American Idol season 20 has been full of surprises, and the Judges' Song Contest, which asked Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan to pick songs for the Top 11 contestants, was one of the show's best ideas. During the contest, the contestants were presented with three song choices from the judges without knowing which judge selected which song. After their performances, they had to try to guess the judge who picked the song for them. The judges accumulated points every time one of their selections was sung, and, in a surprise twist, the judges with the most points earned the privilege of saving one of the two eliminated contestants and giving him or her a place in the Top 10.
Although Katy was jokingly distraught that she was trailing the other judges for most of the night, in the end, she and Luke tied for first place with four points, while Lionel came in second with three points. She and Luke earned the opportunity to save either Lady K or Tristen Gressett, who were in the bottom two after America's vote. They saved Lady K, who took the last spot in the Top 10. The American Idol contestants will now head to Disneyland to be mentored by Ben Platt for the annual fan-favorite Disney Night.
The American Idol Judges' Song Contest was a huge success, delivering one of the greatest episodes of the show in recent memory. The reason that it was such a fantastic idea was that the contest gave the judges the opportunity to impose some of the ideas from their critiques onto the contestants in a fun and unique way. By choosing the songs for the contestants, the judges were able to force them out of their comfort zones, push them to new heights, or simply strengthen their previously shown talents. The American Idol judges have known the contestants for months now, so they have a good idea of their potentials and abilities. They also have their best interests at heart, as they have truly come to respect and love them, and they want them to succeed.
Lionel had some impressive and surprising song choices for the contestants. He wanted powerhouse vocalist Nicolina Bozzo to break out of her ballad box and chose Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" for her. This allowed her to move around the stage and rock out, showing a different side of herself to the American Idol audience. He also chose "traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo for Lady K because he wanted to see her perform something outside of her wheelhouse. Katy also selected some interesting and eclectic songs for the contestants, including "I'm Not the Only One" by Sam Smith for Christian Guardino, which showed off his outstanding crooner vocals with a more modern song choice. Katy's biggest success of the night was her choice of "Lilac Wine" by Jeff Buckley for Jay Copeland, who has struggled to find the perfect song after receiving the platinum ticket during his audition in Austin. Jay delivered his best performance ever on the show, and Lionel said that it was one of the greatest performances that he had ever seen in his life.
Luke's song choices were the best proof that the Judges' Song Contest was a great idea. He picked songs for Noah Thompson and Fritz Hager that they never would have thought of, but that ended up being two of their best performances in the competition. When Noah decided to sing "Heartbreak Warfare" by John Mayer, he was nervous that the song was so different from his usual choices, but he put his own country twist on it and wowed the audience and the judges. Fritz's stunning version of "Wonderwall" by Oasis also took everyone's breath away as he arranged the song in his own sensitive style. Luke also had a knack for selecting songs that highlighted the country music contestants' strengths. He picked "Chasin' You" by Morgan Wallen for Mike Parker and "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton for HunterGirl, solidifying their places in the competition as true country stars.
The American Idol season 20 Judges' Song Contest not only helped the contestants to reach new heights, but it was entertaining to see the judges playfully compete for the top spot in their own competition. It was fun for the contestants and the audience to try to guess which judge had chosen which song. The Judges' Song Contest showed off Luke, Katy, and Lionel's vast musical knowledge and their strong abilities as mentors to the American Idol contestants. Hopefully, the show will continue this idea in future seasons.
American Idol airs Sundays & Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.