American Idol 2018 Recap – Top 24 Celebrity Duets Pt 2 Live Blog (VIDEOS)

Featured on the panel are veteran R&B master, Lionel Richie, pop star Katy Perry and country singer Luke Bryan. Ryan Seacrest returns to host.

American Idol 2018 Spoilers – Top 14 Contestant List

NO SPOILER DISCUSSION ON THE LIVE BLOG. Keep spoiler chatter confined to spoilers posts’ comment sections. Giving results away during the live blog will result in an instant banning. Thank you for your cooperation.

American Idol Top 24 Contestant List with VIDEOS, Social Media Links
American Idol 2018 Spoilers: Top 24 Solo and Celebrity Song Choices

Caleb Hutchinson and Bebe Rexha – Meant to be by Bebe and Florida Georgia Line – Caleb is very excited to sing a country crossover. He also likes Bebe’s hat. He wants “swag out” lessons from Bebe. She confesses that he needs to work on his dancing. Ha ha. The second coming of Scotty McCreery. Nuff said. Speaking of crossovers–I always found this one kind of strane. Caleb acquits himself well for what it is. When Bebe leaves the stage, Caleb is a bit hot and bothered. Katy wants to see his “loop move” which involves a few hip thrusts. OK then. Luke feels like he’s found a fellow “aw shucks country boy.” Lionel says he really enjoyed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_PnsAH0O0U

Ada Vox and Lea Michele – Defying Gravity from Wicked – Oh. This is a Glee classic. Lea performed it on the show as a duet with Chris Colfer. A rendition I absolutely adored, by the way. Lea calls Ada’s voice a “super power.” Ada was more restrained than I was expecting. But that was a nice duet. Their voices blended really well. Loved their harmonies. I wanted a little more from Ada though! Lionel lost his sh*t throughout that performance “A star is born,” he says. “You are a statement,” he says. Katy says she’s having “the most fun” adding “your sound transcends words.” Ada finds a way to bring the house down every time, says Luke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04ogdPt4EY

Maddie Poppe and Colbie Caillat – Bubbly – Colbie confesses that she auditioned, and was rejected from, American Idol with the song Bubbly! But she didn’t have the confidence at the time.  Maddie’s feeling super awkward though and not at all  confident about her stage presence. Maddie talks so much about her insecurities, but she’s damn good at faking it til she makes it. She always sounds self-assured. At one point the music drops out and the two harmonize. Just lovely. I love Maddie’s tone. Luke calls Maddie the competition’s “most complete artist.” Katy thought there was a gentle volleying between the two. She admired the respectul exchange. And that happened amid antics that had Katy pretending she split her pants. CALM DOWN GIRL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvkwSGguPnM

Ron Bultongez and Banners– Someone to You (Idol promo song) – That’s right. Ron is singing the Idol promo song. We’ve heard it dozens of times! Ron didn’t choose this song, and doesn’t seem super happy about singing it. “It’s not my style,” he says. He also feels odd performing without his guitar whom he’s dubbed “Noelle.” Ha. Neither of them sound great here. The Banners dude talk-sings part of it. Their voices really don’t blend. The performance is very shouty and the band is LOUD. Eh. I think the bus just backed over Ron. Katy called the performance an “adventure.” She notes he spent a good deal of time in his own head. Lionel appreciated when he let go. Luke says Ron has a “special thing” and appreciated that he rolled with the dice. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0eOI50iPW0

Amelia Hammer Harris and Bebe Rexha – Me Myself & I – Bebe with G-Eazy – Amelia tells Bebe about her famous dad the songwriter. Oh. Bebe also auditioned and was rejected from American Idol. Amelia sounds terrific in rehearsal. Her solo was disappointing. Hope this is better. Yes. This is a much better song choice and suited to Amelia’s soulful style. Lionel says she’s got a “firm solid grip” on the platform. Katy loves her lime green pants. “I think you can be anything you want to be.” Katy wants more time with her. Luke says she held her own with Bebe. “We haven’t seen it done that well with the star quite yet.” Hm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht8WhE5N4Hs

Shannon O’Hara and Cam – Burning House – Shannon is very nervous about this performance. Cam says vocal gymnastics don’t matter, telling a story from her point of view is what’s important. Shannon has some really nice moments here.  Her tone and phrasing are so pretty. But I’m sticking by what I’ve said all along, she’s not quite there yet. Cam is really connecting with her, as if she knows she needs the support. She’s a generous duet partner. Luke calls the performance “mesmerizing.” Katy loves seeing her blossom. Lionel says the performance was a masterclass for a successful duet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGMXi7cpIMo

