Season 8 finalist Jorge Nuñez celebrated his birthday on October 1. American Idol traveled to Puerto Rico for the very first time to audition hopefuls for Season 8. Their search turned up Jorge, the only contestant from Puerto Rico to make the Top 13. Originally, Jorge's grandfather was going to send Jorge to the states to audition for American Idol, but, unfortunately, he passed away the December before auditions. Since he was unable to pay for his own trip, Jorge felt blessed when Idol traveled to Puerto Rico for auditions.
For Jorge's semi-final round performance, he sang Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," and received positive reviews from the four judges. Hearing such praise made Jorge cry, and when Jorge gets emotional, he speaks in Spanish, and he did just that on the Idol stage. Ultimately, it was the Top 13's double elimination week that sent him packing. Jorge was optimistic about his journey and said this is "just the start of something much bigger."
Happy Birthday, Jorge!