American Idol determined its Top 10 artists during Monday night's two-hour episode on ABC, which featured the Top 14 contestants performing again as well as home-viewer voting results.
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American Idol's Top 10 artists for Season 16 are Catie Turner, Maddie Poppe, Jurnee Weathers, Michael J. Woodard, Gabby Barrett, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Michelle Sussett, Adam "Ada Vox" Sanders, Cade Foehner, and Dennis Lorenzo.
Following Sunday night's performance show, six artists automatically advanced to the Top 10 based on America's vote, as they had received the highest number of home viewer votes.
Those six talented artists were Catie, a 17-year-old high school student from Langhorne, PA; Maddie, a 20-year-old college student from Clarksville, IA; Michael, a 20-year-old bowling alley attendant from Philadelphia, PA; Caleb Lee, an 18-year-old musician from Dallas, GA; Cade, a 21-year-old college student from Shelbyville, TX; and Gabby, a 17-year-old high school student from Pittsburgh, PA.
The remaining four artists in the Top 10 were selected by American Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan after Monday's night of performances.
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It was an incredibly difficult decision for Katy, Lionel and Luke, but they ultimately opted to save Jurnee, an 18-year-old hostess from Denver, CO; Ada Vox, a 24-year-old entertainer from San Antonio, TX; Dennis, a 26-year-old singer from Philadelphia, PA; and Michelle, a 22-year-old waitress from Miami, FL.
The results unfortunately sent the following artists packing: Jonny Brenns, an 18-year-old college student from St. Augustine, FL; Garrett Jacobs, a 17-year-old high school student from Bossier City, LA; Mara Justine, a 15-year-old high school student from Galloway, NJ; and Marcio Donaldson, a 28-year-old server from Compton, CA.
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest announced results throughout the entire show. He called one contestant up onstage at a time and revealed whether he or she had been voted into the Top 10 by America. If so, that person could feel at ease and just perform for fun.
Otherwise, the contestant had to sing to impress the judges, fighting for one of four spots to stay in the competition.
As for the eight contestants who had to sing for survival, Michelle performed an original song called "I'm a Dreamer."
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Luke said her vocals need to catch up to her star quality. Katy was happy Michelle sang in Spanish, saying the fact she's bilingual is her "ace," but Lionel said Michelle needs to help America realize who she is as an artist.
Marcio performed "Jealous" by Nick Jonas. Luke admitted it wasn't the strongest performance the judges have seen from Marcio, as it was clear his emotions affected his voice. However, Marcio battled through the song.
Garrett took the stage with "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Credence Clearwater Revival.
"Way to state your case," Luke told the artist, adding however, that the performance was "a little pitchy."
But Katy felt this was the best Garrett has ever sounded and he has improved drastically throughout the competition.
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Dennis belted out "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell and received a standing ovation from all the judges. Luke and Katy both confessed they'd fight for Dennis to stay, and Katy called the performance "brilliant" and "dynamic." Dennis is also capable of singing many different genres of music.
"I have never questioned my country," Lionel noted, "but America does not know what they're doing. This was stepping up to the plate and slapping it out of the park. This is not over yet."
Jonny sang "Demons" by Imagine Dragons and also got the judges on their feet. Luke explained Jonny's last couple of songs pushed him to the top of his range, which wasn't great, and he also missed the contestant singing at the piano. Katy then suggested Gabby could help Jonny with his movements onstage.
Mara Justine impressed with "Love On the Brain" by Rihanna and received a standing ovation. Luke was in shock America didn't vote her through because she always "sang her tail off."
Katy, however, pointed out that sometimes all things need to align for an artist and it's all about timing. Lionel agreed, saying the music business is not just about singing -- it's about the entire package. It seemed as if the judges had already decided Mara wasn't going to make the Top 10, maybe because of her young age.
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Jurnee sang "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman. She made it look so easy again and Luke was "sold" on her. He said she's so inspiring, and Lionel flat out told the artist, "I love you."
"Never have I ever seen a more qualified woman for the job and still not get the job," Katy said. "What's the disconnect, America?"
Ada Vox performed "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" by Jennifer Holiday. The judges went crazy over this performance, so much so, that they decided to have Ada sit with the Top 10 before deliberating and making the official announcement. The audience was chanting Ada's name, and it was clear she deserved a spot on the stage.
"I think we do know talent when we see it. So I think we'd like to make an executive decision right now that Ada, go take a seat [in the Top 10] baby," Katy gushed.
Next week, American Idol's Top 10 will perform "Disney classics," according to Ryan.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski