American Idol Season 5 Episode 22 Week 6A: Top 12 Women Perform

Week 6A of American Idol season 5 brings the Top 12 female contestants to the stage to perform in front of judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell, as well as the live audience and millions of viewers at home.

The anticipation is high as each contestant takes the stage one by one, starting off with a powerful performance from Katharine McPhee with "Since I Fell for You." Next up is the soulful Paris Bennett, who opts for a song by the late great Whitney Houston with "The Greatest Love of All." Kinnik Sky follows with a stunning rendition of Alicia Keys' "Fallin'."

Other standout performances during Week 6A include Ayla Brown's emotional delivery of Christina Aguilera's "Reflection" and Mandisa's lively rendition of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." Meanwhile, some of the contestants struggle to connect with the audience and judges, such as Brenna Gethers' performance of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" and Stevie Scott's rendition of "To Where You Are" by Josh Groban.

As always, the judges provide their feedback, both constructive and critical, to each of the contestants. Randy Jackson praises Paris Bennett for her "old school vibe" but advises her to work on her pitch. Paula Abdul acknowledges Brenna Gethers' confidence but encourages her to focus on the emotional delivery of her songs. Simon Cowell, predictably, does not hold back in his critiques, telling Mandisa that he found her performance "predictable" and saying that Kinnik Sky's rendition of "Fallin'" was a "mess."

Following the performances, the viewers at home are able to vote for their favorite contestants, who will move on to the next round of the competition. The pressure is high for all of the contestants, who have worked tirelessly to get to this point and are now fighting for their chance to become the next American Idol.