But when it came time for the judges to critique him, they didn’t lambast him, but rather lent their support. “Hunter, that was the best performance you have ever given,” Katy Perry told him. “Perfection is an illusion. It doesn’t matter. That shows that you are human and vulnerable, and everyone relates to that. It is not about perfection, it is about resonating with people, and you just did.” And Luke Bryan added, “It was intense for me to watch you do that. It was a series of emotions that you took me on a crazy ride. I don’t know what happened at the end. I didn’t care. You could do no wrong at the end.” But was that enough to get America on his side as well? As the names of those who made it through to the Top 10 were read off, Hunter’s name wasn’t called – until the very end. He stood on stage with Ava August,Beane, and Madison Watkins to learn who would get the last spot – and the good news is that America was rooting for him, too. Success on American Idol has to be a big deal for Hunter, who came to the singing competition with no actual onstage experience, but mostly performances in his bedroom. Plus, the software developer from Franklin, Tenn., quit his job in order to compete, so he has a lot riding on it. In a press conference with Katy and Lionel Richie after the show – Luke wasn’t able to take part because he had to leave to accept his award as Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards – the two judges talked about times they had messed up on stage. “I have fallen off the stage a couple of times before, I have missed my mark, I have sung the wrong words, I hit a bad note on an awards shows,” Katy told reporters. “This is different because of the pressure. They go home to their hotels and they do what they shouldn’t do. They read the comments on the internet and it gets into their heads. Then they have millions of voices in their head. All that pressure mounts, it mounts, and it is a real emotional thing. They are so close to being the American Idol, its stressful.” And Lionel, who is among music’s icons, explained why Hunter’s performance was perfect because to Lionel, the perfect performance is when you get the audience to pay attention, no matter what you do. “How many times have I walked off that stage and thought I had the worst show of my life, and someone writes, ‘Oh, my God, Lionel killed it tonight!’ And I am like, ‘What show are they looking at?’ Hunter gave us something special, and the thing I want him to do is to recover. So, he forgot the lyrics, that was the greatest part of the show for me because it showed so much emotion. If he never sang another note and cried for the rest of the song, it would have been a win. Just lean into what works.” Tune into American Idol tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC when ten contestants from Season 3 will compete for the one remaining spot in Season 4’s Top 10.
