American Idol eliminated Sonika Vaid during Thursday night's broadcast on Fox, determining the farewell season's Top 4 artists.

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After receiving the lowest amount of home viewer votes following last week's performance show, America sent Sonika, a 20-year-old student from Martha's Vineyard, MA, home.

"Being in this competition has been the biggest journey of my life. I think I got more comfortable being onstage. I just feel so blessed to be here right now. This has been such an amazing experience. I came out of my comfort zone and it's been like a dream for me," Sonika said in her final words before thanking the judges and her mother.

Sonika had landed in the bottom two with Dalton Rapattoni, a 19-year-old vocal coach from Dallas TX. It marked Sonika's third time in the bottom but Dalton's first experience being in jeopardy of elimination.

The contestants who received the most votes were Mackenzie Bourg, a 23-year-old musician from Lafayette, LA; Trent Harmon, a 25-year-old waiter from Amory, MS; and La'Porsha Renae, a 22-year-old call representative from McComb, MS.

In the first round of competition, the Top 4 contestants sang classic rock songs as Steven Van Zandt, guitarist and backup vocalist for Bruce Springsteen, served as their mentor.

La'Porsha sang "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi. Keith Urban said she brought out "blues undertones" in the song, Jennifer Lopez admitted it was an interesting selection but she could sing the phonebook and make it sound beautiful, and Harry Connick Jr. said she has an "ability that transcends every genre."

Mackenzie performed "I Want You To Want Me" by cheap trick. Jennifer didn't love how he "mackenzied it" because it wasn't exciting, and Harry agreed that it was just "alright" because he needed more energy in the arrangement. Keith flat out said he hated the arrangement because the tempo of the song was neither fast or slow -- it was stuck right in the middle.

Trent wowed with his performance of "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top. Keith and Jennifer gave him a standing ovation before Harry called the performance "brilliant," saying he satisfied so many aspects of performing in one song. Keith dubbed Trent's vocal "so freakin good" and said it showed off all of his greatest attributes. It was also what Jennifer had been waiting for.

Dalton sang "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys. Keith said it was so good to choose that song because he picked the right lyrics to sing to America. He won Jennifer over with that moment, and Harry said Dalton showed vulnerability through a very complex song melodically and harmonically.

For the second round of competition, the Top 4 met with pop star Sia and each sang a song she had written and/or performed.

La'Porsha belted out "Elastic Heart." Jennifer said she's become a "fully realized artist" and she stopped judging her because she always has amazing control and command over her songs. Harry insisted La'Porsha is in the passenger seat of a NASCAR driver when she sings, and Keith complimented her raw talent, saying he felt like he was watching her perform a nominated song at an award show.

Mackenzie sang "Titanium" and Harry thought it was nice but reprimanded him for paying too much attention to trying to hit little high notes here or there. Jennifer, however, was impressed Mackenzie tried to stretch his limits and really show what he can do. Keith said Mackenzie had a "beautiful singer/songwriter moment."

Trent performed a slow version of "Chandelier" in which he really utilized his vibrato. Keith called the performance "exquisite," and Jennifer said he can basically sing anything out there. Harry raved about the vocal, saying it was "phenomenal" and it felt like Trent was in another world because of how artfully he delivered the lyrics. Harry said the technique of his performance was 100 out of 100.

Dalton closed the night of performances with "Bird Set Free," and he was so emotionally impacted by the song that he ended up crying onstage. Jennifer complimented his artistry and said he always finds a way to touch the audience's heart. Keith loved watching him push through his limitations, and Harry said it was the best matchup in terms of Sia's song and the singer.

Also during Thursday night's performance show, Katharine McPhee and David Cook took the stage.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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