"American Idol" has trimmed the fat and stripped down to its top 24 contestants who will face elimination from the public each week by viewer votes.  

      Among the finalists was Asia'h Epperson, the 19-year-old from Joplin, MO whose father passed away while she was driving to auditions in Atlanta. Asia'h says she hopes to show off her country side during the season.

       "My heart is really in R&B music," she says. "I love rhythm and blues but I sing everything.  I’m from the country, small town.  I’m a country girl.  I grew up singing country songs.  I auditioned with country songs.  So, it’s nothing.  Like I love it and I’m so excited to be able just to show my versatility.  It’s very important.”

       Epperson will face competition from 21-year-old Sarasota, FL resident Syesha Mercado, who anticipates a difficult road in the coming months.      

       “The talent is amazing," she says. "I’m happy to be amongst talented people actually and I really don’t see myself competing against them.  It’s just me competing against myself because, you always want to be the very best that you can be when you’re on stage. I look forward to the experience and singing with everybody.”     

      Finalist Joanne Borgella has already experienced a taste of the nerve-wracking tension expected in the months ahead. On Wednesday's show, she was the last female contestant to be chosen for the Top 24. The 25-year-old from Hoboken, N.J. said her audition in Philadelphia was just as frightening.

      “I went the night before and my brother and I, my sister we were all there," Borgella said. "We packed up in a car and we drove there because it’s not too far from New Jersey and there were about 200 people already outside sitting in the stadium. So we looked at each other, my sister and I, and we were just like we know what we have to do and we got out of the car and we had absolutely nothing and we slept outside, which was crazy.  I never thought I’d ever sleep outside on pavement.”    

       Chikezie Eze, 22, of Inglewood, CA, earned his first trip to the final 24 after auditioning four times and making it to the Hollywood round twice before.       

       “Hollywood week was, like nothing before," Eze explained. "They totally changed the format, which really took me by surprise.  I mean, almost everything was different, and I came into it, you know, a seasoned pro. This is good, though. You know, I appreciate it because it made for a better group.”

       Next Tuesday, the top 12 male singers are in the hot seat on the Fox talent contest, and, on Wednesday, the women follow.  

• Male Finalists: Archuleta, 17, Murray, Utah; Colton Berry, 18, Staunton, Va.; Robbie Carrico, 26, Melbourne, Fla.; Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, Texas; David Cook, 25, Tulsa, Okla.; Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, Calif.; Garrett Haley, 17, Elida, Ohio; David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, Ariz.; Luke Menard, 29, Crawfordsville, Ind.; Danny Noriega, 18, Azusa, Calif.; Jason Yeager, 28, Branson, Mo., and Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles by way of Australia

• Female Finalists: Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, Ind.; White, 24, Van Nuys, Calif.; Joanne Borgella, 25, Hoboken, N.J.; Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, Ore.; Amy Davis, 25, Cedar Lake, Ind.; Asia'h Epperson, 19, Joplin, Mo.; Alexandrea Lushington, 17, Douglasville, Ga.; Kady Malloy, 18, Houston; Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, Fla.; Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami; Alaina Whitaker, 16, Tulsa, Okla., and Carly Smithson, San Diego by way of Dublin, Ireland.