Lucy Love, Marybeth Byrd and Nutsa stood side-by-side as they learned their fates on "American ... [+]
American Idol viewers know what they want.
Last week’s viewer votes left 10 singers safe to move on in the competition, but those singers weren’t the only ones to advance. Thanks to the show’s trio of celebrity judges, two contenders who didn’t earn a spot among the public faves, soul singer Lucy Love and glory-note lover Nutsa, were spared an early exit and given a pass to the Top 12.
However, on Sunday night’s episode, Idol fans were had another chance to make their voices heard in the first live vote of Season 21, and when the approximately 22 million votes were tallied, they told panelists Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to give them the Top 10 they’d already chosen.
Nutsa belted out another song in her signature style.
Nutsa had hoped her cover of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On,” complete with fake flames behind her and her overblown vocal style in full effect, would give her a chance to go on—even though “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night” mentor, Queen’s own Adam Lambert, advised her to reconsider her choice of yet another “big diva” song.
But divas gonna diva.
When it was over, Perry said, “You don’t have to always go to a 10. Sometimes you can control the room with a three or a four. But look, the word ‘nuts’ is in your name, and you will be Nutsa, forever and always.”
Lucy Love delivered a performance made to please ... Lionel Richie.
As for Love, she went with the opposite direction style-wise, delivering a somewhat low-energy version of Richie’s “All Night Long,” which would have been a great choice if it was just Richie she needed to win over. He smiled, sang along and when it was over, he told her, “You took my song and made it your song.”
Alas, his opinion didn’t hold a lot of weight. Neither Nutsa’s nor Love’s songs did anything to sway viewers, as both singers were sent packing at the end of the night.
Of course, that means American Idol’s 2023 Top 10 was made official by the end of the two-hour episode.
Take a look at who they are and what they sang on “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night”:
- Wé Ani, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”
- Marybeth Byrd, “Dancing Queen”
- Megan Danielle, “Angel From Montgomery”
- Haven Madison, “Livin’ on a Prayer”
- Warren Peay, “House of the Rising Sun”
- Zachariah Smith, “Don’t Bring Me Down”
- Oliver Steele, “Georgia on My Mind”
- Colin Stough, “Midnight Rider”
- Iam Tongi, “Bring It on Home To Me”
- Tyson Venegas, “For Once in My Life”
