Heavy/ABC "American Idol" Top 5 for season 22
The competition is heating up on “American Idol,” with just a handful of finalists left. During the two-hour live episode airing on May 5, 2024, viewers’ votes will whittle the seven remaining finalists of season 22 down to a Top 5.
Ciara will mentor the top 7 as they rehearse their performances of songs that make them want to dance, and the contestants will also each sing a song by pop powerhouse Adele, as judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie provide their feedback. Millions of votes are expected to roll in, with the results announced by host Ryan Seacrest at the end of the show.
Spoiler Alert: Heavy is reporting a full recap of performances, and voting results live throughout the night. If you do not want to know what happens, do not read any further.
‘American Idol’ Top 5 Results: First Hour
For the first hour, contestants focused on the “Songs That Make Me Wanna Dance” with mentorship from Ciara.
Jack Blocker was first up, admitting that he’s “not good” at dancing, but loves high energy alternative songs. He chose to perform Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.” Ciara encouraged him to move even more as he sang, and the two shared a laugh over some of his moves, including the moonwalk.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Bryan gave Blocker a “10 out of 10,” and Richie marveled that he has no way to explain who Blocker has become compared to his audition months ago. Perry said she’d been nervous about him singing a dance number, but called his performance “crazy” in the best way.
Julia Gagnon was next, and said she dances every morning to get her energy up. She chose to sing the B-52’s “Roam,” and admitted that viewers will see her in a different way than they’ve ever seen. Ciara coached her through some dance moves and lengthening her notes, too.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: The judges were on their feet, and Richie was impressed by how long she held her final note, saying that she must have a second set of lungs. Perry loved the song choice and said she would have loved to see a few more moves, but admitted she “didn’t start dancing” till she was 27. Bryan loved how she arranged the song to feature the background singers at the start, and said that she exuded confidence and is growing as a performer every week.
After a break and the announcement that Kane Brown will be the Top 5’s mentor next week, Abi Carter worked with Ciara, admitting she’s “never been a dancing.” Ciara promised to help her spice up her routine, and loved the ideas that came naturally to Carter as she rehearsed “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) by Fall Out Boy.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie and Bryan leapt to their feet, but Perry was so stunned that she could barely got up. As the crowd screamed Carter’s name, Perry said she was “scared for my job” because Carter was such a pro, even handling a tech mishap without issue. Bryan agreed that the performance was “amazing” and both he and Richie said they didn’t realize she had energy and confidence she showed during that song.
Next up, McKenna Faith Breinholt met up with Ciara, expressing how grateful she was that Perry “saved” her in the previous week when she was in the bottom two. So she decided to sing a Perry tune, “E.T.,” that she used to sing all the time as a kid. Ciara reminded her that “every moment matters” even when she’s not singing, and Breinholt said her goal was to prove she belongs in the top 5.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: The judges were on their feet again, and Bryan started the feedback by saying that he could tell the tune was outside Breinholt’s comfort zone, but did a great job and looked like a star. Richie said she made a Katy Perry song “your song” with a unique arrangement. Perry excitedly said, “great job” and that she had no idea she had the “rock star/pop star” within her, encouraging her to keep pushing herself.
As Seacrest and the judges drank margaritas in honor of Cinco de Mayo, viewers watched Will Moseley sweat through several dance steps with Ciara, which he joked was like teaching a preschooler a new skill. “I’m just not a dancer, simple as that,” he said, adding that he was excited to see what he could do this week while singing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps.”
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: “That is the way to make it nasty, Will Moseley,” Richie exclaimed, saying that his voice on any track, combined with the joy he was exuding, always works. Perry agreed that seeing him having fun, tilting the mic stand and looking casual, makes all the difference. Bryan joked that his Apple Watch will tell him he took “2 steps today” and added, “I don’t think I’ve heard you sing a bad note all year.”
Next up was Emmy Russell, who told Ciara she hadn’t danced since watching her middle school crush dance with the “popular girl” at age 13. She chose “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, starting it out as a ballad, and Ciara and she agreed it would make sense to get up from her piano and move a bit midway through the song, picking up the tempo. However, she never did get up from the piano.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Perry asked her why she didn’t and Russell said she decided ahead of time that her “nerves got nervous.” Perry said it was okay, and that she still exuded more confidence than she ever has. Bryan said she has grown so much since she appeared at her audition so shy and meek, and applauded her growing confidence. Richie said her nerves were not evident and that she’s starting to “step into that lane called ‘superstar.'”
After the break, the last dance song came from country singer Triston Harper, who chose to sing Travis Tritt’s “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.” Ciara told the 15-year-old that she was a teen, too, when she started in music and that age is just a number. She encouraged him to connect with her and the audience, and said as soon as he did, “something magic” happened.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: The judges went wild for Harper’s dance moves during his performance and were on their feet at the end. Bryan told Harper to “just keep smiling and dancing and having fun and it’s all gonna be okay,” telling him he’s sure his performance made people at home smile, too. Richie said he was “gyrating” before the other judges were born. Perry said she loves seeing his mom in the audience watching her son perform at “another level.”
‘American Idol’ Top 5 Results: Hour 2
The second hour of the top 5 live show kicked off with a performance by recent mentor Meghan Trainor, singing her new singles “To The Moon” and her “Been Like This.” She told the contestants that they’ve been “killing it” and, though she’s currently sick, she’s ready to kick off her first tour in seven years.
Following another break, Seacrest was back to kick off the second theme of the night, opening Adele’s “renowned catalog” for the first time in “Idol history.
McKenna Faith Breinholt started the new round of performances singing “Make You Feel My Love” while playing an acoustic guitar as many people in the audience swayed with the flashlights on their phones up in the air.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie started the feedback by saying that he was amazed how she made an “Adele song smoky” with her voice. Perry loved it and said it’s wonderful to see how much she grows every week. Bryan said it was her kind of song, and that he loved seeing her with her guitar for the first time during the live shows.
From Adele’s album “21,” Jack Blocker sang her song “One And Only.” Dressed in a powder blue suit, he took the mic off its stand halfway through the song to make his way through the audience. He ended the song with a falsetto note that got the judges out of their seats, all excitedly shaking his hand at the end.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Perry said people want rock stars that people “aspire to” and that he’s becoming just that. Bryan said that the way he’s grown, with his own charisma, is “really firing me up.” Richie said Blocker’s relaxed attitude is infectious and that people are going to want more of it.
After a commercial break, it was Will Moseley returned to the stage to perform the Grammy-winning Adele song “Rolling in the Deep.” Beginning his black cowboy hat tipped low and a screaming electric guitar, Moseley turned the pop hit into a moody southern rock anthem.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Bryan said, again, that he nails it “every time.” Richie loved the drama of his performance, and Perry said that, “even though it was an Adele song,” he made it a “Will Moseley song” with his growl and dramatic delivery.
After a quick mic change, Julia Gagnon took the stage in a sparkling gold top to sing Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain.” She took stepped away from the mic midway through the song, but stayed closed to center stage as she hit one big note after another.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie said Gagnon has so many sides to her, that it was a “drop the mic” moment for her. Perry said “this was your lane” and that she could have just been comfortable in it, but she pushed herself with intricate choices the way Adele would want her to. Bryan said it was obvious she’d sung the song “a thousand times” in her car because she was so at ease as she belted out the tune.
After a commercial break, Emmy Russell was back on stage to sing Adele’s “Water Under the Bridge.” Dressed in a short, sparkling black dress, Russell stayed at the mic.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Perry told her that she’s sounded the best she has throughout the competition and that she also looked great tonight, thrilled to see her grow so much over the last week. Bryan said that Russell knows “exactly what you are and you stay there,” but adds sparkles and “high end stuff” without getting herself into trouble. Richie said Russell has “conquered your demons” because she used to not look them in their eyes and had even looked a little bit “sultry,” which tickled her.
Next up, 15-year-old Triston Harper gave Adele’s “Easy On Me” a country flair, dressed in a suede shirt jacket, jeans and black cowboy hat. Harper stayed at the mic for most of the song, and moved a bit closer to the audience to finish out the ballad.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Bryan told Harper it was “really real, really you, really well done.” Richie said he’s doing some “real grown up things up there,” adding that Harper “turns into yourself” once he takes the mic off the stand. Perry said she could feel him singing the lyrics from his heart.
Wrapping up the Adele tunes, Abi Carter sang the Grammy-winning Song of the Year “Hello.” Carter performed at the grand piano, and when she hit a high note, the cameras caught Perry closing her eyes as if she was taken aback.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie said it was “the best I’ve ever heard you,” calling it “so delicate, so soulful” and “so personal” that it will keep crowds coming back “year after year.” Perry told Carter it was “angelic frequency,” and urged everyone to vote. Bryan said that though Richie wrote the original “Hello,” Carter “crushed the latest” and called it “tremendous.”
Here’s Who’s in the Season 22 Top 5
After the final commercial break, during which live voting closed, Seacrest was handed the nearly 19 million votes as the live show returned to air. With the top 7 contestants lined up on the stage, he read the results in no specific order:
- Abi Carter
- Jack Blocker
- Triston Harper
- Will Moseley
- Emmy Russell
That means Julia Gagnon and McKenna Faith Breinholt are headed home, while the top 5 heads to Disney World to prep for next week’s Disney Night.