21 year-old Cortez Shaw of Dallas made it to Hollywood and now he's off to Vegas.

The Vegas move is a new twist in the competition, during which the Top 40 once again will be split by gender.

The 'Sudden Death' rounds start tonight and the contestants will perform on the stage of Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles LOVE Theatre at The Mirage.

Tonight and tomorrow, and then again next week, 10 semifinalists will perform each night – girls on Wednesdays and guys on Thursdays.

Each night, the judges will be faced with the tough decision of choosing which five will stay and which five will be sent home.

At the end of the first stage of the semifinals, only 20 contestants will remain.

Cortez had a rough Hollywood audition, as you can see in the video, but he made it to the next round. How far do you think he can go?

Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #idol. 

Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest at @RyanSeacrest, and follow the judges: @MariahCarey; @yo_randyjackson;@nickiminaj; and @keithurban.

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