'American Idol' recap: Uche Ndubizu-Egwimis and Dimitrius Graham ousted, Top 8 determined after Disney performances

American Idol eliminated Uche Ndubizu-Egwimis and Dimitrius Graham after a night of Disney magic and excellent performances during Sunday night's broadcast on ABC.


Uche, a 24-year-old wedding singer from Sugar Land, TX, and Dimitrius, a 27-year-old retail associate from Baltimore, MD, were eliminated from American Idol's seventeenth season after the Top 10 artists took the stage with Disney-inspired performances and America voted for their favorites in real-time.

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Uche and Dimitrius therefore received the fewest number of home viewer votes, and American Idol judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie decided not to save either contestant.

The judges are allowed to save only one artist from going home until the end of the season, and the choice has to be a unanimous one for Katy, Lionel and Luke.


Prior to Uche and Dimitrius's departures, Alyssa Raghu, a 16-year-old high school student from Orlando, FL, was also in jeopardy of elimination.

All three contestants were ironically the judges' "Wild Card" picks from last week, but Alyssa did not necessarily land in the bottom three based on the home-viewer voting results.

Long before American Idol host Ryan Seacrest announced results, Uche kicked off the show with a performance of "I2I" from A Goofy Movie.

Katy thought Uche's vocals were "good" but she didn't know the song very well, fearing America didn't either. She thought he had "more voice" to give.

Lionel said Uche can do no wrong in his eyes and he's an excellent performer.


"You know how to take Three Blind Mice and turn it into something where I go, 'Oh my God,' that's amazing," Lionel noted.

And Luke explained it wasn't detrimental the judges didn't know the song because he brought great energy to the stage.

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Laci Kaye Booth, a 23-year-old college student from Livingston, TX, took the stage with "I See the Light" from Tangled.

Luke said she was becoming a Disney princess right before the judges' eyes. He thought her subtle delivery of the song was "real and honest."


Lionel noted that was a perfect song for Laci and she had perfect delivery.

Katy added she had made the song her own because her voice has its own "stamp and texture."

Alejandro Aranda, a 24-year-old dishwasher from Pomona, CA, sang "Remember Me" from Coco.

Lionel explained Alejandro embodies "true artistry" because he manages to take the audience on a journey every time he performs by bringing his own vibe to songs and transforming them into his own.

Katy told Alejandro that she loves how everything he does is "heartfelt" and she can always feel the emotion that comes out of him.


"You will never be forgotten... and I think it's just the beginning for you," Katy said.

Luke, however, said American Idol is forcing Alejandro out of his comfort zone and so he might find it "tricky." Luke has enjoyed watching him grow through the competition so far as a result.

Alyssa performed "Colors Of the Wind" from Pocahontas.

Katy repeated "wow" after Alyssa's performance, complimenting her "beauty, grace and elegance."

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Luke was proud of Alyssa for belting out that song wonderfully after fighting for survival last week, and Lionel told Alyssa she's "the most gorgeous fighter on the planet tonight."

Wade Cota, a 27-year-old musician from Phoenix, AZ, sang "You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story.

Luke said he caught a glimpse of what Wade can potentially do in the future because his voice is such "a character voice" and the moment was very special.

Lionel noticed Wade was having fun, before pointing out he's "a star" and has a completely "identifiable voice."

"That's what we look for in this business, and my friend, the sky is the limit," Lionel said.

Katy called it "a fantastic song choice" and thought the performance was "so cool."


Next up was Dimitrius, who took the stage with "You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan.

The judging panel gave Dimitrius a standing ovation, as he took a knee after singing and appeared to burst into tears on the stage.

After Katy hugged the talented artist, Lionel couldn't say much more other than, "We love you." He said his heart and soul shined through in that performance.

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Katy was taken with the beautiful instrument Dimitrius has and noted she really "felt" him in that performance.

Luke was proud to have saved Dimitrius from elimination and said he didn't miss a single note in that entire song.


Walker Burroughs, a 20-year-old college student and resident assistant from Birmingham, AL, belted out "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2.

Katy found it "so impressive" and said Walker had transported her into a different time and place. The audience was respectful of Walker telling that story and she found him very engaging.

Luke said he hoped America could understand how difficult it was for Walker to pull off singing and playing the piano simultaneously.

"You are a pro. That is as close to a perfect performance as I can ever think of," Lionel told the artist.

Madison Vandenburg, a 17-year-old high school student from Cohoes, NY, then belted out "How Far I'll Go" from Moana.

The judges got on their feet for Madison, and Luke joked about how easy Madison made singing look.


Luke thought Madison's version of the song surpassed all others.

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Lionel said Madison tapped into "the stratosphere beyond notes," and Katy explained she had stepped into her power and climbed a mountain of unbelievable notes.

Laine Hardy, an 18-year-old musician from Livingston, LA, then performed "Oo-De-Lally" from Robin Hood.

The judges gave Laine a standing ovation, and Lionel yelled about how Laine had found his wheelhouse of tunes to sing and the image to portray.

"Remember I said you can win it this time? Don't not believe that," Katy told Laine.


Luke agreed, "You better be careful or you might win American Idol."

The final performance of the night belonged to Jeremiah Lloyd Haron, a 26-year-old music teacher from Catonsville, MD, who sang "Candle On The Water" from Pete's Dragon.

Katy gushed about how it's incredible to listen to Jeremiah sing because he has grown leaps and bounds and his talent is undeniable.

Luke called him "a pro" and said he's always in complete control of his vocals.

"We're sitting back and are relaxed because we know you are going to deliver week in and week out," Luke told Jeremiah.

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Lionel added he just watched an amazing night of performances and Jeremiah absolutely "owned" his talent.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski