American Idol Season 19: Here Are Our (Extremely) Early Top 10 Predictions
With American Idol's five-week audition marathon at last behind us, the road to Season 19's live shows is finally in view.
And while we acknowledge that it's way too soon to be doing this — Sunday's episode (ABC, 8/7c) only marks the first night in Hollywood for crying out loud — we're still taking stock of the most memorable auditions of the season and predicting a potential Top 10.
Idol is never an exact science, but after calculating TVLine readers' votes, we feel pretty confident in our lineup. Unless the list turns out all wrong — then it'll be the readers' lineup.
Scroll down to see which contestants made the cut, complete with videos of their auditions in case you need a refresher, then drop a comment with your own thoughts. Which singer(s) are you rooting for as we head to Hollywood?
ALANIS SOPHIA, 19
With her childhood American Idol toy microphone in hand, this powerhouse belter did her namesake (Alanis Morissette) proud, blowing the judges away with a killer performance of Demi Lovato's "Anyone."
ALYSSA WRAY, 18
"How lucky are we to say we knew her when," Richie announced, following Wray's performance of "I Am Changing" from the musical Dreamgirls.
CASEY BISHOP, 15
This star-in-the-making was full of wonderful surprises, from her taste in music (Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, etc.) to her powerhouse vocals.
CASSANDRA COLEMAN, 24
What is there to say about this musical angel, who blew the judges away with a powerful performance of The Killers' "The Way It Was"? Bryan put it best, telling her, "You are a new voice that the world has never heard."
CHAYCE BECKHAM, 24
This charmingly unconfident heartthrob has the kind of gravelly voice that quite simply gets you pregnant. And Kolton Moore & The Clever Few's "What Brings Life Also Kills" was the perfect vehicle to show it off.
DESHAWN GONCALVES, 19
A blessed fountain of purity and light, this proud member of the Jackson State University marching band blew the judges away with a soulful performance of "Everything Must Change."
GRACE KINSTLER, 20
With the spirit of her late father surely watching over her, Kinstler demolished "Midnight Train to Georgia," but her audition didn't end there. Curious to see more of what she could do, Perry asked Kinstler for another song. She settled on "Natural Woman," delivering a rendition unlike any Perry had heard before.
HUNTER METTS, 22
Would you quit your job at Disney so your brother could audition for American Idol without a conflict of interest? Because that's exactly what Metts' sister did — and it paid off with a golden ticket.
NIA RENEE, 17
Renee brought an infectious energy to her performance of Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools," prompting to Bryan to wonder if she's the new Idol's "best soul singer ever. Richie concurred, "We've never had anything like that."
RONDA FELTON, 19
After sharing her life story, a difficult upbringing of poverty and strife, she wiped away her tears of joy to deliver an unforgettable rendition of "One Night Only" from the musical Dreamgirls.
CLOSE CALLS
Because the voting was so close (and because it's still really, really early) we're also keeping an eye on these potential Top 10-ers:
* Mary Jo Young, 19 — Click here to watch her audition
* Willie Spence, 21 — Click here to watch his audition
* Wyatt Pike, 19 — Click here to watch his audition
* Murphy, 27 — Click here to watch his audition
* Benson Boone, 18 — Click here to watch his audition