'American Idol' Top 20: It's Lauren Mascitti Vs. Grace Leer

Sunday night's (April 5) episode of American Idol was another week of (pre-taped, of course) fun at the Disney Aulani resort in Hawaii, the second half of winnowing the remaining 40 contestants to the coveted Top 20. (Just a note: For anyone who is worried, this episode was, we repeat, pre-taped back in January, well before quarantine concerns began to sweep the nation.)

The future of this season remains to be seen, as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has forced Idol to suspend production for the time being. But one thing that did make for some very good (and absolutely welcome, given that we are all stuck at home dying for some entertainment) TV was a little skirmish arranged by judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie between country girls Lauren Mascitti and Grace Leer ... who are not only competitors, but friends in real life.

Oh, the drama. Leer put forth a rootsy, sexy version of the soul classic "Natural Woman," which had Bryan noting that she "checked all the boxes." However, Mascitti matched this with her "Two More Bottles of Wine" by Emmylou Harris, which had an edge due to its to-the-bones country feel and which earned praise from Richie, who exclaimed, "I like her!"

Long story short, both women did the math and figured out quickly that there was an unprecedented Top 21, and that one of them needs to go. The two walked, hand in hand, to the judges to determine what would happen, and learned quickly that that the judges would be leaving it to America to decide.

"Your performances last night, both of them were really great,” announced Bryan. “Lauren, you showed us this rocking side we haven’t seen, and Grace, [you were] really one of the winners of the night, in my opinion. So, we have one position left, and we couldn’t make a decision ... So, you guys aren’t out of the woods. We’re going turn it over to America.”

"We're sorry to extend your anxiety, but we love you both," added Perry.

Way to stretch this episode out in a time of need, right?! Both women looked, understandably, a bit stunned, asking, "What just happened?"

Well, what just happened is that we viewers will have another juicy episode to look forward to next Sunday (April 12), after yet another week of pandemic boredom. And, we can also help out by voting for our favorite contestant in this situation as well!

American Idol airs (for the time being) on Sundays at 8PM ET.

If You Like a Little Rock in Your Country, You'll Love This the Cadillac Three Performance

American Idol Contestants: Then and Now