4 of the Best Moments From the ‘American Idol’ Top 10 Reveal

It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the two-month mark in American Idol‘s triumphant return and have now learned the names of our Top 10.

Last week, the judges put through the last seven members of the Top 14 and this past Sunday, they sang for America’s votes before advancing to the Top 10 — or, as was the case for four of them, being eliminated just shy of that elite group of contestants.

The two-night broadcast had its highs and lows and the contestants fluctuated between nervous and confident, so let’s talk which moments were most impressionable after all was said and done.

Freedom to Choose

Something that seasons’ past of Idol have been sorely lacking is giving contestants the freedom to choose songs that truly reflect their vision of themselves as an artist. Sunday night’s show didn’t have that problem, with an open-ended theme that made everyone the master of their own destiny. Latina contestant Michelle Sussett showed some urban flair on Marshmello & Anne Marie’s “FRIENDS,” while young father Dennis Lorenzo showed his harder edge on Shawn Mendes’ “In My Blood,” to varying degrees of success. Michelle’s song didn’t give her voice a chance to shine while Dennis’s took a while to build, but was solid once it did.

Similarly, Jonny Brenns‘ choice of Panic! at the Disco’s “This Is Gospel” had him going off the rails during the chorus and getting swallowed up by the band. On Monday night, Jonny had a similar problem on his cover of Imagine Dragons’ “Demons” where, after prying himself away from the piano, his tenuous voice disappeared.

Garrett Jacobs drew comparisons to Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips when he sang his song “Raging Fire” on Sunday night and a song he covered on the show (Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”) on Monday night. All four contestants found themselves singing for a wildcard spot, but only Dennis and Michelle managed to advance to the Top 10 on Monday night after Dennis returned to crystal clear form with Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work,” while Michelle showed her artistic side on an original entitled “I’m a Dreamer.”

Know Yourself

In contrast, there were a handful of contestants that were able to hone in on what makes them special. Maddie Poppe‘s brand of acoustic flair was so delicately perfect on Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” that it would have been impossible to deny her a spot in the Top 10, but to follow it up with a cheeky version of The Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” on Monday night just sealed the deal.

Rocker Cade Foehner receives a bouquet of kale after professing his love for the leafy green vegetable [Credit: ABC]

Likewise, rocker Cade Foehner may have bumbled some notes in Santana’s “Black Magic Woman,” but it hardly mattered with his swagger and exhilarating guitar solo. His cover of Matchbox Twenty’s “Bright Lights” on Monday night wasn’t quite as attention-grabbing, but still stayed true to him.

Country singers Caleb Lee Hutchinson and Gabby Barrett open and closed Sunday night’s broadcast respectively. Caleb found his niche with The Steeldrivers’ “Midnight Train to Memphis,” while Gabby showed off the size of her voice on Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb.” Both Caleb’s take on Chris Young’s “Getting You Home (The Black Dress Song)” and Gabby’s attempt at Miranda Lambert’s “Little Red Wagon” on Monday night left something to be desired, but perhaps underscored the fact they are both better with a pop-country tune at their disposal.

In the end, all four contestants were among the six contestants who received the highest votes after Sunday night’s show and advanced automatically to the Top 10.

Another Side

With so much on the line, some contestants decided to take a risk and show the judges another side of themselves. Michael J. Woodard feels like a 20-sided die from Dungeons & Dragons at this point, constantly reinventing himself and doing it again with his tactful rendition of Sia’s hit “Titanium” on Sunday night. He then pulled out his Broadway card again and sang “Believe in Yourself” from Broadway musical, The Wiz after landing in the Top 6 on Monday night.

Marcio Donaldson and Jurnee had a rougher go after showing the judges another side of themselves. Jurnee’s cover of Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s hit “Bang Bang” was playful and showed she could rap, but maybe shocked the audience who were used to her taking on ballads, but her cover of “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman on Monday night earned her one of the coveted wildcard spots in the Top 10. Marcio, on the other hand, tried to show his fun side with Barry Manilow’s “It’s A Miracle,” but his cover of Nick Jonas’s “Jealous” revealed the flaws in his voice and made the judges have second thoughts before his Idol journey came to an end on Monday night.

Leave It All Out There

Country singer Gabby Barrett gives us some serious Carrie Underwood vibes on Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb.” [Credit: ABC]

With everything on the line, some contestants left it all on stage hoping it was enough. For Mara Justine, her emotions went unchecked in The Greatest Showman’s “This Is Me” which affected her vocal control, to the point that not even a decent cover of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” on Monday night was enough to save her. In contrast, Ada Vox may have hit a few bumps in both of her performances, but after a dramatic version of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” on Sunday night, the judges were shocked to find her in the bottom group and saved her immediately following her performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from the musical Dreamgirls.

Ada’s performance came immediately after Catie Turner was told she was safe based on her cover of Hozier’s “Take Me To Church,” which seemed to lack an emotional connection for me, but the sweetness of her enunciation and her personality came out stronger in her follow-up of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” on Monday night.

At the end of the show we found out that the Top 10, consisting of Ada, Cade, Caleb, Catie, Dennis, Gabby, Jurnee, Maddie, Michael, and Michelle would be performing Disney songs next week. Next week’s show will also feature nationwide live voting, with the show airing at 8 p.m ET and 5 p.m. PT on Sunday night. It will be interesting to see how this kind of voting affects the results, as three contestants go home. We will see you Monday will our recap of that!

Did America advance the right six? Did the judges advance the right four? Are you excited for Disney songs night? Are you nervous for live voting? Let us know in the comments below!

Header image: ABC