HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — There were plenty of tears mixed with joy last night as “American Idol” narrowed the competition down to the final 24 contestants.
Among the female finalists surviving last night’s cuts by Simon Cowell and his crew were 23-year-old Indiana native Amanda Overmyer and 24-year-old Brooke White, from Van Nuys, Calif., who reacted as one might expect — with loads of tears.
On the male side, Robbie Carrico, who briefly dated Britney Spears in 1999, was one of the final 12. Carrico was joined by fan favorite David Archuleta, the 17-year-old singing prodigy out of Utah.
One of the biggest upsets of the evening was the elimination of 18-year-old Josiah Leming, who had previously appeared to be a favorite of the judges. However, Leming struggled with his rendition of “Stand By Me” and Cowell said Leming, who lived in his car, was too confident for his own good on Tuesday.
The final 12 men are: Carrico, 26, Melbourne, Fla.; Archuleta, 17, Murray, Utah; Colton Berry, 18, Staunton, Va.; Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, Texas; David Cook, 25, Tulsa, Okla.; Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, Calif.; Garrett Haley, 17, Elida, Ohio; David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, Ariz.; Luke Menard, 29, Crawfordsville, Ind.; Danny Noriega, 18, Azusa, Calif.; Jason Yeager, 28, Branson, Mo., and Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles by way of Australia.
The final 12 women are: Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, Ind.; White, 24, Van Nuys, Calif.; Joanne Borgella, 25, Hoboken, N.J.; Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, Ore.; Amy Davis, 25, Cedar Lake, Ind.; Asia’h Epperson, 19, Joplin, Mo.; Alexandrea Lushington, 17, Douglasville, Ga.; Kady Malloy, 18, Houston; Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, Fla.; Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami; Alaina Whitaker, 16, Tulsa, Okla., and Carly Smithson, San Diego by way of Dublin, Ireland.
Next Tuesday, the top 12 male singers will perform, followed by the women on Wednesday.
