Claudia Conway returned to the American Idol stage for part two of Hollywood Week on the show’s March 22 episode. This time, the contestants performed duets with another artist competing on the show, and the judges decided whether one, both, or neither of the two would move on. Before their performances, they also got individual instruction from the judges.
The judges chose the pairings, and put Claudia alongside Hannah Everhart. The ladies didn’t know each other at all before finding out that they were teamed up together, and things were quite awkward. “This is not what I was expecting,” Hannah admitted. “Who did this? Everybody was laughing, but it wasn’t funny. It was not funny. I was scared.” Claudia added “We come from totally different worlds. We’re two different people.”
As the other teams began rehearsing, Claudia couldn’t even find Hannah to start practicing herself. “It’s not going too well right now,” she shared. “I don’t know where my partner is. We have to practice and figure this out. Watching all the other pairs working together and collaborating is kind of frustrating me. I’m here to win. I’m here to do the best that I can. I’m here to collaborate with my partner, but there’s no partner to collaborate with.”
Even when Claudia finally did spot Hannah, her partner wasn’t too eager to start rehearsing. Eventually, Hannah came around, though. “I was kind of hoping they’d pair me with an older person,” Hannah shared. “I do get along with people my age, but it’s hard finding common ground with people my age because I’m an older soul. But this week you have to live in the now, go with the flow. If you think too hard, you’re just going to stress yourself out.”
Katy Perry showed up to Hannah and Claudia’s rehearsal to offer some advice. “Be mindful not to overshadow each other,” she urged. “Create that space. If [Claudia’s] not coming as big as you are, then back off.” Hannah was confident that Claudia could hit those big notes, though, and they started working together to improve things.
“I’m really nervous abut not living up to my potential or doing the best I can,” Claudia said in the midst of practicing. “We have some work to do but I have faith we can get there.” Finally, Hannah and Claudia took the stage and sang a rendition of “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles. The judges weren’t overly impressed. Luke Bryan felt that Hannah carried the performance, and Katy admitted that she didn’t feel like the ladies gave each other enough “space to shine.”
In the end, Hannah went through to the next round, and Claudia was eliminated. “Good grown. Really good growth from where I saw you guys yesterday,” Katy told the girls. “I appreciate you both made a conscious choice to work together. You guys were flowing together and harmonizing and that was great, but you didn’t carve out enough individual time. When we finally got those moments from you, we wanted more. So we’re at a crossroads right now. This is the hardest part of our jobs. Hannah, you come from a town of about 1,200 or less. Everybody knows you’re here. Don’t let them down. You’re going to the next round. Claudia, you’re just coming to life. I can see it in you. You’re taking control of your life. I applaud you for that. Claudia, this is going to be the end of the American Idol journey for right now. I hope you learned a lot and come and see us again.”
Claudia was in good spirits after her elimination, and wished Hannah the best for her future on the show. Meanwhile, Hannah got emotional over her newfound and unexpected friendship with Claudia. “It’s been wonderful working with you,” she gushed. “I really appreciate your support. You’re a really wonderful person. I wish you the best of luck with whatever route you take.” Claudia responded, “I’m going to be cheering for you. I think you can win this thing!”