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American Idol Season 22: Which Contestants Got Eliminated After Shania Twain Mentored Top 10? Find Out
In the episode, the contestants were to perform songs from their birth years which resulted in a diverse song lineup, from the ‘90s pop-punk to early 2000s country hits.
All eyes were on the Top 10 contestants of American Idol Season 22 on Sunday night, April 28, as they performed for spots in the Top 8. In the episode, the contestants were to perform songs from their birth years which resulted in a diverse song lineup, from the ‘90s pop-punk to early 2000s country hits.
Legendary singer Shania Twain appeared as the guest mentor to help the performers while Katy Perry, Ryan Seacrest Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie were the judges. Besides the many worthy performances, two American Idol contestants were let go from the show.
Two performers go home from the Top 10
Sam ‘Kayko’ Kelly-Cohen and Mia Matthews were eliminated on Sunday night and failed to make it to the Top 8. Kayko performed Wheatus’s song from the 2000s, Teenage Dirtbag whereas Mia Matthews wanted to impress the judges and mentor Twain by staging the latter’s 1996 single, No One Needs to Know.
Unfortunately, the two did not get enough votes despite the viewers voting around 21 million times during the two-hour episode. Judge Lionel pointed out that he “caught her thinking” about the lyrics as she performed without her guitar while Katy expressed her admiration for the 19-year-old’s performance. She liked how Mia “moved around the stage.” Similarly, Bryan noted the young singer’s “commercial ability” despite stumbling on the lyrics. 
Whereas for Kayko’s rendition of Teenage Dirtbag, Luke lauded him for “keeping people guessing.” Lionel claimed he had the “greatest time” on stage whereas Katy Perry reminisced about his “weird” journey on the show. Kayko, 23, had originally entered the show to accompany another contestant, his friend, as a pianist but ended up standing amongst the Top 10.
Top 8 contestants thrive under Shania Twain’s mentorship
Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain mentored the Top 10 contestants on Sunday night, two of whom failed to impress the judges and went home. Nashville contestant, Emmy Russell was thrilled to have the 58-year-old singer guide them in choosing songs for the important night. "I love Shania Twain. She's literally the queen of pop country," the 25-year-old performer said.
Russell, who is the granddaughter of iconic country singer, Loretta Lynn, performed Blink-182’s 1999 hit, All The Small Things. Reciprocating her respect, Shania Twain chimed in, “There's no Shania Twain without Loretta Lynn.”
The judges were highly impressed by Russell’s performance which Lionel noted as a “real story-telling purity voice” while Perry lauded her saying, “Yes, Miss Emmy, comfortable looks good on you.” "If you would've told me a month and a half ago one of your best vocals would be a Blink-182 song...that's what's so fun about this show,” Luke Bryan chimed in. Emmy Russell had ditched her guitar and solely focused on her vocals for the performance.
The Top 8 contestants for American Idol Season 22 are:
- McKenna Faith Breinholt
- Jack Blocker
- Will Moseley
- Abi Carter
- Kaibrienne Richins
- Emmy Russell
- Julia Gagnon
- Triston Harper
The Top 6 performance episode of American Idol Season 22 will air on Monday, April 29.
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