‘American Idol’ Recap: Hollywood Week Ends With Both Good & Bad News For Hopefuls

‘American Idol’ is back with the ending of Hollywood Week which featured more performances from hopefuls looking to make it to the top 50. Get the details on what happened here!

American Idol‘s second and final episode of Hollywood Week is ready for another round as the talented performers get set to take the stage in hopes that their performances will lead them to a spot in the top 50 and a chance to perform in front of a live audience. From there, they will be trying to land in the top 24! Judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan brace themselves for more music from some of the best contenders. Read along as we follow the action live right here!

The solo round is first and the nervous performers are prepping for their big moment. 17-year-old Gabby Barrett from Nashville is the first up. The upbeat spunky blonde croons her way through “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin and dedicates it to her dad who’s watching in the audience. The judges look super impressed. Marcio Donaldson sings “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” next in front of his young son and it was too sweet for words. Effie Passero then sings “Alone” by Heart with powerful vocals and all three judges praise her efforts. Next up is Amelia Hammer Harris and Lionel thinks her incredible voice has soul. Cade Foehner belts out Portugal. The Man‘s “Feel it Still” while playing his electric guitar and gets an unexpected standing ovation from the judges.

Harper Grace takes the stage next and sings an original song she wrote called “Rest in Peace” while playing the piano. The heartfelt sad song, which is about a boy who disappointed her, makes the judges keep saying, “Wow” and she leaves the stage smiling and hoping for the best. Noah Davis strikes up a friendship backstage with Catie Turner and after the two make us laugh with their antics, Noah takes the stage to sing the emotional song, “Piece by Piece” by original American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson. He explains that he had a little “hiccup” during the chorus due to nerves. Catie performs an original song called “Pity” which is about a guy who told her to get back in the kitchen to make him a sandwich because he thought that’s where women belonged. Her acoustic guitar playing skills and in-your-face attitude make the judges laugh and they all stand up to clap for her when she’s done.

Dennis Lorenzo and Brandon Elder both separately sing the song “Home” by American Idol alum Chris Daughtry‘s band, Daughtry, next. Their different styles are backed up with intense emotions and they both leave feeling nervous but good about things. Maddie Poppe sings her original song, “Don’t Let Your Children Grow Up” next while strumming her acoustic guitar. Katy tells the judges Maddie reminds her of herself because they both write in similar styles.

Michelle Sussett is being challenged after she unexpectedly lost her voice and has to get ready to sing. With a lot of nerves but determination she sings “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross. She has the judges dancing along to her vocals and cheering her on and Katy thinks she’s a star whether she makes it or not. Ron Bultongez, who just took over custody of his two brothers to get them out of a tough situation, sings “Home” by the winner of the eleventh season of American Idol Phillip Phillips. Katy tells him she loves him and he gets teary-eyed after his performance. Jonny Brenns is next and after wishing his dad was there to see him, he takes the stage to sing “I Lived” by OneRepublic. Although he makes a strong effort, he doesn’t quite hit some high notes and leaves feeling disappointed.

Crystal Alicea, who is not used to singing with a live band, does her best but struggles at singing “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. Katy doesn’t think she has the confidence and needs to learn the lyrics. Deonte Baker, who imagines his name being called by an audience, is next and sings to “Too Good At Goodbyes” by Sam Smith with his best vocals. He’s happy with the way he did and thinks he will get through. Jurnee sings “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande but Katy thinks it was the wrong song for her. Trevor Holmes, who Katy is smitten with, sings “Home” by Phillip Phillips like Ron did and Katy hilariously pretends to cry when he leaves while repeating the lyrics. Maddie Zahm goes up next and does her best to impress the judges to move on to the next round.

17-year-old Shannon O’Hara has some trouble adjusting her microphone at first but once she gets her bearings, she belts out “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)” by Patty Griffin while playing piano. She thinks she did well except for maybe one note. Genavieve Linkowski, whose big family is watching from the audience, is next and sings “Praying” by Kesha. She says getting a “yes” would make her the happiest person on Earth. Garrett Jacobs is feeling the pressure before he starts singing “Wicked Games” by Chris Isaak while playing acoustic guitar. The judges aren’t sure about the power of his voice and say it’s a “maybe” while talking among themselves.

A few soloists are left waiting in the wings before we find out who the top 50 are. Britney Holmes wants to prove she’s got what it takes when she sings “Dive” by Ed Sheeran. The judges cheer her on as she smoothly glides through the lyrics. They are very impressed with her performance and want to give her a big “yes.” Gabbii Jones makes an effort with an okay performance before Thaddeus Johnson dares to sing “Rise” by Katy. He explains that he chose to sing the song because feels he can relate to the lyrics. After his performance, Katy brings him to tears when she tells him he sings her song better than her.

Kay Kay sings her version of “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele and the judges tell her she did a good job. Laine Hardy croons the lyrics to “Fire Away” by Chris Stapleton while hoping he has what it takes before Caleb Lee Hutchinson shows his country talent with the song “Your Man” by Josh Turner. Luke loves what he’s hearing and by the time he’s done, Caleb thinks he did really well.

One excited solo performer is left and it’s Michael J. Woodard. He sings “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret and as soon from the moment he starts to the moment he ends, Katy and Lionel can’t help but say “Oh My God” over and over because of how impressed they are with his talent. “Where did he come from?!,” Katy shockingly asked and all three judges are floored with what they just witnessed.

With the solo performances over, it’s time for the judges to decide who will go on to the live shows. After lots of waiting and high anticipation, Ryan Seacrest reveals that the decisions will be shared after they divide the remaining contestants into three different rooms that they call Room 1, Room 2 and Room 3. Room 1, which includes Catie, gets the awesome news that they are on to the next round but Room 2, which includes Jonny, gets the opposite news after Lionel tells them “no” because the timing is just not right. When the judges approach Room 3, Luke makes it sound like they might not get in but quickly turns things around by telling them they are all going on to the next step of performing in front of a live audience!

The top 24 will be chosen tomorrow night after the remaining contestants perform for the first time in front of a live audience!