Which contestants rose to the challenges that Group Round brought on the latest episode of “American Idol XIV’s” Hollywood Week. (Photo property of FOX)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Welcome back to American Idol’s Hollywood Week!
For 13 years, this crucial week is where the greatest talent rises from the pack and proves themselves worthy for a spot in the Top 24.
After singing for their lives on the first solo day, the remaining contestants had to endure Hollywood Week’s most gruesome challenge: Group Day!
A good bulk of the groups stayed up extra late to polish their presentations for Harry Connick, Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban. So, with little sleep and high expectations…some of the contestants have pushed themselves to the limit and are starting to crumble.
Who stood strong and move forward to the next round? Read on to find out…
Last week, the show ended with a dramatic cliffhanger. Sal’s Gals member Alexis Granville nearly collapsed from exhaustion and nearly left the competition. Luckily, she was able to recompose herself and perform with her group. While Alexis and Jax stood out with their solos on Train’s “Drive By” and moved on to the next round, group founder Sal Valentinetti was eliminated.
One group that shared a deeper bond than the others were Belmont University alums Rayvon Owen, Cody Fry and Piper Jones! They took a monster risk by picking Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone.” They each showcased lovely melodies and Rayvon’s high note blew me away! All three of them received a pass to the next round.
Group LKYCO (Please) aka Ladies Keep Your Clothes On was one of my favorite groups of the night! Made up of judges’ favorites Daniel Seavey, Trevor Douglas, Qaasim Middleton and Hollywood Week veteran Savion Wright; the group delivered an intriguing take on One Direction’s “Story of My Life” that elevated it to a brand new level of excellence. They were the second group of the day to go through to the next round with all four members in tact.
Despite being known as Group Round, there were some outstanding individuals including Alexis Gomez, Hollywood Anderson and Loren Lott that blew everyone away with their vocals. However, multiple groups’ dreams came crashing down when the judges began cutting whole groups left and right.
Hopefully, the last group of the day did not disappoint! The Violet Vixens (Joey Cook, Shannon Berthiaume & Naomi Tatsuoka) delivered a powerful cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” While Joey and Shannon forget the lyrics, their vocals were superb. In addition, Naomi took everyone to church with her solo! All three of them were sent through to the next round.
Tomorrow night, It’s Solo Day!
