Photo credit: www.goldderby.com
During the recent “Iconic Idol Moments” episode of American Idol, excitement turned to disbelief when Filo, a standout contestant, was eliminated during the Top 12 round.
The 23-year-old artist from Dublin, California, had quickly established himself as a front-runner after winning a platinum ticket on New Year’s Eve. However, his rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” made famous by Jennifer Hudson from the musical Dreamgirls, proved to be a bittersweet turn of events. Mentoring the contestants that week was Fantasia Barrino, who herself won Season 3 of the show.
Reflecting on his time with Fantasia, Filo mentioned, “I’ll always remember the moment when Fantasia was in the Bottom 3 with Jennifer. Her incredible comeback is a huge inspiration.”
In their mentoring session, Fantasia advised Filo to “pick and choose” the moments in the song and allow it to “breathe,” advocating against rushing through the lyrics. While he implemented her guidance during his performance, it unfortunately wasn’t enough to secure his place in the competition.
Joining Filo in elimination was fellow contestant Ché Chesterman, while the Top 10 who advanced included John Foster (“I Told You So”), Josh King (“All by Myself”), Jamal Roberts (“Heal”), Mattie Pruitt (“Because of You”), Thunderstorm Artis (“House Of the Rising Sun”), Slater Nalley (“Angel From Montgomery”), Gabby Samone (“A Song for You”), Canaan James Hill (“Goodness of God”), Kolbi Jordan (“Over the Rainbow”), and Breanna Nix (“Tell Your Heart To Beat Again”).
The judges—Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie—expressed admiration for Filo’s work. Carrie stated, “Just keep doing that, and you’re not going to be going anywhere.” Luke appreciated Fantasia’s guidance, saying, “I love that Fantasia helped you tap into something different. At the end, you turned on the gas.” Lionel emphatically remarked, “That was the best performance I have ever seen from you.”
The audience showed their support, chanting “Filo! Filo! Filo!” as host Ryan Seacrest informed them that next week’s episode would focus on “Women in Music,” featuring country icon Miranda Lambert as the mentor, airing on May 4 on ABC.
In prior rounds, Filo had performed “Anything Worth Holding On To,” “Who’s Lovin’ You,” “Bridge over Troubled Water,” “Skyfall,” and “With a Little Help from My Friends.” This week’s results have sparked debate among fans regarding the fairness of the eliminations. Many are left questioning if America made the right choice in voting Filo off the show.
On the previous night’s episode, the show eliminated Amanda Barise and Desmond Roberts. This episode celebrated the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with guidance from special mentor James Taylor.
Social media erupted with outrage from fans regarding Filo’s exit:
Now, America… Ché & Filo did not deserve to go. #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/V2to2EjOgV
— Lamont (@LamontJunior) April 29, 2025
Who keeps voting for Josh and Mattie? Seriously?! Filo and Che did not deserve to go home, especially Filo #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/jetLB7CJQp
— SR Reacts (@stephrawnsley) April 29, 2025
Ain’t no way these American Idol voters let Filo go home.
— Anthony Heggie (@Anthony_Vandy3) April 29, 2025
Che and Filo are awesome. Good luck to them.
These. Eliminations. Are. Only. Gonna. Get. Harder. #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/oPFaLMr8KN
— Franky (@RKOBlackSwan) April 29, 2025
No more @AmericanIdol for me. If they don’t bring Filo back, it’s game over for this guy. Filo was a top 3 act for sure.
— ethan (@dale7734) April 29, 2025
Source
www.goldderby.com