American Idol season 22: Who was eliminated tonight?

American Idol season 22 aired a brand new episode this week on Sunday, May 5, 2024. During the segment, the remaining contestants performed in an Adele-themed episode to keep their position in the singing competition secure.

The synopsis of the episode is as follows:

"Multiplatinum superstar Ciara serves as guest mentor for the Top 7, who perform dance songs from various artists and iconic hits from bestselling artist Adele. Meghan Trainor returns to perform, while America votes live for the Top 5."

By the end of the segment, the audience and the viewers voted for who they wanted to see in the Top 5 and while Abi, Jack, Triston, Will, and Emmy made it through, McKenna and Julia were eliminated from the ABC show.

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What happened in American Idol season 22 episode 16?

In American Idol season 22 episode 16, the top seven contestants took to the stage under the guidance of Ciara, a singer-songwriter, businesswoman, and dancer.

The first contestant on stage was Jack Blocker, who sang Long Tall Sally by Little Richard. After his performance, Luke Bryan said that the singer was not "the kid" they knew when the competition started. He was not the only judge impressed by the first performance of the night as Katy Perry exclaimed:

"Holy Sh*t!"

Lionel Richie praised the American Idol season 22 contestant and said he was the only person who could make "Chuck Berry and Little Richard" the "same person."

Next up was Julia Gagnon, who sang Roam by The B-52's. While Lionel Richie had nothing but good things to say about the singer, Katy Perry said that she would have liked to see Julia dance around more. Luke was impressed that Julia was open to challenging her comfort level. He called her performance "refreshing."

Up next was Abi Cater with My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boys. The judges were impressed with the choice of song and Katy asked the contestant why she was saving that song:

"Why were you saving that? You can do that? I'm scared for my job."

Luke Bryan called the performance "amazing" and was impressed that she did not play the piano during her American Idol season 22 episode 16 performance.

The next contestant on stage was McKenna Faith Breinholt, who sang E.T. by Katy Perry. Following her performance, Will Moseley sang Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lionel Richie said his performance was "so good" while Perry called him a rockstar. Luke Bryan pointed out the lack of movement in the performance but praised his voice.

Emmy Russell sang Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon. Triston Harper was up next with T-R-O-U-B-L-E by Travis Tritt. Luke Bryan told him to keep dancing while Katy Perry said the American Idol season 22 contestant's performance was "on another level."

After Meaghan Trainer's performance, the contestants performed once again and sang Adelle's songs. McKenna Faith Breinholt sang Make You Feel My Love. About her performance, Luke said:

"That's your kind of song and it was done perfectly."

Jack sang One and Only, while Will sang Rolling in the Deep. Lionel Richie complimented him and said that his performance was "fantastic," while Luke Bryan pointed out that Jack had "great delivery." Julia sang Set Fire to the Rain, while Emmy sang Water Under the Bridge. Triston's rendition of Easy on Me impressed the judges. This was followed by Abi Carter, who sang Hello by Adelle.

After the performances, Host Ryan Seacrest announced the top five. This included Abi, Jack, Triston, Will, and Emmy. Julia and McKenna were eliminated from American Idol.

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Episodes of American Idol season 22 are available on ABC and Hulu.