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ABC's American Idol continued as per schedule with its top 24 performances on Monday night. However, an unexpected announcement surprised viewers. Kenedi Anderson has withdrawn her participation from American Idol, stating personal reasons.
This evening's episode saw the next batch of 12 performers take to the stage to showcase their talent. The contestants who performed on Monday's episode were Leah Marlene, Sir Blayke, Katyrah Love, Kenedi Anderson, Lady K, Noah Thompson, Ava Maybee, Allegra Miles, Cadence Baker, Cameron Whitcomb, Christian Guardino, and Fritz Hager.
For the first time ever in the show's history, American Idol contestants performed live in front of a vacationing Hawaii audience, and those at home could vote for their favorite performers. With the help of the episode's mentor, American singer and songwriter Bebe Rexha, viewers saw some incredible performances from the stars.
What made Kenedi Anderson withdraw from American Idol?
About 30 minutes into Monday night's episode, Kenedi Anderson took to the stage to sing Human by Christina Perri. After the performance, instead of proceeding with the judges' opinions, the show cut to host Ryan Seacrest making an announcement:
“Well, you might have noticed that there was no voting information for Kenedi’s performance just now. Since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier, Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons. We send her well wishes and, needless to say, we have incredible talent on this historic season with more iconic Idol performances coming up right now.”
Kenedi also made a post on Instagram about her decision to withdraw from American Idol. She said:
"For personal reasons, I'm unable to continue on American Idol. This has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I know it's necessary."
She continued to thank all her fans for supporting her. However, the decision shocked fans, who took to social media to speculate. Here's what they had to say:
Kenedi Anderson drops out amidst all the incredible performances on American Idol
The platinum ticket winner revealed that she was going to sing Human by Christina Perri, but she did not expect a surprise to come her way.
Prior to taking the stage, Kenedi received a call from Perri, who said:
"I heard you were singing my song this week, and I wanted to say hi!"
An overwhelmed Kenedi broke down in tears as Perri continued:
“I can’t wait to hear it. I wanted to wish you the best of luck.”
Kenedi delivered on her promise to do the song justice. However, the announcement of her withdrawal from the show after her incredible performance came as a shock.
Kenedi was considered one of the frontrunners to emerge as the winner of Season 20 of the competition. She received one of the platinum tickets during the audition rounds, along with HunterGirl and Jay Copeland.
The top 24 contestants will continue to perform to win America's vote. Sunday night's performers have already showcased their talents, and the audience has voted. The performers included Jay Copeland, Huntergirl, Scarlet, Sage, Tristen Gressett, Danielle Finn, Elli Rowe, Mike Parker, Emyrson Flora, Dan Marshall, Jacob Moran, and Nicolina Bozzo.
