Hollywood Week has come to an end on American Idol, and while many hopefuls are progressing in the competition, the road came to an end for several. Did controversial contestant Alyssa Raghu make it into the Top 24? Unfortunately for Raghu, the answer is no.
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It all came down to a sing-off battle, similar in a lot of ways to The Voice. Raghu faced Kaibrienne in a sing-off of Lady Gaga's "Shallow" with only one advancing to the final. "The reason it's a sing-off is because we argued over you. So you have to be the tie breaker," Perry said.
Prior to the sing-off, Raghu said, "I do have to be selfish in this moment. If one of us goes through, I want it to be me." The contestant wanted to continue forward with the show. However, while the judges appreciated Raghu's talent, they felt Kaibrienne was the clear winner of the sing-off.
Judge Luke Bryan had the duty of informing Raghu she wouldn't be continuing forward on the show. He said, "We think you have been an amazing part of Idol and we think you're gonna be able to go spread your wings without Idol. This is the end of the road for you, Raghu."
Alyssa Raghu Says Goodbye to Competition
Raghu was thankful for another shot on the show even though she didn't make it quite as far as she did last time. "This American Idol journey was a wonderful, wonderful road," she said, teary-eyed. "For sure, a difficult decision for me to come to terms with, but I totally had the time of my life. This was wonderful for me."
She also wrote on social media. "What a wild ride! As an alumni with a plot twist, it's been an incredible journey," she wrote. "Thank you so much to @americanidol for having me and showing my progression as an artist."
Raghu garnered controversy during her audition. Many viewers took it as Raghu hijacked and stole her friend Julia Davo's golden ticket to Hollywood. Raghu blamed producers for creating a false edit.
"As you may have seen, the episode portrays a narrative that pins two female friends against each other, seemingly for the sake of ratings and drama. It's really disappointing, honestly, to see that the show decided to go this route with their edit rather than showcasing how supportive and collaborative our friendship has always been," Raghu said. "This situation perpetuates harmful narrative of pinning women against each other. I believe that had I been a male artist, this situation would have never been edited the same way."
