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'American Idol' Season 22 viewers left disappointed after being 'robbed' of Kayko's Showstopper performance

'American Idol' Season 22 contestant Kayko Showstopper performance was skipped

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: 'American Idol' Season 22 accidental contestant Sam Kelly-Cohen aka Kayko recently secured a spot among the Top 24 contestants. However, the aspiring singer's Showstopper round performance was not aired during the latest episode and the viewers were left disappointed.

The latest season of the ABC show seemed to progress rapidly, skipping over several singers' performances. Furthermore, due to time constraints, not every performance could be aired on the show. However, Kayko was featured in a montage video alongside some of the other contestants who had also advanced to the next round.

Viewers of the ABC show took to social media to express their disappointment with the format, stating that they wanted to hear Kayko sing. An X user posted, "Being robbed of Kaykos performance is crazy."

Another person added, "How dare you not let me see a fraction of a second of kayko’s performance. We are kayko stans in this household." One user claimed, "I wanted to hear Kayko tonight."

On Instagram, one user commented, "Why is this so rushed? Losing all these people and just ..bye? 🙄." Another viewer added, "I am very disappointed we didn't get to see his Show Stopper performance. His was the one I was most looking forward to." Another critic shared, "We were cheated of seeing him, he's awesome!"

Another internet user stated, "Are there budget cuts this year or something? They’re speeding up the whole season with bigger cuts and then they put people through to top 24 without even showing their songs!?

Kayko reflects on advancing to the Top 24

'American Idol' Season 22 contestant Kayko took to his social media account to share his excitement about securing a spot among the Top 24 aspiring singers. He shared a few photos from the ABC show set and wrote, "Accidentally on the Top 24 🤯🤯🤯."

Kayko added, "I know my Instagram has been mostly jokes but in all seriousness I really never thought something like this was possible." He concluded his post by noting, "I met some really cool people there, fostered some awesome friendships, and made memories I’ll never forget. Here’s to Live Shows 🥂."

ABC show judges chose Kayko over Abby Blake

Kayko appeared on 'American Idol' Season 22 only to accompany her friend Abby Blake on piano. However, fate took a turn, and Kayko unexpectedly seized the opportunity to audition, becoming an accidental contestant. The duo made it to Hollywood Week, but only one of them successfully advanced to the next round.

Abby Blake was unfortunately eliminated during Hollywood Week after she performed, 'Vienna' by Billy Joel, where nerves seemed to get the best of her. Although Katy Perry commented that her nerves 'got the best' of the singer’s vibrato, the ABC show judge claimed the performance was a 'step up' in comparison to her audition.

Catch new episodes of 'American Idol' Season 22 every Sunday and Monday at 8 pm ET on ABC. The latest episodes are available to stream next day on Hulu.