Ray Mickshaw/FOX(NEW YORK) — On Thursday night’s two-hour edition of American Idol, the duets round continued with the second group of 12 contestants who performed on Wednesday pairing with Idol favorites Constantine Maroulis, Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler, Jordin Sparks, David Cook and Haley Reinhart. Each former Idol was paired with two contestants. After they all performed, judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. deliberated. Seven contestants made it through and five singers were sent home.
Lee Jean, Olivia Rox, Jenn Blosil, Dalton Rapattoni, Manny Torres, Tristan McIntosh and Trent Harmon move on to the next round.
It was the end of the road for Amelia Eisenhauer, Kory Wheeler, CJ Johnson, Adam Lasher and Shelbie Z.
During Thursday’s show, Fox aired a promo announcing its two-hour musical event, The Passion, airing live from New Orleans on Palm Sunday, March 20. It tells the 2,000-year-old story of the last hours of Jesus Christ’s life on Earth and will feature a cast of today’s biggest stars, including Daughtry.
In addition, host Ryan Seacrest also presented the rocker with a plaque from 19 Records and RCA Records commemorating his incredible career, which includes sales of over 8 million albums, 16 million singles and four number-one hits.
Seacrest also revealed that the very first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, will return next week to perform her brand-new single and sit at the judges’ table.
Here are Thursday’s highlights:
Pickler, a season-5 finalist, was teamed with 15-year-old Amelia Eisenhauer for the Sara Evans tune, “Suds in the Bucket.” Kellie was more than happy to let Amelia play fiddle during the performance, noting that most musicians are more comfortable behind an instrument. Harry applauded the teen for her desire to “come out fighting.” Keith agreed Amelia stepped up to the plate. Jennifer thought the duo was perfectly paired and it showed in the performance. Unfortunately, Amelia was eliminated from the competition.
Season-10 third-place finalist Reinhart and Kory Wheeler were next, recreating a memorable moment for Haley by performing Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets,” which coincidentally was the song Cory chose for his audition. Urban thought they matched up really well. Lopez thought Kory did a great job of holding his own against the more experienced Idol alumna. Connick felt Reinhart kept Kory grounded. However, the performance wasn’t strong enough to keep him in the competition.
Daughtry, a season-5 finalist, was paired with 15-year-old Lee Jean. They teamed up for Daughtry’s hit “Home,” with the rocker advising to the teen to just relax and “do” him. The performance left Jennifer “speechless.” Harry was impressed with Lee’s “control.” Keith added that Jean brought a “storyteller” quality to the song. Lee advances to the next round.
Season-seven champ Cook and CJ Johnson tackled Collective Soul’s “The World I Know.” Connick thought their voices blend well together and Johnson’s polish as a performer showed. Urban agreed CJ held his own. Lopez was a little disappointed with the song selection, noting that she would’ve liked to have seen them perform something a little more up-tempo. Johnson was sent packing at the end of the night.
Manny Torres traded vocal licks with Idol’s youngest winner, Sparks, on her hit, “No Air.” Her advice to Torres was to show his vulnerable side. Keith thought the combo worked and Manny stepped up to the plate. Jennifer declared it was “a perfect marriage.” Harry thought his ability to turn his attention from Sparks to Torres was a testament to his charisma on stage. Manny is on his way to the next round.
Maroulis, who finished in the top 10 during Idol’s fourth season, tried to bring out Jenn Blosil’s quirky side by choosing “My Funny Valentine” as their duet. Lopez called the performance “the embodiment of the perfect duet.” Connick had a different take, declaring that it sounded “more like a shouting match.” Urban disagreed, calling it “fantastic.” In spite of Harry’s criticism, Blosil moves on to the next round of competition.
Next, Pickler returned with Tristan McIntosh, 15, performing a song Kellie wrote with Taylor Swift, “Best Days of Your Life.” Connick declared the duet was “pretty darn good,” but urged the teen to be aware of where she was on stage. Urban noticed a little shakiness pitch-wise when Tristan sang harmony. Unfortunately for McIntosh, J-Lo also thought her inexperience showed in her performance. In spite of those flaws, the judges decided they wanted to see more of Tristan and she moves on.
Cook’s next pairing featured Olivia Rox going toe-to-toe on his song, “Light On.” David noted Olivia “had all the tools,” but had to learn when to use them. Keith was happy with the duet, predicting that Olivia’s tour T-shirts will read, “Olivia Rox? Yes, she does!” Jennifer agreed with Cook that Rox has a phenomenal voice, but still needs to find her groove. “Fantastic job,” added Harry. Rox advances to the next round
Reinhart and Adam Lasher performed the Elvis Presley classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Lopez called the duet “strong.” Connick was pleased as well, but urged Adam to use his creativity more. Urban wasn’t impressed, noting that Lasher’s performance felt a little “stiff.” Lasher was sent home at the end of the show.
Daughtry and Dalton Rapattoni rocked out on Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” a song that Chris sang during his Idol days. Harry felt the performance was “solid,” but also thought it had more to do with the song than the performance. Keith disagreed, noting the two complimented each other. Jennifer also felt the performance was “dynamic.” Dalton advances to the next round.
Sparks advised her next partner Trent Harmon to control his “gorgeous” voice a little more for their duet, the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody.” Urban noted that Jordin brought things out of Harmon he’d never seen before, indicating there’s more in him they haven’t discovered yet. Lopez agreed the performance showcased Trent’s vocal ability and unique tone. Connick loved the performance, noting both Sparks and Harmon could release the song as a single. The judges voted Harmon through to the next round.
Maroulis and Shelbie Z combined for Queen’s classic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He urged Shelbie to “dig in and have some fun with it.” J-Lo loved the song, but didn’t think it was the best one to showcase Shelbie’s talent, noting she “got lost in the song.” Harry agreed, adding that it was a tough song to do as a duet and felt the performance lacked a “point of view.” Keith echoed the sentiments of his fellow coaches. Thursday marked the end of the road for Shelbie.
American Idol continues Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
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