It’s the final countdown! American Idol got one step closer to its final show on Thursday, March 31, with MacKenzie Bourg, Trent Harmon, La’Porsha Renae and Dalton Rapattoni singing their hearts out in the hopes of taking the win/ frolicking in a sea of confetti. Find out which finalist was eliminated, and which three contestants are moving on to next week’s epic three-night finale.
Hometown Songs
The four finalists kicked off the show by performing songs to commemorate their hometowns, which was basically a sobfest of epic proportions. Mackenzie was first to take the stage, and sang Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” (otherwise known as the saddest song of all time) in honor of Lafayette, Louisiana. Meanwhile, Dalton sang Blue October’s “Calling You” to represent Dallas (the place where he gets his tips bleached), and Trent sang “Tennessee Whiskey” to represent Amory, Mississippi. Yes, Tennessee and Mississippi are two different states, but whatever, we still love Trent almost as much as he loves fedoras.
Of course, the best hometown performance had to be La’Porsha’s version of John Legend’s “Glory” that brought the house down with its sheer power. In the words of Keith Urban: “I feel like I just had a baptism — it’s crazy.”
The Final Three
Trent has it in the bag! The bolo-tie wearing baller was the first to have his name called during eliminations, followed by Dalton and La’Porsha. This means poor MacKenzie had to go back from whence he came, but his journey is one we’ll definitely remember. “It’s just incredible to think that I just literally went from my room to now people send me messages on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,” he told Ryan Seacrest. “They send me these amazing things that make me feel like I didn’t lose tonight.”
Scott Borchetta’s Song Picks
Big Machine Records head honcho Scott Borchetta chose songs for the final three contestants, and first up: Dalton’s slam-dunk version of “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen. “The way you take the lyrics and really make us feel them is so your gift,” J. Lo said. “There was something about it that just sounded so fresh.” Suffice it to say there’s a new Boss in town, but don’t discount La’Porsha. Her slayage of “Stay With Me Baby” by Terry Reid completely ruled, but turns out she kinda, sorta hated the song. “I didn’t like the message — I would never tell a woman to beg — but I just had to get in character,” she explained while the audience cheered.
So what did Trent bring to the table, other than his profound love for giant hats? A stellar version of “Drink You Away,” which marks the first time Justin Timberlake has lent American Idol one of his songs! All the judges loved it, and speaking of …
Here Are the Judges’ Picks
After a solid performance by Urban, Dalton took the stage for his judges’ pick, which was a somewhat lackluster performance of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Sadly, Dalton’s vocals weren’t at their best, and J. Lo pointed out that the “brightness” his voice is known for was missing. “I would have taken the key up a little bit more,” Urban agreed. “You could have kept it in the original key and nailed it.”
Speaking of nailing it, La’Porsha and Trent did just that. The judges loved La’Porsha’s version of Adele‘s “Hello,” while Lopez said Trent’s performance of “Waiting Game” by Parson James gave her “goosies.”
It’s hard to know who’s going to take home the win at this point (that’s where you come in), but can we all agree that Gerber should hire La’Porsha’s daughter to be their new baby model?
Tell Us: Who do you think will win American Idol‘s final season?
American Idol airs on Fox on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
