Set to fill an hour with its kickoff results show, “American Idol” got right to business in eliminating its first member of the top 24.
Following an odd, messy rendition of “American Boy” featuring the entirety of the semifinalists, host Ryan Seacrest went right to business with the female elimination process.
After sending Siobhan Magnus, Haeley Vaughn, Michelle Delamor and Katelyn Epperly to safety, it came down to Janell Wheeler and Katie Stevens. Predictably, early frontrunner Katie Stevens stayed while Janell was asked to perform for the final time on the “Idol” stage.
An attractive blonde with a generic voice, Wheeler represented the type of contestant that usually has trouble capturing early voter attention. The fact that her version of “What About Love” generated poor reviews did not help the case, and she was sent packing.
It should be noted that while Katie was the last of the aforementioned girls to learn of her safety, it was not established that she was one of the bottom vote getters.