Alyssa Raghu and Banners – Yellow by Coldplay – Banners’ dad produced “Yellow.” Oh. Ever since he was a little kid he wanted to be Chris Martin and perform this song on stage. He advises Alyssa to “open her eyes” and look at the audience. Her stage presence seems to be her biggest obstacle at this point. Well. This Banners dude kind of sucks? Is it just me? Not a great song choice or duet partner for Alyssa, unfortunately. It’s a little bit like oil and water. Oh these harmonies are not great. Alyssa seems totally out of her element. The judges know it too. Too bad. I really wanted her to succeed. Katy called it a “good push and pull” between two different voices. No. It was not. Banners seems to be driving the big bad bus tonight, also running it right over Alyssa, as he did Ron. Lionel felt the performance didn’t give him the thing that makes her shine. The audience boos. Not her fault though! Luke advises she “keep delivering her style.” Those remarks were like a big kiss off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6NLc54MDdA

Marcio Donaldson and Allen Stone– What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye – OH. Toni Braxton cancelled her duet with Marcio at the very last minute. Supposedly she was “under the weather.” Allen stepped in for her. Allen plays electric guitar and sings a verse. He’s so smooth. Marcio’s doing a good job playing off Allen and the crowd. The judges are on their feet. The performance is a little messy and loosey goosey, but Marcio’s runs and falsetto are saving the day. Good stuff. Lionel calls it a spiritual moment. Luke says nobody has grown more than him. Katy says he’s a different person from the day before. “You were meant to be here, and you know it now,” she says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlIVH1qI88I

Jurnee and Lea Michele – Run to You – Jurnee has been obsessed with Lea since her Glee days. She loves the song–it helped her get over a bad relationship. In fact,  Jurnee wanted to sing the song as her solo before she knew Lea was coming.  The Glee star confesses tearing up when they first sang together. WOW WOW WOW. It’s as if two celestial beings joined forces to sing. What a gorgeous duet. Jurnee is every bit the singer that Lea is. And kudos to Lea for being a generous duet partner. These two are meeting at the highest pinnacle but without making it a battle. GORGEOUS. The performance of the night.  Luke loves everything about her voice. Katy loved the “flow” between them. She felt Jurnee’s heart. Lionel loves her confidence and attitude. “The sky’s the limit for you,” he says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJuAbjk6DaI

Garrett Jacobs and Colbie Caillat – Lucky by Colbie w Jason Mraz – Garrett wishes he could be with his girlfriend. So he’ll use the song to convey his feelings for her. Colbie says the audience loves when performers sing to each other. But pretend it’s his girlfriend! They have very little chemistry. But Garrett actually has his moments at points in this performance. It was a good choice for him. If only he could get his pitch problems under control. He knows how to phrase a song. Katy says she felt that he really owned it, even compared to his solo. Yeah, that was definitely better than the solo. Luke felt it was a really good moment for him. Lionel says he still needs to work on his presentation, but he’s growing. Aw. The girlfriend is actually in the audience. SURPRISE. She joins him on stage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVS2Q9kKq0U

Mara Justine and Rachel Platten – Fight Song – Mara shares how in school, she doesn’t fit in. “I feel really lost,” she confesses. They try the song with piano only. Such a smart idea to strip this song down to its elements. The arrangement forces Mara to come out from behind the pageant princess facade. This performance is leaps and bounds better than her solo. I’m buying this. It turns out Rachel did her homework before their rehearsal and knew what Mara’s issues were. Kudos to her for excellent mentoring.  Lionel thinks Mara has found her center. “Way to shine at the right time,” says Luke. Katy loves her centered, but that doesn’t mean she should completely lose the hair flipping craziness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFdsBubXMfU

Effie Passero and Cam – Diane – Oh. She was supposed to sing with Jessie J and she fell ill. Lots of that going around. Effie’s thing really isn’t country and she’s a little nervous.  Cam reassures her that it’s all about singing from the heart. Well, Cam does fall along alt country lines, so this should work. Effie doesn’t have much to worry about. She’s a natural. There’s too much reverb on their voices. I want to hear more Effie. But what I’m hearing, I like. Effie learned the song in 15 minutes! “Great job,” says Luke. “You harmonized wonderfully.” Lionel is impressed with how she handled the last minute performance. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwM7_vAX5bM

Results after the break! 

Kieran DIM THE LIGHTS: The first person through is Mara Justine, who appears to be having a seizure. next, it’s Jurnee. The next singer to get through is Maddie Poppe. Katy screams ADA! And the next singer making it through is Caleb Hutchinson. Next, it’s Garrett Jacobs. One more and it’s…Marcio Donaldson. He’s crying of course. Katy reminds the eliminated contestants that two of the duet partners didn’t even make it past Idol auditions. Be encouraged, she says.

Elimination Part 1

Elimination Part 2

Top 14

Mara Justine
Jurnee
Maddie Poppe
Ada Vox
Caleb Hutchinson
Garrett Jacobs. 
Marcio Donaldson

Eliminated

Ron Bultongez
Amelia Hammer Harris
Shannon O’Hara
Alyssa Raghu
Effie Passero