The competition is heating up on "American Idol" as judges Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban, and Jennifer Lopez have selected the Top 24 contestants who will be competing for the title. The contestants gave all they've got for the show's last Hollywood Week as they hope to follow in the footsteps of past winners such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jordin Sparks.
Below are "American Idol's" Top 24 for its final season:
Adam Lasher - Danville, California Amelia Eisenhauer - Nashville, Tennessee Avalon Young - San Diego, California CJ Johnson - Memphis, Tennessee Dalton Rapattoni - Sunnyvale, Texas Emily Brooke - Wellington, Florida Gianna Isabella - Jackson, New Jersey James VIII - Provo, Utah Jeneve Rose Mitchell - Crawford, Colorado Jenn Blosil - Orem, Utah Jenna Renae - Williamson, New York Jordan Sasser - Raleigh, North Carolina Kory Wheeler - Jamestown, Tennessee La'Porsha Renae - McComb, Mississippi Lee Jean - Bluffton, South Carolina Mackenzie Bourg - Lafayette, Louisiana Manny Torres - Flushing, Michigan Oliva Rox - Agoura Hills, California Shelbie Z - Sumiton, Alabama Sonika Vaid - Boston, Massachusetts Stephany Negrete - El Cajon, California Thomas Stringfellow - Bentonville, Arkansas Trent Harmon - Amory, Mississippi Tristan McIntosh - Nashville, Tennessee
Next week, the Showcase round will see the singers perform in groups of 12. Past "American Idol" winners and finalists will be returning to mentor the contestants and help them prepare to get America's vote. As seen in previous seasons, a strong performance does not automatically guarantee that a competitor is safe from elimination, and this means that forming a connection with the viewers is a skill that all the singers will need to learn.
According to E! Online, this year will be slightly different from past seasons as the judges will choose the top 14 singers, letting the first eight move on to the live shows while the final six compete for the last two slots in the top ten. America will then vote the last two singers in to the first live show on Feb. 25, where the top ten singers will perform on TV for the first time.
"American Idol" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
