Round of 22 - June 26-28

It's time to put up or shut up, as 22 singers are ready to do their thing in the hopes of gaining enough of Canada's vote to continue on.

The show starts as host Ben Mulroney goes over the format; the men sing tonight, while the women sing tomorrow night. The phone lines for voting will be open for 2 hours, and on Wednesday, the 2 men and 2 women with the lowest vote counts will be heading home. With that in mind, Ben introduces the band located to the side of the stage, led by Orin Issacs, before getting to the judges. As they give their opening comments, we learn that Ritchea Hodge was the one that had to drop out of the competition due to personal reasons. So who is going to replace her?

It'll be Scarlett Burke (18; Toronto, ON), who is introduced to the crowd! When asked how she felt when she got the call informing her of this, she says that it didn't hit her until after she hung up. That was when she ran to her mother, excited to tell her about it! With that, Scarlett heads over to the "TD Canada Trust Comfort Zone", which is a set of comfy green chairs, to join the other ladies, who will sit and watch tonight. We then get to see the guys who will be competing tonight.

The performances begin with Jaydee Bixby, who starts things off with a rockin' performance of Elvis' version of "Johnny B. Goode". Jake says that the performance was good, but he expects more from him in the future. Jake then adds that he wants Jaydee to go with a song from somewhere in the last few decades next time. Zack doesn't have a problem with the retro thing, though.

Next up is Clifton Murray. He's the one that, back on Day 1 of the Toronto round, mistakenly said that he wanted to be the next "American Idol". He has since redeemed himself, and this week, he sings "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. Farley thought it was really good, though he started off shaky. Zack compared it to an "old school Idol cheese-o-rama", and Jake says it felt like Clifton didn't really mean it, adding that it should be more about the feeling of the song than 1 big note.

Derek Hoffman wants to move along in this competition, so he goes with, well, "Move Along" by the All American Rejects. Sass says that it wasn't his strongest performance, but she thinks he has something special. Zack just thought that it was bad.

Maybe Justyn Wesley will do better, with "Some Kind of Wonderful". Jake felt that Justyn had done way better than that before. But Farley says that he saw some soul in that performance.

Following that, Dwight d'Eon takes to the stage with the Philosopher Kings' "Cry". And there's no need to cry about this one. Jake says that he lit up the room, and Zack adds that he could be a contender for the whole thing!

Back for more is Greg Neufeld, who has been on that stage last year. This year, he has another chance to secure Canada's vote, as he performs a popular hit from Maroon 5, "This Love". Sass thought it was a great song choice, and Jake says he's the guy this year!

Tyler Mullendore is next, and he goes with "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones. Sass says that he brought a new flavour to "authentic", and Jake thought that Tyler showed why he was picked to be here.

At this point, Dave Kerr shows how easy it is to text in votes, using a military skit involving the 11 guys as troops. Following that is Andrew Austin, who performs George Michael's "Freedom 90". Zack thinks that Andrew isn't ready for this. But Jake disagrees, as he thought Andrew sang well, and that he should be here. Farley wants to hear him sing better, though.

Up next is Matt Rapley, who has chosen to sing "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder. Jake thought it was strong vocally, but it was lacking performance-wise. But Zack feels that he has the whole package, and he should be around to the end!

Now, it's Brian Melo's turn, as he rocks with "Stereo" by the Watchmen. Farley says it was a perfect song choice, Sass thought it was great all around, and Zack says he should make it to the Top 10!

Finally, we have Liam Styles Chang. Remember back in Day 2 of the Toronto round, when Zack had to get up on stage and get one group moving around? Liam was in that group. But he's here now, and he closes the show with "This Magic Moment" by the Drifters. Sass thought he made the moment magical, and Jake proclaimed it to be the best performance of the night!

Overall, this was a really good start to the Top 22 portion of the competition! Tomorrow, we'll see if the women can do better.

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Last night, the guys had their first chance to sing for votes from the Canadian public. Tonight, the ladies get their first chance.

This time, the men are sitting in the "TD Canada Trust Comfort Zone", to watch the women as they sing for Canada's vote. After some comments from the judges, the ladies are introduced.

Time to get down to business, starting with Tara Oram, who has decided to sing "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden", as sung by Martina McBride. Jake says that most of the singing was good, but she seemed to be a bit breathy at times. Farley thought that it was just a bit of nerves.

Martha Joy is up next, and she goes with Regine Velasquez's version of the Aerosmith hit, "Don't Want to Miss a Thing". Zack says that she has the talent, but he isn't sure if that performance would sell records. Jake says that she's a fantastic singer, but he's just not feeling it.

Moving on to Montana Martin Iles, who has chosen something quite recent; "The Bird and the Worm" by The Used. Sass thought it was intense, powerful, and awesome. Zack says that it was his favourite performance on the show ever since he first sat in that chair for this show! Farley adds that it's apparent she has an understanding of who she is.

How does Kamila Miller plan to follow that up? After mentioning that she decided to shorten her name to Mila to avoid confusion with fellow competitor Khalila, she sings "I'm Goin' Down" by Mary J. Blige. Jake thought that it really worked for her, and Farley says that she has a sense of "star vibe", adding that it was a great performance.

Maud Coussa-Jandl plans to impress the viewers with The Cranberries' "Dreams". Jake says that she needs to find songs that would let her be her, Farley didn't like the song choice, and Sass thought it sounded pitchy.

Maybe Annika Odegard will do better, as she performs "Helplessly, Hopelessly" by Jessica Andrews. Farley didn't think she took enough of a risk with that, and Sass thought that may have had to do with her singing in a key that was too low. Jake thought the singing was good, but it sounded cheesy.

Things aren't looking good right now, so it might be a good idea for Naomi-Joy Blackhall to turn things around, with Whitesnake's "Judgement Day". Sass thought she got the act down, but she and Jake both say that it sounded pitchy. Farley felt that she tried, but it just didn't work out.

After a segment that shows stylist Justin German getting the ladies' looks ready for the show, we move on to Christine Hanlon, who has chosen "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan. Jake says there were some strong moments in there vocally, but she needed to find the groove within that song, and it seemed like she was behind the groove. Farley and Sass wanted to see something more edgy from her, and Sass adds that that song just didn't suit her.

Scarlett Burke made it into the Top 22 when another competitor had to forfeit due to personal reasons, so she's hoping to show that she belongs by performing Whitney Houston's "I Learned from the Best". Jake thought it was uninspiring, and Sass says she didn't "grab the audience" right away, which she should have tried to do. But Zack says that Scarlett is a strong singer, and he hopes she'll be around for a while.

Next up is Khalila G, who decides to let loose with "Family Portrait" by Pink. Farley felt that she was "composed, calm, cool, collected," and it was beautiful. Zack thought that she was living in the moment, and it was great. Jake adds that that's what she should be doing.

Closing this set of performances is Carly Rae Jepsen, who is hoping to give the night a strong finish with "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae. Zack felt it was a good song choice, and it felt right when she was sitting down, but maybe she shouldn't have stood up and gone into "Idol mode", as he calls it. Farley thought it was one of his favourite performances of the night, and both he and Zack could see Carly Rae in the Top 10!

Well, it was more of a mixed bag tonight, with some awesome performances, and some not too good. Tomorrow, we find out what Canada thought of all the performances this week.

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The past couple of days, Canada got to vote for their favourite singers. Now, it's time to see what they've done.

22 entered this round, but only 18 will move on to next week. 2 men and 2 women will be heading home, and after a recap of all 22 performances, we get right down to business. No filler; just results (and commercials).

We start with the guys. Ben will tell each of them, one at a time, if they're safe, or if they're in the Bottom 4 for their night, meaning they're in trouble of going home. Here we go...

Derek - Bottom 4
Matt - SAFE
Jaydee - SAFE
Tyler - SAFE
Clifton - Bottom 4
Liam - SAFE
Brian - SAFE
Justyn - Bottom 4
Dwight - SAFE
Greg - SAFE
Andrew - Bottom 4

Derek, Clifton, Justyn, and Andrew find themselves in danger. But they'll have to sweat it out for a while longer, as we now turn our attention to the ladies...

Montana - SAFE
Martha - SAFE
Mila - Bottom 4
Tara - SAFE
Carly Rae - SAFE
Khalila - SAFE
Scarlett - SAFE
Naomi-Joy - Bottom 4
Maud - Bottom 4
Christine - Bottom 4
Annika - SAFE

Mila, Naomi-Joy, Maud, and Christine are in an unenviable position right now. After a break, we find out what the judges think. Zack thinks that Christine and Maud are going home, and Farley agrees, saying that he thinks Naomi-Joy and Mila are sticking around. Sass guesses that Justyn and Andrew are gone, but Jake disagrees a bit, thinking that Andrew and Derek are staying.

But now, before finding out who leaves, Ben will get to send one from each group back to the safety of the couches...

Naomi-Joy - SAFE

Clifton - SAFE

And that leaves 6. 2 of them will also return next week, but the other 4 will be out. So let's get right to that...

Derek - OUT
Justyn - OUT
Andrew - SAFE

Mila - SAFE
Maud - OUT
Christine - OUT

And just like that, we have seen the last of Derek Hoffman, Justyn Wesley, Maud Coussa-Jandl, and Christine Hanlon in this competition. Next week, it continues, as the remaining 18 will sing once again, and 4 more will be dropped afterwards.