Only ten of the American Idol 2014 Top 15 guys will actually take the stage tonight. The other five will be cut by American Idol judges Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban, and Jennifer Lopez without ever getting the chance to perform for the public to vote on. The viewers were not pleased about the new semifinals format last night, and we suspect they are going to be equally displeased this evening.
If you can’t wait until the end of our live American Idol recap tonight, you can skip over to the spoilers for who went home from the Top 15 male contestants. Weirdly enough, the names were actually leaked by The Idol Pad before the live show tonight. Their spoilers are pretty much always 100 percent. Which means that either the contestants were heavily locked away before the episode began, or they already know going in who is going to be cut.
For those who need a reminder of the American Idol 2014 Top 15 guys up for elimination or voting tonight, here’s the list:
Briston Maroney, Ben Briley, Sam Woolf, Casey Thrasher, Emmanuel Zidor, C. J. Harris, Ethan Harris, Dexter Roberts, Spencer Lloyd, Caleb Johnson, Jordan Brisbane, Alex Preston, Malcolm Allen, Maurice Townsend, and George Lovett.
Who will be the guys who got eliminated on American Idol tonight by the judges? Which ones will survive for a chance at the Top 13? Join us for our live American Idol recap below!
And here we go! After a brief intro and refresher on the Top 15 guys, we launch into our first performance of the night. The first guy the judges have selected to go to the American Idol 2014 Top 20 is rocker Caleb Johnson! Now THIS is how you start a show. Caleb is in command of the stage and sounds like a rock star. We’re loving it and so are the judges and the audience members. He deserves a Top 13 spot!
Caleb Johnson sings “Stay With Me” by The Faces
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The judges loved the next guy from the moment he walked in. Here comes C. J. Harris up to sing next! We hear a little rasp on his voice on the performance and a tiny bit of roughness, but that just makes it more real. So far the guys are killing the girls in the performances tonight. We want to vote yes for C. J. too! (And the guy sang like that the day after a root canal!)
C. J. Harris sings “Shelter by Ray LaMontagne”
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Harry Connick Jr. says the next guy up is a big entertainer and his name is Emmanuel Zidor! As usual, Emmanuel is over the top, big personality and being the performer that he is. The song feels a bit over-sung and karaoke though in places. We like this guy, but not feeling he is Top 13 material. We don’t like at all that the judges let him sing a tiny bit of a second song. That’s not really very fair to everyone who didn’t get that chance.
Emmanuel Zidor sings “The Best of My Love” by The Emotions
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Keith Urban says all the judges instantly agreed on the next guy and he shined in Hollywood with an original song. Sam Woolf is heading to the stage! We think Sam is doing a great job on this song. You can hear a tiny bit of nerves, but his voice is great and this is a strong song choice. The audience obviously loves him, and so do the judges. We can see him in the Top 13. If the voters don’t pick him, the judges will.
Sam Woolf sings “Babylon” by David Gray
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Jennifer Lopez says the next guy up kind of flew under the radar at first, but then burst out at the end of Hollywood Week. Here comes George Lovett! His favorite American Idol contestant is Josua Ledet and he reminds us of him vocally a little bit. Once again, we have to say the guys are smoking it tonight, putting the girls to shame. We really like George, although he did get a bit much with the runs.
George Lovett sings “Grenade” by Bruno Mars
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Now we have our country artist of the evening with the next selection by the judges: Dexter Roberts! He’s the real deal as a country singer, the judges agree, but will he be versatile enough to go far in the competition? We think he’s fun and entertaining, but a little bland. Not sure if he’s Top 13, but we are guessing he’ll probably get the country votes, which are strong.
Dexter Roberts sings “This Ole Boy” by Craig Morgan
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We’ve been looking forward to seeing the next guy all night. He’s one of our favorites and we hope he does well. Here’s Alex Preston! He only sings a few words before we’re like, yes vote, yes vote. He’s a real musician. Great voice, unique style, and he can play the heck out of a guitar. Keith Urban says it was the perfect song and it was like he could have written it. Top 13 please!
Alex Preston sings “Volcano” by Damien Rice
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Only a few spots left! The next singer chosen by the American Idol judges for the Top 10 guys this evening is… Malcolm Allen! He gives a good performance and has very emotive vocals, but he is pitchy in spots. However, we think he is in the top half of the singers tonight and will probably find a spot in the Top 13 either through the votes or the judges.
Malcolm Allen sings “Comin’ From Where I’m From” by Anthony Hamilton
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Now we have the winner from the first vote of the season taking his place in the Top 10 guys, Ben Briley! Yep, it looks like the judges couldn’t decide on whether or not to put him in the Top 15 guys, but apparently it was a lot easier for them to put him in the Top 10. We are glad the voters saved him because his performance is GREAT. Seriously, he’s one of the very best of the night and we think he just earned a spot in the Top 13!
Ben Briley sings “Soulshine” by Warren Haynes
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Our final singer of the night is up. This is the last spot for the Top 10 guys. Who will be the judges’ pick to finish off the evening? They’ve decided to choose… Spencer Lloyd! Spencer looks good on stage, but we think this is one of the weaker performances of the night. We wouldn’t put him in the Top 13, but we bet there are a lot of ladies out there who will be voting for him.
Spencer Lloyd sings “Love Don’t Die” by The Fray
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That’s it for the semifinals performances! The Top 13 results, including the 10 chosen by the voters and the three wild cards from the judges, will be announced tomorrow night.
Eliminated tonight: Briston Maroney, Casey Thrasher, Ethan Harris, Jordan Brisbane, and Maurice Townsend
American Idol 2014 Top 20:
Girls: MK Nobilette, Malaya Watson, Bria Anai Johnson, Jessica Meuse, Majesty Rose York, Jena Ascuitto, Kristen O’Connor, Briana Oakley, Emily Piriz, Marialle Sellars
Guys: Sam Woolf, Ben Briley, Emmanuel Zidor, C. J. Harris, Dexter Roberts, Spencer Lloyd, Caleb Johnson, Alex Preston, Malcolm Allen, George Lovett