Season 22 of American Idol has brought some tremendous talent. Each week, viewers are finding it more and more difficult to weed out the top performances. The remaining seven contestants got the opportunity to showcase their range during Sunday’s (May 5) episode. Performances ranged from foot-stomping to tear-jerking. With the finale just two weeks away, however, two people’s dreams had to end. Here’s who made the top 5 and who went home tonight.
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Who Was Eliminated on ‘American Idol’ Tonight?
All season long, viewers have loved McKenna Faith Breinholt’s smoky vocals and commanding stage presence. The 25-year-old Arizona native gained high marks from judge Katy Perry for her intense rendition of the singer’s “E.T.” Later, she impressed viewers again with an acoustic take on Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
“I could listen to #McKenna Faith Breinholt all day and night i love her smoky and silky vocals,” one viewer wrote on X/Twitter. “She will be a star whether or not she wins.”
Julia Gagnon, 22, of Maine showed off “an extra pair of lungs” with a lively performance of “Roam” by the B-52s. She sparkled again with a blazing rendition of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” which judge Katy Perry called “incredible” and “A-plus.’
Unfortunately, the judges’ praise did not translate into viewers’ votes for the two women. Both Breinholt and Gagnon went home just shy of the top 5.
“Robbed”: Viewers React to ‘Idol’ Eliminations
Inevitably, Idol viewers grow attached to each contestant throughout the course of the season. They’re watching these singers chase their dreams in real time, feeling every high and low right alongside them. So understandably, many viewers were devastated to see the end of McKenna and Julia on season 22.
“JULIA AND MCKENNA GOT VOTED OFF??? WTH IS HAPPENING,” one viewer wrote on X/Twitter.
Another viewer lamented, “Julia was one of the best female vocalists this whole season. I’m so disappointed.”
Many viewers said they looked forward to seeing what the two eliminated contestants could accomplish post-Idol. “somebody sign her bc i need to hear more of mckenna!!” one X/Twitter user wrote.
