Contestants sing during a group performance in round two of Bay Area Teen Idol at the Egyptian Theater July 17. The Teen Idol contestants will be back on stage at 6:30 p.m.Thursday at the Coos County Fair.-World Photo by Alex Powers

After a shakeup at the top of the standings, followers of the Bay Area Teen Idol contest will be eagerly watching to see what happens next at this week’s competition.

Judges eliminated two more contestants from the contest Thursday at the Coos County Fair, leaving 13 contestants remaining.

Both Kaci Baker of North Bend and Cody Glenn of Coos Bay tried songs that didn’t work for their range, and pitch problems forced them out, though they will return for group numbers. Baker sang Martina McBride’s “This One’s For the Girls” and Glenn sang “Stand” by Rascal Flatts.

Star Moralez, a Marshfield sophomore, took the top score for the first time with her performance of Bonnie Raitt’s “Something To Talk About.” She also won the people’s choice race from the previous week.

A crowd of about 200 attended the event, according to a press release.

Breaking the precedent of the first two weeks, the contest named the top three scorers Thursday.

Destyni Fuller placed second with her rendition of “One Way Ticket” by LeeAnn Rimes, and Caitlin Mansfield placed third with “Shoop, Shoop (It’s in His Kiss).”

It was Mansfield’s first time in the top three.

“It’s nice to see that we’re only three weeks into it and there’s already so much growth,” organizer Stephanie Kilmer said.

Noticeably absent from the top three was Alyssa Birrer, last year’s runner-up and the contest’s most consistent top performer of the last three years. Until Thursday, Birrer hadn’t placed lower than third in any Teen Idol event since 2006, placing first or second all but one week last year and first the first two weeks of this year.

A controversy surrounding speculation, that points Birrer earned in the appearance category on July 17 may have put her over the top, led organizers to discuss the dress code for contestants in the early weeks of the competition, when they wear matching T-shirts. Contestants may not accessorize their costumes during this phase.

“That’s something that’s been in place from the beginning,” Kilmer said. “The costumes come into play in August. ... The judges are not scoring appearance.”

Birrer’s quick reversal of fortune prompted further speculation that the hoopla also may have influenced judges to compensate for Birrer’s perceived advantage from the week before by slightly downgrading her scores Thursday. In a letter to contest officials, her mother, Lisa Boyle, suggested organizers changed the rules at the behest of contestants who were unhappy with Birrer’s consistent success.

Kilmer denied the allegations. She said the contest would address the issues later this week.

The panel of judges at the fair included Kim Handsaker, Kevin Stufflebean and Barbara Bates.