American Idol eliminated Desmond Roberts and Amanda Barise, determining the competition's Top 12 contestants during the Season 23 episode that aired Sunday night on ABC.

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After the Top 14 Idol hopefuls performed songs from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and home-viewer votes poured in live, Desmond Roberts, a 26-year-old music teacher from Orange County, CA, and Amanda Barise, a 27-year-old musician from Manhattan, NY, were ousted from the show.

According to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, roughly 19 million votes had been cast for the contestants and Desmond and Amanda -- who had been mentored by James Taylor -- received the lowest number of votes.

Prior to the evening's results, Desmond sang "Jesus Is Love" by Lionel.

"I don't mind you singing the song, but you found some octaves I didn't sing," Lionel quipped.

"It's obvious that you were not only comfortable, but you tried to take my song! That is a very hard song to sing and you did so well. That was really risky, but you did it. I'm telling you. It's great."

Amanda took the stage with "I Can't Help It" by Michael Jackson.

Carrie thought it was an "incredible" performance, and Luke said Amanda's stage presence "went to another level" and that she "crushed it."

American Idol's Top contestants as a result include Breanna Nix, a 25-year-old stay-at-home mom from Denton, TX; Canaan James Hill, a 17-year-old content creator from Dallas, TX; Che, a 28-year-old singer from Essex, England; Filo, a 23-year-old musician from Dublin, CA; Gabby Samone, a 23-year-old child care specialist from Baltimore, MD; and Jamal Roberts, a 27-year-old PE teacher from Meridian, MS.

The rest of the Top 12 contestants are John Foster, an 18-year-old college student from Addis, LA; Josh King, a 24-year-old airport pianist from Matthews, NC; Kolbi Jordan, a 26-year-old people and culture generalist from Tulsa, OK; Mattie Pruitt, a 16-year-old high school student from Eagleville, TN; Slater Nalley, an 18-year-old high school student from Atlanta, GA; and Thunderstorm Artis, a 29-year-old musician from Haleiwa, HI.

For his rock & roll performance, Filo sang "With a Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles.

"I can't say anything bad about that. That was amazing... That was a perfect song for you to pick," Luke gushed.

Mattie Pruitt performed "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin.

"You sang that wonderfully, I love your look for this, I love you getting into character," Carrie told Mattie.

"If there's anything I can say to you, it's you've got to find your sass... You're so sweet and smiley and you look so gorgeous, but you need some sass girl!"

John Foster took on Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock."

"You were so comfortable," Lionel said, "and that's what made it so believable for us. You did a great job."

Jamal Roberts took the stage with The Isley Brothers' "Shout."

"When you first started singing, I felt like you were being a little bit timid, and then as the song progressed, I understood -- you have to have somewhere to go," Carrie explained.

"That was really great. Obviously everybody in this room loved it. Perfect song choice. I feel like with anybody else that could've come off as some wedding-karaoke thing, but not with you, sir. That was amazing."

Canaan James Hill performed "Mary Don't You Weep" by Aretha Franklin.

Lionel, on his feet, said, "Aretha didn't sing like that, either! That was unbelievable."

Carrie said Canaan's vocals were "spot on" and the judges would expect nothing less of him. However, Carrie asked him to "rock out" and "do something unexpected" down the road.

Josh King sang "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel.

Luke called Josh "charming" and "endearing," but Lionel asked the singer to push himself since he "has the talent in spades."

Thunderstorm Artis performed "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor.

Lionel told Thunderstorm that he had done "a masterful job" by making the song his own, and Carrie thought the performance was "pretty cool" overall.

Gabby Samone belted out Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You."

Gabby received a standing ovation from all three judges, and Lionel called her performance "phenomenal."

Luke added, "Top to bottom one of the best things I've ever seen sitting in this chair. I think you're a giant star."

Breanna Nix paid tribute to Journey with her rendition of "Open Arms."

"That's the first time I've kind of seen you nervous," Luke admitted.

"Maybe that song's a little outside your comfort zone. Do whatever you've got to do to not let nerves affect [you], but your voice was beautiful."

Kolbi Jordan sang "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye.

Luke complimented Kolbi's stage presence and confidence, and Lionel thought it was "amazing."

Che belted out "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" by JAmes Brown.

"You're so good. You can sing anything. I was kind of crossing my fingers that you were going to rock out, but that was incredible," Carrie noted.

Lionel and Luke also praised Che for taking his talent and abilities to the "next level."

And Slater Nalley sang "Your Song" by Elton John.

"The fact that you're 18 and you're this cool really makes me mad," Luke joked.

"That vibe of that song really put you in the right light. Your ability to really, kind of, have that maturity while you're delivering those words is something that few people can do at your age."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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