American Idol – Season 3, Top 11

By starrymag | May 10, 2020

By: Dustin Bradley

 

ABC’s “American Idol” was back at home last week to reveal the Top 10! And thanks to the judges’ save, it became the Top 11! Tonight’s theme was “Home,” so the contestants are singing songs that remind them of people or places they find home in. And who better to sing about home than former American Idol winner Phillip Phillips who opened last week with a special performance of his Idol hit. We also got short segments with some judges friends, which included Charlie Puth, Darius Rucker and Stevie Wonder.

 

So, who got that coveted judges’ save? And who made into the Top 11? Find out below as we take a look back at the performances and try to predict who will be moving on to the Top 7 tonight. 

 

Louis Knight, “In My Place” by Coldplay– This British heartthrob was the first to claim his spot in the Top 10. Before he sang we got an update that he’s back at work delivering pizza, except this time it’s for frontline workers! He’s singing another piano ballad and it suits his voice very well, so certainly the judges enjoyed it. My only complaint is that I feel like the judges pigeon-holed him into the “piano ballad guy,” so we haven’t been able to see much versatility out of him. I don’t know if he will make it into the Top 7, but he’s an excellent performer either way!

 

 

Julia Gargano, “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel– Julia is home with her family in New York and wanted to sing an anthem for her hometown to make sure that America sees that they are “New York strong.” This Billy Joel hit was her strongest performance to me, personally, since her audition and most definitely her most memorable so far. Out of the females, I believe she’s one of the strongest possibilities to make it into the Top 7.

 

 

Jovin Webb, “Voodoo” by Allen Stone– This Louisiana native is bringing in some more funk to the competition. This song was on par with his selection last week and was very good. The judges loved the performance, but I am unsure if this performance was enough to earn him a spot in the Top 7.

 

 

 

Grace Leer, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland– After making it into the Top 20 at America’s hands it was a nice surprise that they voted her into the Top 10. She decided to sing a song that was a little out of her genre but meant a lot to her. She did a beautiful job with this classic tune! She is another strong possibility for the Top 7.

 

 

Jonny West, “Faithfully” by Journey- Future Mr. Margie Mays is quarantining with his girlfriend in her apartment. From his video package he mentions that it’s a small apartment, but if you’ve seen her YouTube videos I don’t know if it’s as small as he thinks it is. Regardless, Johnny performs this journey number stripped down with the piano and it is incredibly moving. I think that he is definitely a contender for the Top 7!

 

 

Sophia James, “In My Room” by The Beach Boys- Miss Sophia Star…I mean Sophia James brings us this Beach Boys classic in an emotional performance that was one of her best. The judge’s all agreed that she completely blew this performance out of the water! This a singer that definitely deserves to be in the Top 7 and, hopefully, America feels the same way.

 

 

Arthur Gunn, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver- I was surprised that they waited that long into the night to reveal that this frontrunner made it into the Top 10. If you’ve been watching that show the season you know that there was no possible way that Arthur was going to get eliminated just yet! At the moment he’s the person that most fans have picked to be the ultimate champion of the season. Arthur sings a Rastafarian version of a classic country song by John Denver and amazes once again with his ability to arrange tunes and make them his own. This performance was incredible! I believe it’s safe to say that he is most definitely a safe bet for tonight Top 7!

 

 

Just Sam “Grandma’s Hands” by Bill Withers- Just Sam it’s still quarantining in Los Angeles so that she can protect her elderly grandma just in case she is either asymptomatic or contracts this virus. She talks in her package about just how much she misses not only her grandma but Harlem and so this week her performance is dedicated to them both by singing this classic tune. Just Sam has grown so much in this competition and I believe she is another safe bet for tonight’s Top 7!

 

 

Dillon James, “Yesterday” by The Beatles- Well, well, well. “Spiritual Cowboy“ is in the Top 10! He seemed so surprised to earn a spot, but us fans definitely weren’t surprised at all! His song choice is a Beatles classic and although the judges didn’t like the tempo of the song and wanted him to slow it down a little bit more, I personally really enjoyed this performance and I wouldn’t be surprised if he made it into the Top 7 tonight.

 

 

Francisco Martin, “Falling Like the Stars” by James Arthur- Another frontrunner that they waited until the last moment to reveal. Francisco is my personal favorite contestant this season and I’m so happy that he made it this far in the competition! Honestly, after knocking another performance completely out of the park, I sincerely hope that the people that voted know what’s right and voted him through to the Top 7. 

 

 

Judges’ Save

Makayla Phillips,“The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert- Makayla scored the one and only judges’ save of the season! I expected that the judges were going to save Franklin Boone, but considering how male heavy the Top 20 and now Top 11 is, it’s no wonder that they went with a female contestant. And out of the ones that were left, this was the right choice. Makayla took a very huge risk this time around and performed the song that is definitely not in her genre, but she did truly amazing and proved why she deserved to be giving the judges’ save. The only downside is that even though she received the judges’ save that doesn’t mean that she will have America’s vote to make it into tonight‘s Top 7.