Arts & Entertainment

Darien's American Idol Contestant Sent Home

Darien native and Downers Grove South grad Mariah Pulice was sent home during Hollywood Week.

If Mariah Pulice's sister has her way, we'll be seeing the Darien native back on American Idol next year. 

"You're coming back next year. I'm making you," her sister said on camera right after Pulice, a Downers Grove South graduate, was sent home early into the show Wednesday night. 

We unfortunately won't see her again this season. Pulice wowed judges with her audition of Let it Be and tale of battling anorexia. But in Hollywood Week, she was sent home after one performance. She said she was "antsy" before she sang, and she still seemed a bit nervous on stage. 

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"There's a plan for everything, and this just wasn't it," she said on camera after being sent home. 

If you missed her audition, check it out here: Mariah Pulice performs "Let it Be" in her American Idol audition.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There were some signs that Pulice wouldn't make it through to the next round. A few promos for this week's shows featured a tearful Pulice, and last week, she also posted this on her Facebook page:

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." 

But she's certainly no stranger to adversity. During her audition on American Idol last month, the 19-year-old shared the story of her struggle with anorexia. 

At the end of the week, only 20 men and 20 women will emerge. Last week, the men were cut down to just 28 left, and this week eight more will go home. Ryan Seacrest said on this week's show that there were many more women who made it to Hollywood Week, meaning harder cuts would have come this week. 

There were 76 women who made it through to the group round before judges began to narrow that field down even more. 

Pulice was definitely one of those tough cuts to make, but if her sister has any say we should be seeing Pulice again. 

Tell us: Did the judges make a mistake in cutting Mariah Pulice? 


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