"Duets" Recap: Jordan Meredith Eliminated Ahead of Live Rounds

ABCWednesday's installment of ABC's Duets was the end of the line for singer Jordan Meredith.

Meredith, who had been mentored by Kelly Clarkson, was sent home after receiving the lowest score total from the judges/mentors.

Before the elimination was announced, the contestants and their celebrity mentors, Clarkson, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Nettles and John Legend, took on songs from the world of film. The stakes were high; elimination meant missing out on being in the final five for the live installments of Duets, which begin next week, and feature viewer voting for the first time in the series.

Here’s a rundown of Wednesday's performances:

-- Taking their song from one of the biggest movies of all time, Titanic, Jennifer and contestant John Glosson took on “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. Kelly said it was refreshing to see a man tackle the song. Robin said John sings “from the heart.” John Legend was almost at a loss for words but clearly enjoyed the performance.

-- The soundtrack to the movie Top Gun provided “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin as Kelly's first duet with Jordan Meredith. Robin thought Jordan did not connect with the song on an emotional level. Jennifer thought Jordan made the song her own, but said she heard a few bad notes. John liked the arrangement and thought the two voices complimented each other.

-- Robin joined his sole remaining contestant, Olivia Chisholm, for a version of the Bee Gees song, “Stayin’ Alive,” from Saturday Night Fever.  John felt more power and performance from Olivia, while Kelly said it was her favorite Olivia song so far. Jennifer agreed the more upbeat tune fit Olivia’s style.

-- Bridget Carrington was ranked number two on last week’s show. This time John and his last remaining contestant took on Tina Turner’s classic, “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” from the movie of the same name. Kelly enjoyed Bridget’s “Tina-like” attitude but wasn’t sure about the song. Jennifer gave the high compliment of forgetting she was supposed to be judging the performance. Robin thought it was Bridget’s best song yet.

-- Jennifer’s second partner, J Rome, finished atop the leader board last week. This week, the duo took on Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” from The Bodyguard. Kelly liked that J Rome pushed himself, and Robin called Rome a “good guy and “an amazing performer.” John said the performance was “really awesome.”

-- Kelly’s other partner, Jason Farol, was hoping to improve on his fifth place position last week. They chose to sing “Come What May,” as performed by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge. Robin loved Jason’s voice and called him “loveable,” but had doubts about the choice of song. Jennifer saw Jason in a new light, but said she heard a few "pitchy" notes in his low register. John liked the performance but agreed the song was too low for Jason.

At the end of the show, scoring totals placed Kelly’s contestants -- Jordan and Jason -- in the bottom two and facing elimination.  The two then had to deliver a solo "save me" number a cappella. Jason decided to sing “Mamma Knows Best,” by Jessie J, while Jordan took on “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” by Jennifer Holliday.

The judges’ final scores saved Jason and sent  Jordan packing.

Duets returns to ABC next Thursday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time for its first live elimination show.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio