‘American Idol’ Season 16: Hollywood Week, First Night Recap

The “American Idol” auditions are finally over! We now move on to the first night of “The Hollywood Week,” where 169 Idol hopefuls will be ultimately trimmed down to 24 contestants. Judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie would have focus harder and decide entirely on what the aspirants have to offer regarding singing prowess and style.

The first four

The “American Idol: Hollywood Week” started with Layla Spring who brought her cute little sister, Dyxie, along with her during her auditions. Layla’s mom Chasity and Dyxie were also present during her performance. Layla sang “Last Kiss” by Wayne Cochran. Katy said that Layla’s performance is the best way to kick off the Hollywood round.

Next up is Alyssa Raghu who performed Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings.” Lionel kept on smiling throughout her performance, so that could be a good sign. Layla and Alyssa were joined by Trevor Mcbane, who still appeared in an all-black outfit just like what he wore during the auditions. This goat farmer sang “Washed By The Water” by Needtobreathe.
The last one to join the first line up was Caleb Lee Hutchinson. Caleb chose to sing a country song “Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Keith Whitley. His soothing voice didn’t only capture the heart and attention of the judges but the audience as well. Luke even admitted that he felt intimidated by Caleb’s performance.

Noah Davis and the twins, Early end for some Idol hopefuls

Noah Davis instantly made a connection with Katy in the “American Idol” auditions. Tonight, Noah once again made a special connection, this time with all the judges. Noah sang “Mamma Knows Best” by Jessie J and did his best during the Hollywood performance because he believes that he could be going home tonight if Noah doesn’t give it his all.

The Sposato twins came up next. Milo performed “Jealous” by Labrinth while Julian performed “Love’s In Need of Love Today” by Stevie Wonder. Unlike their auditions, only Milo made it through the group rounds. Julian may be going home early, but he could still be part of “American Idol” by supporting his twin brother’s journey.
Like Julian, other contestants also went home early. Kenedee Rittenhouse joined the last batch of Idol hopefuls before the auditions ended. But her “American Idol” journey immediately came to an end after she failed to impress the judges. The same happened to Joshua Ward band Krystin Harris.

An ‘American Idol’ Love Story?

Aside from aiming to be the next “American Idol” winner, it seems that Catie Turner is also eyeing one of the boys in the show. Catie admitted that she is very excited to see Zach D’Onofrio and that she likes Zach because he is funny, sweet and sings well. Their cute love story (which is just starting), however, was cut immediately after Zach didn’t make it to the next round.

Catie sang The Beatles’ “Come Together,” and Zach performed Michael Buble’s “Cry Me A River.” Joining Catie were Victoria McQueen, the “American Idol” baby, and Brandon Elder who auditioned with an original song which he dedicated to his adoptive mother.

Maddie Poppe and Cade Foehner

Both Maddie and Cade made it through the next round. Maddie sang “Dreams” by Brandi Carlile. And like the title of her chosen song, Maddie got to live her dream, which is to be part of “American Idol.” Maddie said that she wanted to make an impression and she sure did!

Cade, on the other hand, decided to sing “The Thrill Is Gone” by BB King. Cade used his raspy voice to be successful in his performance.

Johnny Brenns

In the “American Idol” auditions, you can remember Johnny Brenns as the boy who auditioned for the show without informing his family. But during Johnny’s performance in Hollywood, his mother and sister traveled to Los Angeles to witness his amazing talent. Johnny’s father, however, was noticeably absent during his performance. Johnny sang “Somebody Else” by The 1975.

Dennis Lorenzo and Jurnee

Jurnee surprised the judges during her audition when she said that she’s already married to a woman. And on her performance in Hollywood, she once again stunned the audience and judges after singing “You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore” by Demi Lovato.

Dennis Lorenzo also made it through the next round! He sang Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.”

Trevor Holmes

Another contestant who stood out in the “American Idol” Hollywood Week was Trevor Holmes. Who could forget this guy after capturing Katy’s heart? Trevor’s audition has already reached a million of views, no wonder he also goes to the next round.

Trevor performed Vance Joy’s “Riptide.” Trevor’s girlfriend was present during his performance, so Katy didn’t do anything but to stare and listen to him.

David Francisco

David inspired a lot of people during his auditions. The judges were moved and touched by his story, but surprisingly, David didn’t make it to the level of the competition. Davis’s rendition of “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5 was not enough for him to compete with the other contestants in Hollywood.

The ‘American Idol: Hollywood Week’ Group Round

God’s Diversity

This group is composed of five members—Thaddeus Johnson, Shannon O’Hara, Michael J. Woodard, Kourtney Smith and Emmi B. They performed Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be.”

Katy said that their performance wasn’t perfect, but they were all great singers. Four of them moved on to Solos, but unfortunately, Emmi B. didn’t make it.

The Gurope

This group, made up of Marcio Donaldson, Maddie Zahm, Samuel James and Cesley Parrish, is an unfortunate mess. Marcio and Maddie tried their best to at least collaborate with the other members, but almost all of them are nowhere to be found. It seems that The Gurope has no cooperation and teamwork at all.

To further illustrate how messed-up the Gurope was, they forgot the lyrics of their song “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees. Marcio and Maddie made up their lyrics, so they were lucky enough to move on to the next round! Cesley was lucky to be in as well, but Samuel was not.

Taco Group

Catie Turner, Alyssa Raghu, Victoria McQueen and Kyah Robinson formed a group called Taco and performed “La La La” by Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith. Taco group could be the coolest group in “American Idol” ever, and their voices complemented each other too. Kyah, however, moved out of the competition.

Superdope Hotness

Dennis Lorenzo, Milo Sposato, William Casanova, Deonte Baker and Aname Rose composed the group Superdope Hotness. The members were annoyed with Milo’s mother who questioned their arrangement and suddenly wanted to change their song choice. Then, just a few moments before their performance, Milo tried to convince his fellow members to change their arrangement. Milo was even seen shouting as they walked on stage. Milo’s mother should never have interfered!

Thankfully, the last minute change didn’t affect their performance that much. Katy, however, said that they are all better separately than they were together. All of them advanced to the next round.

DNA

Ada Vox, Kay Kay, Chekera Barrett and JoMarc Dee formed the group DNA. They performed “Want to Want Me” by Jason Derulo. During their performance, Ada Vox showed his talent in beat-boxing, and the judges praised his vocal range as well. Kay Kay and Ada led their team.

The Soul 4’s

Laine Hardy, Mia Desaris, Juliana Madrid and Kaitlann Runnells are part of this group. The girls decided to choose Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” Laine Hardy struggled during their practice and performance because he doesn’t listen to Justin Bieber. Laine didn’t like the girls’ choreography as well.

Luke praised Laine’s dedication but specifically called out Kaitlann’s superior vocals. Laine, however, didn’t have the chance to expand his vocal ability, mostly because he isn’t a pop singer. Laine and Kaitlann moved on, but Mia and Juliana were eliminated.

Don’t Touch

Crystal Alicea, Britney Holmes, Lee Vasi, and Gabii Jones performed Rixton’s “Me and My Broken Heart.” Britney was the last person to earn the final ticket to Hollywood which was announced during Dancing with the Stars. During their rehearsals, Crystal broke down because she felt like she lacks experience, unlike her fellow members. But the girls kept on encouraging her.

Katy then pranked the group, saying there’s only room for three more artists and one of them should decide to step down. Crystal volunteered while crying, so Katy immediately admitted that she was joking! Katy then asked for a round of applause for what Crystal did.
“American Idol: The Hollywood Week” continues next Sunday, April 1st, at 8/7c on ABC.