‘American Idol’ Episode 8 performances ranked: All 23 Hollywood Week duet singers (we saw) from worst to best
“American Idol” continued with the eighth episode of Season 20 on Sunday, April 4. This installment of the ABC reality TV competition saw judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie pairing the contestants up for duets during Hollywood Week. Partners were predetermined for each singer other than Platinum Ticket holders Huntergirl, Kenedi Anderson and Jay Copeland, who were given their top pick. Contestants who survived this stage made it to the Showstoppers round on Monday, April 4.
So who was the best of the night? And did they step up their game since their first Hollywood Week performance? Below I rank each hopeful from the least impressive (but with room to grow) to a possible Season 20 frontrunner. Of course we didn’t see them all, so not every singer who advanced is listed below. Two weeks in a row…Come on ABC! Just add another episode of Hollywood Week next season. Side note, Duets are my favorite part of this stage of the competition and I feel like the judges did some contestants a disservice with their partner.
SEE Everything to know about ‘American Idol’ Season 20
Below are my rankings for all 23 Hollywood Week duet singers (we saw) who advanced from worst to best:
23. Yoli Mayor (“Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better”): This was my least favorite performance of the night. It reminded me of a weird skit from a high school event. Cringeworthy would be the right word.
22. Sam Moss (“Dancing on my Own”): First and foremost, congratulations on her pregnancy! This particular performance from Sam was not my favorite but I still find her voice to be captivating. Another song might have been better for her.
21. Kelsie Dolin (“Just Give Me a Reason”): Nerves are Kelsie’s main enemy in this competition. Her partner (Betty Maxwell) managed to help calm her throughout this duet. As a result, Kelsie had her best performance in the competition thus far.
20. Douglas Mills Jr. (“Rewrite the Stars”): This duet was uncomfortable to watch. It was very much apparent that neither participant was happy for most of this experience. It’s pretty sad that a contestant that I had such high hopes for has had such an unremarkable Hollywood Week thus far. Time to level up Douglas…or get left behind.
18. Scarlet (“Rewrite the Stars”): Scarlet had an interesting duet experience, yet somehow managed to turn in a good vocal that was memorable. This was a great song choice for her voice so I really do not agree with Katy’s “death by song” comment for her case.
18. Kevin Gullage (“Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better”): This was my least favorite performance from him thus far. Just like his partner Yoli, it reminded me of a weird skit from a high school event.
17. Olivia Faye (“July”): While this song choice was much better for her voice, it was painfully obvious that exhaustion and nerves came into play. Olivia definitely has the ability to do amazingly well if she calms the nerves.
16 – 15. Tristen Gressett & Cameron Whitcomb (“Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”): This duo somehow managed to make me think that decaf is a good idea. A lot of energy from these two. This performance falls right in that grey area of being a good vocal that was just overshadowed by a bit too much “extra stuff.” Tristen is surprising me more and more as this competition continues since his initial audition was my least favorite of the season. Cameron overshadowed him a bit here and ranks slightly higher.
14. Noah Thompson (“July”): Ironically, I enjoyed him a lot more on their initial song choice. Saying that, it was obvious that exhaustion and nerves became a factor in this performance. There is something special about this contestant that I cannot quite identify yet, but he is absolutely a diamond in the rough.
13. Morgan Gruber (“Shallow”): Great voice but this particular performance failed to wow me. Saying that, she was a great partner and delivered a solid vocal. The next round is going to be where Morgan either shines like a diamond or is a surprise elimination.
12. Cole Ritter (“Dreams”): Cole delivered a great vocal that I was not expecting on this particular song. He could be one to watch out for if he makes it to the live rounds since he just seems so at ease on stage. Very reminiscent of Laine Hardy in that regard.
11. Jay (“Shallow”): Jay delivered a solid vocal on a song that he was not completely comfortable with and it showed. Not my favorite performance from him, but still good enough to advance.
10. Fritz Hager (“Locked Out of Heaven”): In an unexpectedly solid performance, Fritz managed to stand his own with Leah and be memorable at the same time. He showed zero nerves for the first time in this competition. This in turn allowed us to see that we might have a dark horse many were not expecting this season.
9. Allegra Miles (“Locked Out of Heaven”): Song choice is key to the success of an individual performance, but a duet song choice needs to be perfect for both performers. In this case, a Bruno Mars classic worked well for Allegra. The same cannot be said for her duet partner (Taylor Fagins) and he was eliminated.
8. Leah Marlene (“Locked Out of Heaven”): The judges clearly saw that this pairing could be a lot of fun. The self-named “Team Green” worked together perfectly. Saying that, Leah stood out as the star from this pairing more than her partner.
7. Betty Maxwell (“Just Give Me a Reason”): While I applaud Betty’s ability to make her partner feel comfortable with this duet, there is no denying that she had the better vocal and performance overall. Betty just might be “American Idol’s” Miss Congeniality this season. Can we make that a hashtag so it happens at the finale?
6. Jordan Chase (“Lean on Me”): Jordan seemed a tad bit nervous initially. Saying that, this was a great vocal from him. Does he strike me as the type to get to the live rounds? Not sure, but I am definitely curious to see more from him.
5. Cadence Baker (“How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)”): This was not her best performance thus far, but something about her voice, combined with this song, was just so much fun. I would love to hear it again.
4. Kenedi Anderson (“Lean on Me”): This seemed like an odd choice of singing partner for her, but choosing Jordan ended up being a brilliant idea. He had to up his game in order to reach her level and Kenedi showed her Platinum Ticket was no fluke.
3. Huntergirl (“Dreams”): The Platinum Ticket really did wonders for her confidence since she has been killing it in Hollywood so far. One of the best vocals of the night for me.
2 – 1. Nicolina & Christian Guardino (“The Prayer”): This was a duet that “American Idol” dreams are made of. If I could do a tie for best singer this week I would, since the decision was excruciating. Nicolina is not playing around and has put her competition on notice two weeks in a row. Christian gets the coveted number one spot since he sold it just a little more. I loved every second of this performance and we can add a new skill set to his bag of tricks…ultimate showmanship.
In short, a night of highs and lows but mostly highs. This is what “American Idol” is all about.
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