“Julia was robbed” — American Idol season 22 fans upset over Top 5 results

American Idol season 22 aired a brand new episode on Sunday, May 5, 2024. During the segment, the top 7 performed two songs each, one of their choice and the other by Adelle, in keeping with the theme of the episode.

The segment also saw two contestants get eliminated, as the Top 5 were announced. Those who made it through included Abi, Jack, Triston, Will, and Emmy. Those who were eliminated in episode 16 were Julia and McKenna.

Fans of the show took to social media to react to the elimination and said that Julia deserved to stay.

"I'm not shocked to see McKenna go. She has a unique voice, but she is just not top 5 material. Julia was robbed though. #AmericanIdol," one person said.

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American Idol season 22 fans react to latest elimination

American Idol season 22 episode 16 saw two more contestants get eliminated from the ABC show. While both received positive feedback about their performances, McKenna Faith Breinholt and Julia Gagnon were sent packing after an Adelle-themed episode.

Fans of the show took to social media to react to the latest episode and those who didn't make it through to the Top 5.

"I'll never forgive yall for fumbling Julia like that. #AmericanIdol," one person wrote.

"America got it wrong again tonight on AI. Julia vocally can sing circles around at least 3 of the top 5. #AmericanIdol," another person wrote.

"Sad to see Julia Gagnon sent home on #AmericanIdol. But, she's gotten the exposure she needs to go somewhere with her music if she wants to. I can't wait to see where she goes next. She's absolutely amazing," a tweet read.

Fans further chimed in on Emmy Russell being saved over Julia Gagnon and said that the American Idol season 22 audience made the wrong choice.

"Emmy over Julia in the top 5? And she didn’t follow instructions… go let your family money support you and let a real star shine. Julia deserved that spot @AmericanIdol #AmericanIdol #Fail," one tweet read.

"WTF America?? How can you possibly pick Emmy Russell over @juliasingsabit???? What a travesty! Emmy should have been gone weeks ago!! Julia can sing anything and outsing anyone! Very disappointing. #AmericanIdol #JuliaGagnon #emmyrussell," another tweet read.

Fans further said:

"Damn, that was such a tough cut. McKenna and Julia did so incredible in the competition this season. I hope they are proud of themselves and what they have accomplished. wish them the best of luck and I can’t wait to see what they do with their music next! #idol #AmericanIdol," one tweet read.

"#americanidol McKenna & Julia didn’t deserve to go like that. Ryan sort of dismissed them and they were ushered off stage quickly. Come on producers. Cut out a few useless minutes and give them a chance to get a proper goodbye and maybe even speak like they do on #DWTS," another tweet read.

The latest American Idol episode saw Ciara serve as a mentor to the season 22 contestants. Ahead of Julia's performance, she spoke to the singer-songwriter about her choice of song. The contestant said that she chose Roam by B-52 because she loved how fun they were:

"You're not going to hear anybody like the B-52s."

Ciara complimented the singer and said that when Julia sang, it was "so big" and "amazing." She asked the contestant to include some movements in her performance and "roam" if she wanted to.

After the performance, Lionel Richie said:

"That's one way to show off an extra pair of lungs. I mean, you can hold this note for how long I mean, what are we talking about?"

Despite the performance, however, she was ultimately voted out and had to leave the competition.

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Episodes of American Idol season 22 are available to stream on ABC and Hulu.