American Idol determined its Top 8 finalists and eliminated Marybeth Byrd and Tyson Venegas during the Season 21 performance episode that aired Monday night on ABC.

ADVERTISEMENT

Marybeth, a 21-year-old radio host from Armorel, AR, and Tyson, a 17-year-old high school student from Vancouver, BC, were ousted from the American Idol competition based on the live votes -- just under 23 million votes, according to Idol host Ryan Seacrest -- that poured in throughout the two-hour broadcast.

Marybeth and Tyson had landed in the bottom three vote-getters alongside Oliver Steele, a 25-year-old musician from Mount Juliet, TN, but American Idol judge Katy Perry -- who won the "Judge's Song Contest" that evening -- chose to save Oliver and advance him to next week's show.

For the "Judge's Song Contest," the Top 10 contestants each performed one of three songs that had been selected for them by a mystery judge. The artists ultimately performed their favorite option, creating a playful competition amongst Katy and her fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Marybeth's three options were "Wasted On You" by Morgan Wallen, "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton, and "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" by Crystal Gayle.

Marybeth sang "Wasted On You," which had been picked for her by Lionel.

Lionel gushed about how Marybeth got out of her comfort zone and "got into a brawl." He wanted to hear her cry and leave her emotions on the stage. Katy said Marybeth finally evolved from a caterpillar into a butterfly, and Luke added it was her "standout moment" and what everyone needed to see from her.

"It was your best performance thus far," Luke told the artist.

Tyson got to choose from "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars, "Someone Like You" by Adele, and "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi.

Tyson belted out "Someone You Loved," which had been selected by Katy.

Katy said that's exactly what she wanted to hear from him and he's "more than a gimmick and more than just entertainment" because he has heart and soul.

"You're the whole package to me now," Katy noted.

Luke praised Tyson for his growth, confidence and ability to channel the emotion in that song. And Lionel said he stepped into his own style that night and it was "fantastic."

Oliver's three songs were "Heartbreak Warfare" by John Mayer, "Bigger Than My Body" by John Mayer, and "High and Dry" by Radiohead.

Oliver took the stage with "High and Dry," which had been picked by Katy.

Katy said Oliver went with his intuition and he really interpreted the song as his own. She said it was "angelic." Luke said Oliver "is a vibe and a mood" who sets an emotion. Lionel agreed the "vibe was everything."

Among the artists who made the Top 8 contestants and will be performing on the upcoming Idol episode, Colin Stough, an 18-year-old Hvac technician from Amory, MS, was given the following three options to choose from: "'Til You Can't" by Cody Johnson, "Starting Over" by Chris Stapleton, and "It's Been Awhile" by Staind.

Colin performed the Staind song because it was different for him. Katy had picked the song, and she called him "a star" after his performance.

Katy congratulated Colin on listening to his higher self, and Luke said he knocked it out of the park. Lionel added how Colin cruised through the whole song and then scared himself to death with his final note.

Haven Madison, a 16-year-old high school student from Clarksville, TN, got to rehearse "The Only Exception" by Paramore, "River" by Bishop Briggs, and "Cuz I Love You" by Lizzo.

Haven chose to sing "The Only Exception," which had been Katy's pick for her.

Katy thought the delicate and beautiful song was perfect for her because she could soar and be both vulnerable and strong. Luke called her "the girl next door" and a storyteller, and Lionel declared how Haven had graduated and was now in control of her career.

"You've got it. You've got that 'it' thing going for you... You know who you are," Lionel said.

Iam Tongi, an 18-year-old high school student from Kahuku, HI, mulled over "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, "Consider Me" by Allen Stone, and "More than Words" by Extreme.

Iam serenaded the audience with "More Than Words," which had been selected by Luke.

Luke said he had prayed Iam would perform that song because it felt like the right time and the right moment — and he "knocked it out of the park."

Lionel called Iam "anointed" based on his sensitivity and emotional stage presence.

"You are a phenomenon... You are very, very special," Lionel told the singer.

And Katy said she was "taken to another place" while Iam was singing and it is a wonderful world because he's in it.

Megan Danielle, a 20-year-old server from Douglasville, GA, got to choose from "Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill, "Rescue Story" by Zach Williams, and "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan.

Megan sang the Vince Gill tune, which she had sung at her grandfather's funeral. Luke had chosen that song for her to sing.

Luke said beyond loving Megan's voice, she's not scared to share her faith with others and he didn't think he could've picked a better song for her. He said she was "perfect."

"You have the amazing ability to touch," Lionel said. "Your voice is so powerful."

Katy told Megan that she was exactly where she was meant to be at that moment and she doesn't believe in coincidences. She thought that song was "heaven sent" to her.

Warren Peay, a 24-year-old appliance repair technician from Bamberg, SC, had to choose from "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Colder Weather" by Zac Brown Band, or "Blue Side of the Mountain" by The Steeldrivers.

Warren chose "Colder Weather," which had been picked for him by Lionel.

Lionel said Warren became a storyteller with that song, and Katy said she loves to hear the dynamics in his voice and wants to hear more of them. She asked him to show the world all of his cards and bring more grit and "rocky road" to his performances.

Luke agreed and advised Warren to "lean into" his grit.

We Ani, a 23-year-old performer from Harlem, NY, was given "Don't Watch Me Cry" by Jorja Smith, "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston, and "I Try" by Macy Gray.

We Ani chose "I Have Nothing," which had been selected for her by Luke.

Luke said he was so proud of that performance because it exuded elegance and beautiful. He said it gave him "chills" and it was "breathtaking."

Lionel told We that she "owned the song" and she slayed it.

And Katy admitted, "I was wrong. You picked the right song, because I had one idea of what you could be, but you showed us you don't have a box and you supersede that box. The greatest thing about this is true stars, they exceed people's expectations and keep them surprised and on the edge of their seats, which is what you just did."

Zachariah Smith, a 19-year-old grill cook from Amory, MS, was given the following three songs: "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John, "Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by The Temptations.

Zachariah picked "Dead or Alive," which Lionel had selected for him.

Lionel said Zachariah brought a "crazy good attitude" to the table, Katy praised him for being himself, and Luke thought the performance was amazing.

Katy ultimately won the judges' contest 4-3-3.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS