On its first live elimination show of the season, American Idol cut almost half of its contestants Thursday night, leaving just 13 singers remaining in the competition.
This season marks the first time viewers can cast their votes online at americanidol.com and after over 40 million votes were cast, early favorites among the girls like 16-year-old Lauren Alaina and 15-year-old Thia Megia skated through, as did Pia Toscano, Karen Rodriguez, and Haley Reinhart.
James Durbin, Jacob Lusk, 19-year-old Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, and 17-year-old Scotty McCreery made it safely into the top five guys.
READ IT: American Idol announces this season's top 24
In addition to the top 10 contestants, judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson ended the two-hour episode with a nail-biting finale in which they chose three wildcard contestants to stay in the competition: Naima Adedapo, Ashton Jones and Stefano Langone.
The competition continues next Wednesday, March 9, at 8 p.m. on FOX with the top 13 performing songs by their favorite artists. The following night, March 10, the live results show will feature performances by Adam Lambert and Diddy-Dirty Money with Skylar Grey.
Did your favorite make it through? Who do you hope wins this season of American Idol?
Photo: Courtesy of Michael Becker / FOX
