American Idol determined its Top 5 finalists and eliminated Haven Madison, Oliver Steele, and Warren Peay during the Season 21 performance episode that aired Sunday night on ABC.

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Haven, a 16-year-old high school student from Clarksville, TN; Oliver, a 25-year-old musician from Mount Juliet, TN; and Warren, a 24-year-old appliance repair technician from Bamberg, SC; were ousted from the American Idol competition based on the nationwide votes -- over 21 million votes, according to Idol host Ryan Seacrest -- that poured in throughout the two-hour broadcast.

American Idol's Top 5 contestants, as a result of the vote, are Colin Stough, an 18-year-old Hvac technician from Amory, MS; Iam Tongi, an 18-year-old high school student from Kahuku, HI; Megan Danielle, a 20-year-old server from Douglasville, GA; We Ani, a 23-year-old performer from Harlem, NY; and Zachariah Smith, a 19-year-old grill cook from Amory, MS.

For the first round of competition on Sunday night, the Top 8 contestants each performed a song by Alanis Morissette. And for Round 2, the contestants teamed up and performed duets of iconic Ed Sheeran songs.

Alanis and Ed sat on the judging panel alongside regular judge Luke Bryan as Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were in the U.K. to participate in the historic coronation of King Charles III.

Ryan checked in with Katy and Lionel at Windsor Castle throughout the broadcast, and King Charles and Queen Camilla even made an appearance.

Kicking off the first round of competition, Warren sang "All I Really Want" by Alanis.

Alanis complimented Warren on bringing the dynamics of the song home and for adding to the arrangement, and Ed praised Warren for coming out from behind his guitar and shining with confidence.

Luke also said he liked watching Warren explore the stage and interact with the audience.

Zachariah performed "Ironic," and Alanis said the singer opened his body and went with the flow, which made it look like he was really enjoying himself.

Ed said he loves that song and Zachariah "rocked it" and "captivated" him the entire time. Luke added how Zachariah came out full speed ahead, with both energy and tender moments.

Haven then belted out "You Learn." Alanis said Haven is authentic and clearly has music in her body, and Ed said he was "really impressed" by Haven's "really, really good" and "fantastic" vocals.

Luke pointed out how Haven has blossomed and appeared free on the stage. He liked hearing her sing in full voice and noted how he loved everything about the performance.

Colin took the stage with "Hand In My Pocket."

"If nasty is this, then I love nasty," Alanis joked, adding how Colin had built the song up to a "bombastic" and "beautiful" performance.

Ed said he loved how Colin rocked out and made the song his own, resulting in a "brilliant" performance.

And Luke joked of the contestant, "He's just so damn cute I don't know what to do. You make people smile... You've come so far."

Megan sang "Head Over Feet," and Alanis praised her for a soulful and "gorgeous" performance, and Ed said he forgot for a second that he was watching American Idol.

"I felt like I was watching a classic singer from the 60s. Your tone is incredible, and it's very, very unique... I was really, really impressed," Ed gushed. "Luke gave me a nudge before you went on, like, 'Watch this.'"

Luke shared how Megan simply has a tone and a thing unlike anyone else and she made the song very inviting and "nailed" it.

Iam sang "Guardian" for his Alanis cover, and Alanis said Iam brought the song to a whole other level. The guest judge said she appreciated the empathy in his voice and his "velvety" sound, adding how he has a gift.

Ed could tell Iam connected with the song, which allowed him to connect with the song, and Luke joked about how Iam made his "mess-ups" look endearing and he lit the room up.

We Ani performed "Uninvited," and Alanis said it sounded like We sang the song to somebody in particular, which is what she wanted from the singer.

"Every part of that song, it was just you directly communicating so beautifully in all of these different flavors, with such agency and access to it. It was chilling to behold you," Alanis shared.

Ed said he liked how We had changed the arrangement and style, which showed off her voice and resulted in a powerful and "super good" performance.

Luke explained how it was a haunting song and the best he's ever heard it on American Idol.

And Oliver took the stage with "You Oughta Know," showing off his bald head at the end of his performance.

Alanis said Oliver "really brought it" and embraced all the unpopulars, and Ed gushed about how he "felt it" and it was really entertaining.

"Way to get in there and battle and come out swords and guns swinging and blazing. I really loved the intensity of what you just did. It was awesome," Luke said.

For the duets, Iam and Oliver sang "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran.

Ed thought their voices complemented each other extremely well and it was so enjoyable to listen to. He loved the "gentleness and soulfness" they brought to the song, adding how the performance actually made him a little emotional.

The men boasted a cohesive and spiritual bond, according to Luke and Alanis.

Warren and We Ani performed "Perfect," and Ed said he loved the "really, really cool" rendition of the song. Alanis said the pair showed off their massive range, and Luke said Warren and We Ani had created a really special moment.

Zachariah and Haven sang "Thinking Out Loud," and Ed joked about how they sang the song better than he does. He thought it was soulful and powerful. Alanis said the song felt like it was born to be a duet between the two of them, and Luke admitted he had "smile cramps" in his face.

Megan and Colin belted out a duet of "Dive," and Ed said whoever paired them together is a genius. He said the pair had done his song really, really well. Alanis added how the duo was connected and "breathtaking."




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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