Alyssa Raghu got a shocking second chance at competing after last appearing on the show in 2019.
It was the end of the road for two-time American Idol contestant Alyssa Raghu on Monday night. After a shocking return to the show when she hijacked her "best friend" Julia Davo's audition, Raghu found herself in Hollywood, singing her heart out to stay in the competition.
Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan revealed that they struggled to decide between Raghu and contestant Kaibrienne, forcing them to do a sing-off to Lady Gaga's "Shallow."
"The reason it's a sing-off is because we argued over you. So you have to be the tie breaker," Perry explained to the two female artists.
During rehearsals, Raghu noted, "I do have to be selfish in this moment. If one of us goes through, I want it to be me."
And though Raghu gave a soulful rendition of the track off the A Star Is Born soundtrack, Kaibrienne blew the judges out of the water.
Bryan told Raghu, "We think you have been an amazing part of Idol and we think you're gonna be able to go spread your wings without Idol. This is the end of the road for you, Raghu."
After failing to progress to the Top 24, Raghu reflected on her time on the show.
"This American Idol journey was a wonderful, wonderful road," she said, tearing up. "For sure, a difficult decision for me to come to terms with, but I totally had the time of my life. This was wonderful for me."
After the episode dropped on Monday night, Raghu took to Instagram to express her gratitude for the opportunity to appear on Idol a second time.
"What a wild ride! As an alumni with a plot twist, it’s been an incredible journey," she wrote. "Thank you so much to @americanidol for having me and showing my progression as an artist."
Raghu first competed on the ABC music competition in 2019, progressing all the way to the top 8. Her return to the show proved to be controversial with many online calling her out for stealing her friend's audition and asking for a second shot on the show.
Bryan and Richie agreed to let her return, but Perry seemed against the idea, walking away from the judge's table, saying, "I've gotta go."
American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and later streams on Hulu.
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