Boy Band eliminated Jon Klaasen and determined its Top 16 male vocalists during Thursday night's broadcast of the new ABC reality competition series designed to create America's next great boy band.
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Jon, a 19-year-old from Greenwood, IN, was eliminated by Boy Band's architects -- Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, Spice Girls member Emma Bunton, and music producer Timbaland -- after his group of six members sang and danced to "Stay" by Rihanna in front of an audience of screaming girls.
Nick, Emma and Timbaland seemed to determine that while Jon is an excellent musician, he'd probably fare better as a producer since his vocals didn't stand out during the group performance.
"This is one of the best experiences I've ever had. I'm going to take the architects' advice and just start finding who I am, and I'm just going to keep at it," Jon said following his ouster.
Jon performed the Rihanna hit in his group who called themselves "Reverb" after training and rehearsing with vocal producer Tim Davis and musical director Adam Blackstone, who has worked with iconic artists such as Justin Timberlake, Eminem, Drake, and Janet Jackson. Choreographers Napolean and Tabitha, who are often seen on So You Think You Can Dance, also worked with the boys.
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Nick was shocked by how great the group sounded harmonizing together, and he said he was absolutely blown away.
Jon's group members were Andrew Bloom, a 19-year-old from Yorba Linda, CA; Chance Perez, a 19-year-old from Seal Beach, CA; Jaden Gray, a 16-year-old from Hawthorne, CA; Cam Jackson, a 19-year-old from Willingboro, NJ; and Brady Tutton, a 15-year-old from Shorewood, WI. All five of these boys were declared safe after taking the stage.
The architects said Jon's group featured the strongest vocalists in the competition so it was important to find out how they can sing as a unit. When the group performed "Stay," Jon played the piano, but it probably took his focus away from the vocals.
The boys in "Six Track" who will perform next week and face elimination are Andrew Butcher, a 17-year-old from Greenwood, IN; Miles Wesley, a 19-year-old from Marble Falls, TX; Michael Conor, a 17-year-old from Cleveland, OH; Gavin Becker, an 18-year-old from Philadelphia, PA; Mikey Jimenez, a 17-year-old from East Los Angeles, CA; and Dorian Tyler, a 15-year-old from Memphis, TN.
After last week's elimination, the remaining members of the group "Uplift" are Devin Hayes, a 17-year-old from Springfield, IL; Jay "J Hype" Gilbert, a 14-year-old from Las Vegas, NV; Marcus Pendleton, a 16-year-old from Nashville, TN; Sergio Calderon, a 16-year-old from Redwood City, CA; and Drew Ramos, a 19-year-old from Bronx, NY.
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The live shows begin in only two weeks. Each episode will feature a different theme, and the architects will shuffle contestants to find the best combination of voices to perform for America.
Architects will also critique each band's performance and collectively determine the two contestants who are up for elimination each week.
After the contestants in jeopardy perform solo "survival" songs, home viewers will be able to vote live for their favorite band members during each broadcast, ultimately creating a group of their very own.
Boy Band's final and official group will win a recording contract with Hollywood Records. And in the finale, America's favorite five band members will debut and perform a brand new single together for the first time.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski