Lazaro Arbos isn’t only the last Latino standing on American Idol… He’s also the last man standing!
The 21-year-old Cuban American singer is the only male contestant left on Fox’s reality singing competition after Burnell Taylor was sent packing on Thursday’s results show.
Taylor is the fourth guy in a row to get the boot, following the eliminations of Curtis Finch Jr., Paul Jolley and Devin Velez.
Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine had predicted Taylor would be in the bottom two for his performance of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” along with Arbos.
Surprisingly, Lazaro whom Jimmy thought would be sent home was one of the week’s top three vote-getters along with Angie Miller and Kree Harrison. Even more shocking, Janelle Arthur landed in the bottom two along with Burnell despite her solid performance.
Lazaro Arbos and Devin Velez are the last Latinos standing onAmerican Idol…
During Thursday night’s episode of Fox’s hit reality competition, Ryan Seacrest revealed that the 21-year-old and 18-year-old singers had survived the first public vote to earn their place in the Top 10.
“I was a hot mess tonight with my song I was so happy I made top 10 thank you guys for making this happen for me gonna make y’all proud,” tweeted Arbos after being the last of the guys to make the Top 10. He performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” after the announcement.
Velez was called a “Spanish Ken Doll” by judge Nicki Minaj after his acclaimed bilingual performance on Wednesday.
“I can truly say that I cant believe that I’ve made it.. I just want to thank you guys for all of the love and support. #blessed,” tweeted Velez, who performed “Impossible” as his victory song.
For making the Top 10, Arbos and Velez will be rewarded by taking part in the Idol concert tour this summer.
Meanwhile, it proved to be a disappointing night for three other Latino contestants: Tenna Torres, Breanna Steer and Elijah Liu. The trio failed to earn enough votes to advance to the next round.
Here’s a look at the Top 10:
Paul Jolley
Burnell Taylor
Curtis Finch, Jr.
Devin Velez
Lazaro Arbos
Janelle Arthur
Candice Glover
Angela Miller
Amber Holcomb
Kree Harrison
The future looks oh-so-bright for the Latino competitors likeLazaro Arbos on American Idol this season…
Following two weeks of intense Sudden Death episodes in Las Vegas, Mariah Carey and her fellow Idol judges have picked their Top 20 girls and guys to advance to the next round on Fox’s hit singing competition.
This season five Latinos, including the 21-year-old Cuban American hopeful with a speech impediment who has consistently impressed judges since his first audition, have made it through.
Arbos, who performed Keith Urban’s “Tonight I Want to Cry,” was the last Latino to make it through. He was the only Hispanic singer in this Thursday’s Sudden Death round.
Nicki Minaj said Arbos played it safe “in a good way” and called his performance very truthful, while Randy Jackson said there’s a “sweet spot” in Arbos’ voice and it’s like no one else’s in the competition.
Earlier this week, Breanna Steer was the last Latina to make the cut following her performance of Jazmine Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows.” The 18-year-old part-Honduran American singer impressed the judges with her powerful performance.
Minaj called her “sexy on a stick,” while Carey told her she though Steer was “extremely marketable and gorgeous and talented.”
Last week, Devin Velez and Elijah Liu survived their extremely competitive Sudden Death round to advance.
Velez, an 18-year-old Chicago native performed a bilingual version of Beyonce’s “Listen” that earned kudos from the judges.
Minaj called his decision to sing in English and Spanish a “smart choice,” making him more marketable.
Liu, an 18-year-old half-Mexican American singer from California, performed Bruno Mars’ “Talking To The Moon.”
The half-Mexican/half-Chinese American hopeful had Minaj declaring, “I would sign you today!”
The first Hispanic hopeful to advance in the competition last week was Tenna Torres. The 28-year-old Puerto Rican & African American singer performed Natasha Bedingfield‘s “Soulmate.”
Minaj praised Torres on her 1990’s R&B tone, while Urban called it “a beautiful song for you to do,” adding, “It’s also a deceptively big song that requires a lot of control, which you mostly had throughout that performance.”
The Top 20 will all perform next week, with the public vote set to decide their fate for the first time.
Here’s the complete list of the Top 20 Guys & Girls:
Adriana Latonio
Amber Holcomb
Angela Miller
Aubrey Cleland Breanna Steer Candice Glover
Janelle Arthur
Kree Harrison Tenna Torres Zoanette Johnson
Burnell Taylor
Charlie Askew
Cortez Shaw
Curtis Finch, Jr. Devin Velez Elijah Liu
Lazaro Arbos Paul Jolley
Nick Boddington
Vincent Powell
He’s made it past the Hollywood rounds… And, now Lazaro Arbos’ American Idol dreams will take him to Las Vegas…
During Thursday night’s episode of the Fox reality singing competition, the 21-year-old Cuba-born singer was named as one of the 40 Idol hopefuls advancing to the next round.
But Arbos isn’t the only Latino competitor heading to Las Vegas…
On the boys’ side, 18-year-old Devin Velez and 27-year-old Josh “JDA” Davila have advanced; on the girls’ side, 28-year-old Tenna Torres has made it to the next round.
Next week, Idol moves to Las Vegas, where only 20 contestants will remain after that round.
During the second night of American Idol’s premiere week episodes, Lazaro Arbos manages to get Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj to agree…
The 21-year-old Cuban-American singer and American Idol hopeful stole the show and the feuding judges hearts in the second episode of the Fox reality singing competition’s 12th season during his Chicago audition.
Appearing at the end of the episode, Arbos – who has struggled with a stutter since he was six – sang “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to perfection, without any impediments.
“It’s amazing that the stammer doesn’t happen when you sing,” said judge Randy Jackson.
Keith Urban said he loved Arbos’ voice so much, he suggested the contestant “just sing all the time.”
Carey called his performance “beautiful” and told him he was adorable, while Minajsaid she found Arbos “very, very inspiring.”
In what turned out to be the feel-good story of the night, Arbos received four yes votes from the judges, advancing him to Hollywood.
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve been dealt,” announces Mariah Carey in the latest promo for the upcoming season of American Idol…
The 42-year-old part-Venezuelan singer and new judge of Fox’s reality singing competition appears in the new promo that aims to give hope to aspiring singers, claiming, “Dreams come true here [on American Idol].”
Following Carey’s decree, Randy Jackson continues, “True talent always overcomes.” Fellow judges Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj add, “If you’ve got what it takes you can make your dream a reality. ”
There’s also another promo that features a stuttering contestant. Despite his difficulty speaking, hopeful Lazaro Arbos has a good voice and impresses the judges with his rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” shedding tears as the judges praise his performance.
The new season of American Idol will premiere on Wednesday, January 16 on Fox.
Fans can watch the premiere episode a week earlier, on January 9, at a free screening in 11 movie theaters across the country in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Nashville and Los Angeles.
