(File Photo) May City's Shawn Mayer is seen backstage during a previous episode of "Nashville Star." She reached the top half of finalists following the eliminations of Tommy Stanley and Pearl Heart Monday night. The show airs on NBC.

A 21-year-old woman from northwest Iowa dodged a pair of eliminations during country music's answer to "American Idol" Monday.

Shawn Mayer is competing in the sixth season of "Nashville Star," an NBC show that relies on a panel of judges, text-message results and phone-in votes to decide eliminations each week. Monday's cuts reduced the field from eight to six.

Mayer lives in Madison, Tenn., but grew up in May City, an unincorporated town north of Hartley in O'Brien County. Her official "Nashville Star" biography describes her as someone who has "worked on a hog farm, is a mechanic and a volunteer firefighter" in the town of 45 residents.

The contestants perform in front of Grammy nominee John Rich of Big & Rich, platinum-selling artist Jewel and award-winning songwriter Jeffrey Steele. The series is hosted by country music performer and "Hannah Montana" actor Billy Ray Cyrus.

The Iowan's introduction segment Monday night included some behind-the-scenes drama. Footage showed her leaving the stage in tears a week earlier after Rich, who has been mentoring Mayer, told her she wasn't competitive enough to clinch the top spot.

She asked for a switch and was mentored by Steele in the week between episodes. Her performance of Cat Stevens song "The First Cut is the Deepest" drew mixed-to-favorable reviews from the judges, who play no direct factor in the following week's elimination.

The results eliminated Tommy Stanley, a 23-year-old engineer on the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk and Pearl Heart, a trio of sisters from Thompson's Station, Tenn.

The summer reality series announced Mayer among 12 finalists during its June 9 season premiere. Auditions were held in 11 cities and aboard the U.S.S Iwo Jima for a military casting call. Mayer is in the top six from more than 45,000 who auditioned, according to the show's official Web site.

The winner of "Nashville Star" will receive a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville and a chance to perform at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. The season finale is scheduled for Aug. 8.