Heavy/ABC
Emmy Russell advances to the “American Idol” top 10 as fellow contestants Jayna Elise, Roman Collins, Triston Harper and Julia Gagnon wait for their results.
As soon as “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest revealed the final contestant to advance to season 22’s Top 10, viewers flooded social media with disbelief and anger over the show’s results on April 22, 2024.
After two hours of live voting and over 20 million votes tabulated, according to Seacrest, R&B singers Jayna Elise and Roman Collins were eliminated from the competition despite glowing reviews from judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
Many fans were stunned by the results, chastising fellow voters for not rewarding Collins and Elise’s musicianship over contestants who’ve struggled more with confidence and pitch issues. Another frequent complaint on social media was the racial makeup of the Top 10, since Collins and Elise were the last two Black contestants in competition. Both Elise and Collins, however, have assured fans they’re excited for their futures.
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ABC“American Idol” season 22 top 10 and judges. Top row: Will Moseley, judge Luke Bryan, Triston Harper, Jack Blocker.
Bottom Row: Emmy Russell, judge Lionel Richie, Kaibrienne Richins, McKenna Faith Breinholt, Julia Gagnon, judge Katy Perry, Mia Matthews, and Abi Carter
The contestants who made it into the top 10, in the order they were announced by Seacrest, were Abi Carter, McKenna Faith Breinholt, Will Moseley, KAYKO, Kaibrienne Richins, Mia Matthews, Jack Blocker, Emmy Russell, Triston Harper and Julia Gagnon.
Each contestant had a mentorship session with pop star Meghan Trainor and had to choose a number one Billboard hit to perform. The judges found many of their performances to be flatter than the previous night, which made fans all the more frustrated when those who struggled were still voted through.
Many fans pointed out, for instance, that Russell forgot some of the words to her song but got a pass from the judges and voters.
On the “American Idol” Instagram feed, one person wrote, “Listen, I think Emmy is sweet BUT HER OVER JAYNA?! She FORGOT THE LYRICS. It really shows the demographic of who’s voting. ”
Others suggested that the voting system doesn’t work well, including one who commented, “Emmy over Jayna?!?! I think there needs to be an added component where judges get to select one contestant.”
As Seacrest ticked through the names of the contestants who made it through to the Top 10, comments on social media quickly turned from hopeful to upset as the last four contestants were revealed, including one who tweeted that “American continues to get it wrong.”
Many took issue with the fact that the final four were the only minorities remaining in the competition. The two who eventually placed in the Top 10 were indigenous contestant Triston Harper, who’s a member of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, per Native News Online, and Julia Gagnon, who was born in Guatemala and adopted by her American family, according to the Bangor Daily News. Some fans called out the show and voters for sending home every Black contestant in recent weeks, including Elise and Collins.
“American idol is either rigged or racist this is nuts,” one viewer tweeted. “All the beautiful diverse people were last! No way! These 2 are going home.”
“We need to remove the live voting on #AmericanIdol bc y’all don’t know how to vote,” another tweeted. “Middle Americans keeps the same boring white people every single season”
Jayna Elise & Roman Collins Address Fans & Their Futures After Their Eliminations
Heavy/ABC“American Idol” season 22 Top 12 contestants Jayna Elise and Roman Collins
Though viewers might be upset about the season 22 results, both Elise and Collins were in good spirits as the show and their time on “Idol” wrapped.
Elise, who first auditioned for “Idol” during season 21 but didn’t make it beyond Hollywood Week, was thrilled to have made it as far as she did on season 22, assuring fans that “this is not sad for me.”
In an Instagram post after the live show ended, she wrote, “Wow. What a journey this has been. I am truly honored and so so grateful. This experience has been a true blessing and eye-opening to me in the sense that I’ve learned so much about myself.”
“Thank you to the entire idol team, thank you to the judges— your feedback inspired me so much these last two years of my life,” she continued. “To the CREW— everyone from lighting, to sound, to production, to camera, to wardrobe, to makeup, to creative, ALL OF IT! I hope you know your hard work NEVER goes unnoticed. I truly thank you all for making this an absolutely unforgettable time this is not sad for me, this is a truly sweet sweet moment. Please know my heart is so full with love. Thank you thank you thank you”
Though Collins had not yet posted a message on social media at the time of publication, he told Billboard before his elimination that no matter what happened, his goal in life is “changing the world through music.”
After relaying the same story his dad shared on a previous episode of “Idol” about the health crisis that landed Collins in a two-week coma at age three with a “97 percent chance” of dying, the singer told Billboard, “So when you see me jumping, when you hear my laugh, I’m laughing at fear. I’m alive. I’m doing what I love. Some people are impacted through my gift. We have a saying in church, ‘The joy that I have, the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.’ I want to import the same joy that He has given me.”
Though so many fans were sad to see Collins and Elise go, some used social media to encourage them to keep going and promised to keep supporting their careers after “Idol.”
One person tweeted, “Profoundly disappointed that @TheJaynaElise #RomanCollins were eliminated from @AmericanIdol tonight. It’s okay though y’all! Jennifer Hudson didn’t win and has EGOT status- Adam Lambert didn’t win and is the front man for QUEEN. Y’all gonna be just fine”
A few weeks into season 22, Collins released his debut album, called “Same Gospel, New Sound.” Elise, meanwhile, has already released three singles in 2024.
Liv Lane is an entertainment writer who covers the Hallmark Channel, HGTV, American Idol and The Voice for Heavy. She has three decades of experience as a local and national radio host, columnist and publicist, interviewing and working with a wide range of celebrities over the years, from Deepak Chopra to Lil Nas X. Liv is also an accomplished watercolor artist whose intuitive art is sold across the U.S. and Canada. Liv attended the University of Minnesota and is based in Minneapolis. More about Liv Lane
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