Everything to know about the ‘American Idol' Season 23 finale: Returning contestants, superstar guests, finalists' new singles …
The Season 23 finale of American Idol is right around the corner, and it will culminate in Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, or John Foster winning the competition.
To recap, last week's double dose of Disney episodes saw the eliminations of Gabby Samone, Mattie Pruitt, Slater Nalley, and Thunderstorm Artis, leaving just a trio of artists still in the running to join the iconic American Idol winners list. What surprises are in store for viewers on Sunday night, and who are you rooting for to eke out a victory? Read on for everything to know about the American Idol Season 23 finale.
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Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 18, as that is ABC's airdate for the three-hour finale of American Idol. (That's right, there's no Monday episode this week.) It will air live coast-to-coast beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The full episode will stream later on Hulu, the official home to reruns of ABC's reality TV program.
As of this writing, the three people still left in the competition are:
Breanna Nix: 25-year-old mother and health coach from Denton, Texas
Jamal Roberts: 27-year-old father and P.E. teacher from Meridian, Miss.
John Foster: 18-year-old student from Addis, La.
Disney/Eric McCandless
ABC announced last week that the top 14 contestants from Season 23 will all return to the show and perform in the finale. That number includes the top three — Breanna, Jamal, and John — plus the 11 most recently eliminated artists: Slater Nalley, Thunderstorm Artis, Gabby Samone, Mattie Pruitt, Josh King, Canaan James Hill, Kolbi Jordan, Ché Chesterman, Filo, Amanda Barise, and Desmond Roberts.
Oh, yes! Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie will sing a showstopping number together, and "Artist in Residence" Jelly Roll will deliver a performance in addition to his role as the season finale mentor. Luke and Lionel joined the program in 2018, while this marks Carrie's first year sitting at the judges' table after previously winning Season 4.
A-listers scheduled to appear on the American Idol stage alongside the top 14 artists include the following: Brandon Lake, Goo Goo Dolls, Good Charlotte, Jennifer Holliday, Jessica Simpson, Josh Groban, Kirk Franklin, Myles Smith, Patti LaBelle, and Salt-N-Pepa.
Gold Derby users have been making their American Idol predictions since the live shows began, and John Foster is currently out front to win with 18/25 odds. He is followed by Jamal Roberts in second place at 19/10 odds, and Breanna Nix in third place at 13/1 odds. Who do you think deserves to win Season 23? Be sure to sound off in our reality TV forum.On the eve of the grande finale, each of the Top 7 released a new single through the show's record label, 19 Recordings. Listen below.
John Foster, "Tell That Angel I Love Her"
Breanna Nix, "Higher"
Jamal Roberts, "Heal"
Thunderstorm Artis, "I Just Want You to Know"
Slater Nalley, "Traces of You"
Gabby Samone, "Four Women"
Mattie Pruitt, "Strings"
At the end of the three-hour extravaganza, one person will receive the coveted confetti shower and be forced to sing their winning song while holding back tears. It's the iconic moment that Idol fans have been experiencing for more than two decades now. The prior 22 winners were: Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, Nick Fradiani, Trent Harmon, Maddie Poppe, Laine Hardy, Just Sam, Chayce Beckham, Noah Thompson, Iam Tongi, and Abi Carter.
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