Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Laine Hardy and Garrett Jacobs await their fate on American Idol. Garrett advanced; Laine did not. (ABC Photo)

Who advanced and who didn’t from tonight’s American Idol?

It was a bit difficult to keep track with the way Idol handled the episode.

I would have much rather seen everyone’s showcase performances early in the show, allowing a bit of drama to build before we found out each singer’s fate.

After all, Idol has always loved drama.

Anyway, I’ll answer the who advanced and didn’t question in a moment. First, a couple of notes.

1. Idol Season 16 has a chance to be something truly special based on the caliber of the performances we saw Monday night. And the show seems to have unearthed some very talented young singers who don’t seem like they’ll be phased by the show’s big stage. That’s often been a problem in the past.

2. My absolute favorite performances of the night were delivered by Mara Justine, who’s just 15 and owned the Idol stage, and Cade Foehner, who seems determined to show that rockers can succeed on a show like Idol. And wasn’t it nice to see Caleb Lee Hutchinson advance. For those who don’t remember, he tried The Voice a couple of years back and failed to turn a chair.

3. The mystery of the night was the elimination of Thaddeus Johnson. Sorry, Idol, but he flat-out delivered one of the best male vocals on the final day of Hollywood and in the showcase round. In fact, I think he out-sang four singers we saw during the showcase and who advanced.

Okay, it’s time, here’s the rundown on who made Idol’s Top 24 for Season 16. I’m hoping the show provides a group photo soon so I can embed it in this blog.

The Ladies

Alyssa Raghu
Amelia Hammer Harris
Catie Turner
Effie Passero
Gabby Barrett
Jurnee
Kay Kay Alexis
Layla Spring
Maddie Poppe
Mara Justine
Michelle Sussett
Shannon O’Hara

The Gents

Ada Vox
Brandon Diaz
Cade Foehner
Caleb Lee Hutchinson
Dennis Lorenzo
Dominique Posey
Garrett Jacobs
Jonny Brenns
Marcio Donaldson
Michael J. Woodard
Ron Bultongez
Trevor McBane