American Idol season 22 episode 12: Recap and more details explored 

American Idol season 22 is slowly inching closer to its finale, with two new episodes being released every week. The last episode 12, which came out on April 21, on ABC, brought down the total number of contestants to 12, after two were sent packing.

Last week's episode of American Idol saw 20 contestants competing for spots in the top 14, with six having their journey cut short. The pressure to compete this weekend was palpable, as the artists stood against the best of American Idol's 14.

On last Sunday's episode, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie had to make the tough call of sending home Jordan Anthony and Nya, after the two reportedly failed to keep up with the growing standards of American Idol.

---

What happened on episode 12 of American Idol season 22?

The episode opened with Luke Bryan leaving the audience enchanted with his performance of the song Small Town by John Mellencamp, which also acted as a reminder of the constantly increasing difficulty level of American Idol. Some singers unleashed their truly talented selves, while others upped their games to match the top 12 needs.

First to perform was Triston Harper, who went with Heartbreak Hotel. His decision to perform without a guitar for the first time wasn't a fail, as it was met with praise from all three judges.

Next up was Julia Gagnon, who was commended for her confidence by Katy, after she performed Run to You. Her beaming confidence made Luke say that he saw the butterfly leaving its cocoon.

Then came Roman Collins, who added to the array of impressive performances as he sang You're All I Need to Get By. He started off singing it the way it was composed, before adding his gospel spin to it.

Next in line was Kaibrienne, who kept the chain of perfect song selections going by choosing to sing I Hate Myself for Loving You. Luke called it a concert while Lionel loved her take on the song.

Jayna Elise also chose a Whitney song, like her co-contestant Julia, and went with I Have Nothing. This week's performance for Jayna was crucial, after she made it to the bottom last week. She seemed to have passed with flying colors as the judges loved her act.

Then came Mia Mathews, who sang Those Memories of You. Her persistence with the country genre was met with praise once again, with Katy calling it "authentic".

Episode 12 saw Kayko come out of his shell to perform, for the first time, a song that he hadn't written. He chose High and Dry and was commended for his versatility.

Then came Emmy Russell and Jordan Anthony, who performed I Can't Make You Love Me and I Wanna Dance With Somebody, respectively. Luke claimed to have gotten "chills" from Emmy's spectacular performance, while Jordan's performance was deemed his best so far.

Meanwhile, McKenna Faith Breinholt went with Hard to Say I'm Sorry and Jack Blocker sang Don't Think Twice It's Alright. McKenna was complimented on her voice and for the fact that she worked hard despite being sick. Jack, on the other hand, was admired by Lionel for making the song his own.

Luke asked Nya to "make it look a little difficult" after she effortlessly sang I Say a Little Prayer. Then came Will Moseley, who owned the stage with the song Night Moves. Like Jordan, Will's performance was also called his best to date.

The last performance of the episode was Abi Carter's, who chose to sing Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. She paired her vocals with a piano, making it a mesmerizing act. The compelling night came to an end with host Ryan announcing Jordan Anthony and Nya as the ones to bite the dust.

---

Next episode 13 of American Idol season 22 will air on Monday, April 22, at 8 pm ET, on ABC.