New Orleans contestant avoids elimination from American Idol

Updated:

New Orleans native Burnell Taylor performing on American Idol-Courtesy: FOX TV

Hollywood, Calif.- New Orleans own Burnell Taylor made the cut as American Idol voters eliminated the first of the top ten contestants.

Taylor received enough votes to place seventh out of the ten.

He has consistently received strong reviews from the panel of judges. Now his challenge will be to impress the viewing audience.

Contestant Curtis Finch received the least number of votes and must leave the competition. The judges were unable to come to a unanimous decision to use their one "save" to keep his hopes alive.

Finch tells FOX 8 he remains optimistic about his future as a performer, saying, "I really think that once this door is open nobody can close it." Finch looks forward to the American Idol tour this summer and expects many things to happen "because of this great vehicle that I rode."

Finch gushed as he spoke of Taylor, "Oh my God! I love Burnell." Finch described Taylor as a little brother and praised his distinctive voice.

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New Orleans contestant avoids elimination from American Idol - FOX 8 WVUE New Orleans News, Weather, Sports

New Orleans contestant avoids elimination from American Idol

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