‘American Idol’ Hopeful Lazaro Arbos: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

American Idol Lazaro Arbos

American Idol Top 8 finalist Lazaro Arbos completely tanked with his group on Wednesday night’s performance of I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch). The performance was so terrible that judge Nicki Minaj demanded that the group get off the stage. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Lazaro Arbos Forgot the Words to His Latest Performance

Arbos and his group mates, Burnell Taylor and Devin Velez, sang the Four Top’s I Can’t Help Myself on Wednesday night as a part of Motown week on American Idol. The performance was a disaster from the beginning of the song, making it clear that the group’s chemistry was completely out of sync. Arbos looked shaky and unsure of himself the entire time and worst of all, he forgot the words to his part. Check out the train wreck of a performance above.


2. Nicki Minaj Demanded His Group Get Off the Stage

Nicki Minaj Lazaro Arbos

When the song was finished, Nicki Minaj said she felt like she was back in Hollywood week.

“I don’t know what that was, but I’m going to act like I didn’t see it–or hear it,” Minaj told Arbos and his group. “Okay, I’ma thank God all three of you already had your solo performances… Lazaro you fell as flat as a pancake. Don’t ever do that–I don’t know what’s happening, but all three of ya’ll go. Get off the stage! Go! Go!”


3. The Rest of the Group Started Blaming Each Other

Burnell Taylor, Devin Velez, Lazaro Arbos, American Idol Lazaro Arbos

When Ryan Seacrest asked the group what happened, Taylor started blaming his group mates for the disaster.

“I did what I was supposed to do,” Taylor answered. “Not to throw anyone under the bus, but it’s a competition so…”

“I learned my parts,” Velez said. “I tried saving a couple people, but…”

Finally, Arbos struggled to say that he didn’t know the words that well.

4. Arbos Has an Intense Stutter
Lazaro Arbos’ most obvious identifying feature is that he has an intense stutter. The stutter started at the age of six and got worse after he moved to America from Cuba. Arbos surprised the judges at his audition in Chicago when he sang without the stutter to the song Bridge over Troubled Water.


5. Last Week, Lazaro Pulled Off a Decent Performance

Despite his reputation for bombing his songs, Arbos somewhat redeemed himself with a decent performance of Stevie Wonder’s Once in My Life. However, Wednesday night’s performance brought him right back down to the bottom and his place in the competition remains unstable as he could very well be the next contestant voted off.