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Baylee Littrell, the 22-year-old son of Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell, did not advance to the American Idol Top 14 after failing to receive enough votes from viewers. Littrell was eliminated from the show during the April 21 episode after performing All of Me by John Legend as his “save me” song.
The judges — Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie — selected four contestants to continue in the competition, but Littrell was not among them. His elimination followed a performance the night before, in which he sang Gone Without Goodbye, a song written by his father following the 9/11 attacks.
American Idol judges urge Baylee to push beyond his comfort zone
Placement in the bottom 10
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The episode marked a significant reduction in contestants, dropping the total from 20 to 14. The top 10 contestants, determined by viewer votes, were announced first. The remaining 10 contestants were placed in the “danger zone,” where they were each given the chance to perform a solo “save me” song in hopes of earning one of four spots the judges could award.
Baylee Littrell selected John Legend’s All of Me for his final performance. Following his rendition, the judges gave direct feedback. Carrie Underwood said:
“Vocally that was one of your best performances so far...You have a nice powerful tone when you choose to turn it on.”
Lionel Richie advised him to start putting pressure on himself and to take on performances that would feel challenging or even "scary" moving forward. Luke Bryan told him:
“Lean in and enunciate. I want to learn as much as I can about you every time I watch you perform.”
Despite this feedback, Littrell was not selected as one of the four contestants to advance, concluding his time on American Idol.
Summary of Baylee Littrell’s journey
Baylee Littrell’s journey on American Idol season 23 included a series of performances across multiple rounds. He auditioned with Waiting on Myself to Die, a song that moved him forward to Hollywood Week, where he performed Hey Jesus. In the duet round, he was paired with fellow contestant Keilene to sing Shallow.
He reached the Top 24 round, where he performed Happy. This performance secured him a place in the Top 20. Littrell performed Gone Without Goodbye on the April 20 episode, a song his father wrote after the 9/11 attacks. Baylee revealed during the episode that his mother was booked to be on one of the hijacked planes, giving the song a personal connection.
Contestants who advanced and those eliminated
The 10 contestants who advanced based on viewer votes included Kolbi Jordan, Thunderstorm Artis, Filo, John Foster, Mattie Pruitt, Canaan James Hill, Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, Slater Nalley, and Gabby Samone.
Judges then selected four additional contestants to complete the Top 14: Desmond Roberts, Josh King, Ché, and Amanda Barise. Alongside Littrell, five other contestants were eliminated during the April 21 results show. These were Isaiah Misailegalu, Drew Ryn, Olivier Bergeron, Zaylie Windsor, and Victor Solomon.
Baylee Littrell's stint on American Idol came to an end after making it through a number of rounds, which included auditions, Hollywood Week, duets, and live shows. He left the competition after his Top 20 spot and completion of the "save me" round.
Watch new episodes of American Idol every Sunday and Monday at 8 PM ET on ABC. Available to stream on Hulu.
