Fox's American Idol voted out the fourth of its twelve finalists during last night's results show, with Nikko Smith, a 22-year-old from Town & Country, MO, being eliminated from the reality talent competition as a result of receiving the fewest audience votes.
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Nikko, the son of Hall Of Fame baseball player Ozzie Smith, had entertained the audience by singing "One Hand, One Heart" during Tuesday's Broadway musical themed American Idol performance show, after which viewers cast nearly 33 million votes -- the most votes ever cast for a non-finale episode of the hit series.
Joining Nikko in the week's bottom three vote-getters were Vonzell Solomon, a 20-year-old from Ft. Meyers, FL , and Scott Savol, a 28-year-old Shaker Heights, OH resident who had appeared in last week's news headlines due to the discovery of a previous domestic assault incident in his background.
With his departure, Nikko becomes the first male finalist to be eliminated -- an unsurprising development given that Nikko was only named an American Idol 4 finalist after Mario Vazquez, one of the show's originally announced six male finalists, unexpectedly quit the competition prior to its Week 1 finals round. Nikko joins Jessica Sierra (Week 3), Lindsey Cardinale (Week 1), and Mikalah Gordon (Week 2) as American Idol 4's eliminated finalists.
Next week will see another of Idol's finalists eliminated, with the eight remaining contestants once again taking the stage during Tuesday's 8-9PM ET/PT performance show and later learning their fate during Wednesday's 9:00-9:30PM ET/PT live results show.
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The eight contestants still competing in Fox's American Idol 4 finals are:
• Anthony Fedorov, a 19-year-old from Trevose, PA (Auditioned in Cleveland) - Born in the Ukraine, Anthony Fedorov is in his third semester at Bucks County Community College near Trevose, PA, and is pursuing his singing career in New York City. On weekends, you can find Anthony performing in Brooklyn at Tatiana's. Anthony is a ballad singer who loves to be active and enjoys playing various sports.
• Anwar F. Robinson, a 25-year-old from Elizabeth, NJ (Auditioned in DC) - Anwar F. Robinson has been singing from a young age and was a member of the Newark Boys' Chorus, which traveled to Prague to perform and also performed at the second inauguration of President Bill Clinton. After high school, he attended Westminster Choir College of Ryder University, where he earned a degree in music education. He currently teaches vocal music at Thomas Edison Middle School in West Orange, NJ. Anwar is a member of a group called The Perfect Combination, which performs at weddings and office events in the tri-state area. Other accomplishments include an appearance on the "Emeril Live Christmas Special" and providing piano accompaniment for Patti La Belle on her cooking show pilot.
• Bo Bice, a 29-year-old from Helena, AL (Auditioned in Orlando) - Bo Bice is a native of Alabama and currently lives in Birmingham, AL. He has performed in shows all across the USA, UK and Ireland after starting his career at the age of 9 in a local school competition. Bo has performed with many bands, which helped mold him into the singer he is today. He has opened for Blackfoot and Warrant, and has performed live and recorded with Jonny Neal of the Allman Brothers.
• Carrie Underwood, a 21-year-old from Checotah, OK (Auditioned in St. Louis) - Carrie Underwood, who was born and raised in Checotah, OK, has spent her entire life on a farm. Currently, Carrie is a senior at Northeastern State University, studying mass communications. Carrie is the youngest of three sisters and plays guitar and piano. She loves animals and rescues strays from the surrounding area.
• Constantine Maroulis, a 29-year-old from New York, NY (Auditioned in DC) - Born in Brooklyn, NY, Constantine graduated from the Boston Conservatory and has a hard rock band in New York City called Pray for the Soul of Betty. Constantine has studied classical acting, music, dance and voice. He also apprenticed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. For the 2003/2004 season, Constantine toured with the international production of "Rent," playing the lead character named "Roger."
• Nadia Turner, a 28-year-old from Miami, FL (Auditioned in Orlando) - Nadia Turner, recently studied advertising and psychology at Florida International University. Presently, Nadia is a bartender/waitress at Oxygen Lounge, while also performing at church functions. Nadia is a member of the Tool Box group, a rock/soul Christian band that tours churches and charity groups. In her spare time, Nadia enjoys black and white photography, bowling, roller skating and playing cards.
• Scott Savol, a 28-year-old from Shaker Heights, OH (Auditioned in Cleveland) - Born and raised in Cleveland, Scott Savol, the second of four children, has been singing since he was 5 years old. He is the proud father of 4-year-old Brandon Scott Savol. Scott also plays the trumpet and knows his way around the piano. He has performed at city festivals and church and school functions.
• Vonzell Solomon, a 20-year-old from Ft. Meyers, FL (Auditioned in Orlando) - Vonzell was born in Baxley, GA, and moved to Fort Myers, FL, when she was a few months old. She went to Cypress Lake Center for the Arts high school and has recorded a CD. Vonzell has one sister and two brothers. Her dad is a martial arts instructor and Vonzell is a black belt in sembact martial arts (a combination of karate, jujitsu and tae kwon do).