Top 24 week on American Idol season 10 was unlike any other comparable week in previous seasons. Not only was it the single biggest cut on a live episode of the series, but it was also the first true test of new producer Nigel Lythgoe's vision for flipping the American Idol formula. Did this change to the Top 24 improve or degrade the American Idol experience?
To be honest, the revelation of the Top 10 contestants voted by the American public was way too long. It took almost an hour to reveal the results, leading to one of the slowest moving shows ever. Things moved so slow that it was clear at the end of the two-hour show that producers were scrambling as they ran out of time to fit everything in. At the end of the results, there were ten singers eager to move on to the next step:
- Scotty McCreery
- Lauren Alaina
- Pia Toscano
- Karen Rodriguez
- Jacob Lusk
- Casey Abrams
- Thia Megia
- Paul McDonald
- Haley Reinhart
- James Durbin
Once all of the Top 10 finalists were named, the judges selected six wild cards, consisting of three guys and three girls. Ashthon Jones brought it first, throwing down the gauntlet at the feet of all three judges with the appropriate "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." Stefano Langone once again showed why Randy Jackson declared he is ready for the radio with a soulful and passionate rendition of Smokie Norful's "I Need You Now" that all three judges loved. "Georgia On My Mind" returned to the stage thanks to Kendra Chantelle's smoky vocals, and Jovany Baretto brought out his Latin roots with his bilingual delivery of Jon Secada's "Angel." Naima Adedapo sang "For All We Know" like she was singing for her life, and Robbie Rosen got a surprising final shot, but made the most of it with an encore of "Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word."
In the middle of the wildcard performances, Ryan Seacrest made a comment that they didn't know how many people were going to make it through, and it turned out that American Idol would begin the live broadcast performances with 13 competitors instead of 12, thanks to the addition of Naima Adedapo, Stefano Langone and Ashthon Jones. All in all, the Top 13 looks to be one of the stronger fields that American Idol has presented in several years. From this point, the contestants start working with Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine and his team of producers and songwriters to develop their style and sound.