Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The remaining American Idol contestants performed duets on Monday’s pre-taped show, hoping to advance to the Show Stopper round.

And while the judges fretted over eliminating so much talent, very few familiar faces left the stage.

Gone is Claudia Conway, daughter of anti-Trump dad George and pro-Trump mom Kellyanne, who was fortunately absent from Monday’s episode.

Gone too is Zachary D’Onofrio, boyfriend of Season 16 standout Catie Turner.

But, honestly, both seemed like longshots to make the Top 24.

Viewers also got to hear from enough singers Monday to make it clear that the Idol judges are facing a daunting challenge when it comes time to select a Top 24.

This folks, is a remarkably talented and surprisingly young cast.

My favorite five performances from Monday, ranked.

1. Alyssa Wray and Grace Kinstler, “Grenade”: Idol saved this performance for the pimp spot, and it was worthy. Okay, the last part got a bit too shouty for my liking. But the first minute was pure magic. And that combined glory note — that, folks, was an Idol moment.

2. Deshawn Goncalves and Madison Watkins, “Stay”: We didn’t get to hear from either of these singers during Sunday’s genre-challenge show. Idol corrected that Monday. I expected Madison to impress. Deshawn was the real revelation. I liked that vocal much more than his audition.

3. Ava August and Hunter Metts, “Dancing on My Own”: Ava August — she’s just 15 folks, continues to amaze me with her tone and her composure on Idol’s big stage. Hunter’s vocal impressed me much more than his Hollywood performance. Yeah, the duo got a lecture about playing it safe. They also sounded great.

4. Chayce Beckham and Christina Daugherty, “July”: If anyone got robbed during Monday’s episode, it was Christina. I mean, she showed off a distinct tone during this duet and sounded better than several singers who advanced. Perhaps she lacked an Idol sob story. Meanwhile, Chayce is quickly becoming one of my favorite male voices on Season 19.

5. Alex Miller and EmiSunshine, “I Walk the Line”: I expected Alex to sound great and perform with confidence. But where did that ray of sunshine singing alongside him come from. Emi wasn’t featured in any of the audition shows, but sounded great on this performance. And that yodel at the end was a wonderful touch.