Turns out, not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas—sometimes it gets to go back to Hollywood!
Seventy hopefuls got bussed off to Las Vegas, where American Idol's aspiring-star boot camp continued on the Viva Elvis stage at the Aria hotel. Once again charged with forming groups, the contestants were given a song from the 1950s or '60s and tasked with putting a whole routine together, from costumes to choreography.
And then, at the end of day one, with half the groups yet to perform, the ones who thought they'd made it were informed that there still could be cuts if enough day-two people impressed and they started running out of space.
So, who came up aces in Sin City? And who crapped out?
First of all, the group round in Vegas was nothing like the debacle that was Hollywood Week.
Maybe it was the dry desert air or the fact that everyone's up all night, not just them, but the rampant vomiting stopped and spirits and constitutions seemed revived. Or maybe Idol had finally weeded out the weak links and were left with young men and women who could handle the pressure.
But there was still plenty of fat to trim, with the judges having no trouble putting through entire groups, except for one—or put one person out of an entire group.
Fan favorite Jessica Phillipps, who put a singing career on hold to tend to her boyfriend Angelo after he suffered a debilitating stroke, did not make it through—and it brought out her claws.
"I didn't come here to win a television show, I came here for a record deal," she sniffed, "I'm OK. And a lot of people that are making it through are not real artists and they're not going to sell any records—and I don't have to worry about that, because that's not me."
Well! Surely, the other members of her little girl group who did make it—Courtney Williams and Britney Spears look-alike Britnee Kellogg—would beg to differ.
At the end of day two, Jessica was the only cut that went deep, as far as contestants whose stories the show has followed in depth along the way.
But then came the retroactive cuts, when 27 of those who passed the first day were informed that they ultimately just weren't good enough.
Gabi Carruba, Skylar Dixon (sister of the still-safe Colton), Angie Zeiderman, Candice Glover, Johnny Keyser (we know, we're shocked too!), Jairon Jackson and Britnee Kellogg (somewhere, Jessica Phillips is smiling) were all mowed down in the end.
There are 42 contestants left—for now. One more performance stands between making the top 24 or going home.