AMERICAN IDOL Reveals Top 40 Semifinalists Heading To Las Vegas

Josh Holiday American Idol

The AMERICAN IDOL auditions came to a conclusion tonight as the judges’ semifinalists picks were revealed. After intense deliberations, Mariah, Randy, Nicki and Keith have chosen the Top 40 contestants, who will now head to Las Vegas to perform on the stage of Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles LOVE Theatre at The Mirage.

The Vegas move is a new twist in the competition, during which the Top 40 once again will be split by gender. On Wednesday, Feb. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and continuing Thursday, Feb. 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), Wednesday, Feb. 27 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Thursday, Feb. 28 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), 10 semifinalists will perform each night – girls on Wednesdays and guys on Thursdays. Each night, the judges will be faced with the tough decision of choosing which five will stay and which five will be sent home. At the end of the first stage of the semifinals, only 20 contestants will remain.

Top 20 girls include:

NAME                                     AGE                            CITY/STATE

Melinda Ademi                      19                                Yonkers, NY
Janelle Arthur                       23                                Oliver Springs, TN
Juliana Chahayed                 15                                Woodland Hills, CA
Cristabel Clack                      29                                San Antonio, TX
Aubrey Cleland                     19                                West Linn, OR
Candice Glover                     23                                St. Helena Island, SC
Rachel Hale                           21                                Prescott, AR
Kree Harrison                        22                                Nashville, TN
Jett Hermano                         25                                Seattle, WA
Amber Holcomb                    18                                Houston, TX
Brandy Hotard                      26                                Port Allen, LA
Isabelle                                   22                                Duluth, GA
Zoanette Johnson                 20                                Tulsa, OK
Adriana Latonio                    17                                Anchorage, AK
Angela Miller                         18                                Beverly, MA
Kamaria Ousley                    29                                Oakland, CA
Breanna Steer                       18                                Laplace, LA
Tenna Torres                        28                                Queens, NY
Shubha Vedula                      17                                Mt. Pleasant, MI
Jenny Beth Willis                  17                                Owensboro, KY

Top 20 guys include:

Lazaro Arbos                        21                                Naples, FL
Charlie Askew                       17                                Little Rock, AR
Nick Boddington                   27                                Memphis, TN
Curtis Finch Jr.                     24                                St. Louis, MO
Kevin Harris                          28                                Montgomery, AL
Josh Holiday                         24                                Celeste, TX
J’DA                                        27                                Chicago, IL
Paul Jolley                             22                                Palmersville, TN
Johnny Keyser                      24                                Pompano Beach, FL
Elijah Liu                                18                                Rowland Heights, CA
Vincent Powell                      29                                Austin, TX
Cortez Shaw                          21                                Dallas, TX
Gurpreet Singh Sarin           22                                North Potomac, MD
Jimmy Smith                         25                                Waynesboro, TN
Bryant Tadeo                        23                                Hilo, HI
Burnell Taylor                       19                                New Orleans, LA
Mathenee Treco                    26                                Aurora, CO
Devin Velez                            18                                Chicago, IL
Chris Watson                        25                                Fords, NJ
David Willis                            21                                Mount Dora, FL

Then, it’s up to viewers to vote for who will advance to the finals and who will go home, during a special three-night AMERICAN IDOL event. In the season’s first live show, airing on a special night, Tuesday, March 5 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the first group of 10 semifinalists will perform LIVE from Las Vegas for America’s vote. On Wednesday, March 6 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the second group of 10 semifinalists will perform LIVE. On a super-sized, 90-minute episode airing Thursday, March 7 (8:00-9:30 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), America’s vote and the AMERICAN IDOL finalists will be announced LIVE from Los Angeles.

Visit www.americanidol.com for interviews with the Top 40, as well as additional AMERICAN IDOL news.

“Like” AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #idol. Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest at @RyanSeacrest, and follow the judges: @MariahCarey; @yo_randyjackson; @nickiminaj; and @keithurban. Download the AMERICAN IDOL app for iOS devices from the App Store; and for Android devices at Google Play.**