How far did Tori make it on ‘American Idol”?

There are many ways in which Tori Kelly became known to the public. The OGs know her from YouTube — posting covers and garnering views for her pitch-perfect tone. The rest of America got to know her through season nine of American Idol, which is acceptable I guess (but we were there first).

Regardless of where you came to know her, Tori has long transcended YouTube and talent competition shows. Not only has she released five studio albums, three extended plays, and won several Grammy awards, but she has also expanded her highly versatile singing to the silver screen with Sing. Unsurprisingly, every show with musical elements has sought to have Tori on their set, including shows like American Idol (this time as a judge), Sesame Street, and even The Masked Singer.

That being said, considering how her success continually skyrockets year after year, one might imagine that she came out as the victor of American Idol at the tender age of 16, but that could not have been further from the truth. In fact, she left earlier than you might have guessed.

Did Tori Kelly win American Idol?

No, Tori Kelly did not win American Idol, and much to our surprise, she only made it to the solo Hollywood Week. You heard it right: the California native didn’t even make it to the Top 24 of American Idol. At the time of her elimination, the show was only in its third week of performances, and Tori was informed of her elimination after singing Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold.”

Despite her immense talent as a high school student, this outcome may not be entirely surprising. During her audition, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, as well as guest judge Victoria Beckham, all praised Kelly’s performance of John Mayer’s “Gravity,” showering her with compliments for being “the whole package.” However, Simon Cowell didn’t mince his words and expressed his dislike for Tori’s voice, describing it as “almost annoying.”

Despite the harsh words, Kelly persevered on the show for two more weeks after passing the audition period before being eliminated. In retrospect, it might have been for the best, because if we’re being honest, Kelly left that show more popular than ever, guaranteeing her the Hollywood success she deserves in the times to come. And of course, needless to say, she showed Cowell just how wrong he was, which we assume is just as gratifying as winning.