristan.
Dalton sang "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. Jennifer said it felt "really powerful" and he gave everyone a piece of his soul. Harry explained Dalton is like a graffiti artist in that he always puts his stamp on a blank wall. It became clear in this moment the singer really thrives on poetic lyrics.
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Mackenzie performed a slower rendition of "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson on his guitar. Jennifer noted that Mackenzie proved to everyone why he's still here because he's so special and confident -- not to mention he had an excellent vocal delivery. Jennifer added that it was "riveting" to watch, and Keith admitted he was a big fan.
Trent then took the stage with "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and it was a drastic improvement from his first song.
Harry said Trent's southern "essence" is very appealing and he could feel some of the singer's experiences through the way he sang the song. Trent brought Jennifer to tears, saying this is why she loves American Idol, because she is afforded the chance to watch "the perfect singer sing the perfect song." Jennifer's words made Trent cry as well.
Sonika then performed "Clarity" by Zedd featuring Foxes. Keith suggested letting go more in her performances and not being so controlled. He said, "Be raw, be real, be you." Jennifer didn't love the song for Sonika, but Harry complimented how the young artist seems to be a nice, wonderful person.
And last but not least, La'Porsha sang "No More Drama" by Mary J Blige.
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After a gut-wrenching video package played of La'Porsha talking about how she left an abusive relationship to give her daughter a better life, she belted out the song with so much passion. Jennifer bawled and commended La'Porsha for rising above such adversity. She and Keith both gave her a standing ovation, and Jennifer thanked La'Porsha for being an inspiration so beautiful.
Next week, the Top 5 will solely be in America's hands, as the judges will no longer have a "save" to use.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski