ABC
Season 19 of American Idol finished Hollywood Week and gave the contestants their first chance to perform with a full band during the Showstopper round of the competition. After each contestant sang, judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan delivered the news about whether or not they’d be moving on to the next round, and fans were upset after one elimination.
Contestant Philip Murphy delivered an interesting performance when he first auditioned for the show, intriguing the judges who let him through to Hollywood Week where he surprised them with his spirit during the duet round.
Unfortunately for Murphy, his time on the show came to an end after the Showstopper Round of the competition.
Murphy Performed an Original Song at the Showstopper Round
Murphy took the chance to perform an original song titled “Am I Still Mine?” rather than a cover at the Showstopper round of American Idol, which may have been a bad decision since the judges ultimately did not put him through to the next round.
The decision wasn’t based purely on talent for the judges this time around, however. Instead, the judges told Murphy that they didn’t think his type of music was the right type for the show and they thought he’d be more successful somewhere else.
Lionel Richie took to Twitter to congratulate Murphy on his American Idol run, writing, “Your spirit is so inspiring @blindboymusic! I have every faith that this isn’t the last time we’ll see you.”
One fan said they would no longer be watching the show after the decision.
“I’m officially boycotting @AmericanIdol for eliminating Murphy!!!! Such a bad decision!! He’s going to be a superstar. What is wrong with these judges?!?!?!”
Fans Were Upset When Murphy Didn’t Make It Through
After Murphy was sent home, fans took to Twitter to let the show know they were upset with the decision.
One person tweeted, “How can you do that to Murphy on your birthday? He has an incredibly, interesting, distinctive voice. Big mistake cutting him.”
Another wrote, “I LOVE Murphy’s voice!! Somebody give him a recording contract!”
Others were more upset with the show.
“That decision was terrible,” one person wrote in a tweet with over 250 likes. “They put through people with less talent than Murphy. I would buy his songs now.”
Another tweeted, “Murphy was ROBBED #AmericanIdol.”
One fan thought that the show made a huge mistake, writing, “I legit was watching his song thinking ‘Murphy’s gonna win this’ are you kidding. #AmericanIdol.”
People responded that they felt the same way about the performer and the performance.
Murphy thanked his supporters following the elimination in a touching post on Instagram.
“Thank you for everyone that showed faith in me. Though my journey is over on #AmericanIdol, I’ll still be singing,” he wrote. “Tomorrow is a new day and the horizon looks very inviting. #Murphyonidol See you soon. :)”
American Idol airs on Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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