Just eight singers remained on American Idol, during the Monday, May 5, episode, and at the end of the night, one more was sent home. The episode featured the return of the judge’s song contest, where each judge selected a possible song for the Top 8 artists to sing.
After learning of their song choices in rehearsals — but without knowing which judge selected each song — the remaining singers picked whichever one they wanted to perform on stage. Of course, this led to some friendly competition between Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood.
Throughout the show, America voted for their favorites, with the Top 6 automatically moving on. Then, the judge who won the song contest got to save one of the bottom two from being eliminated, leaving just seven singers left going forward. Scroll down for a full recap of the performances and to find out who went home!
Breanna Nix
Breanna Nix chose Martina McBride‘s “Independence Day” from her three choices. She guessed that Bryan was the one to choose her song, and she was right! That put him in a 1-0 lead.
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“[Your voice] has that Martina McBride purity and you just displayed that perfectly with that song,” Bryan explained. “That is an amazingly challenging song. I didn’t understand the emotional ties you had to that song … missing a word or two is no big deal. The ease at which you hit those high notes was tremendous. You hit notes like that effortlessly.”
Yes, Breanna did have a small mishap in the middle of the performance, but she recovered perfectly without missing a beat.
Mattie Pruitt
For her Top 8 performance, Mattie Pruitt chose to sing “Always Been You” by Jessie Murph. Although she had trouble picking between two of her choices, she ended up going with this one to show some sass like the judges have been asking for.
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Mattie guessed that Bryan made the song choice, which was once again correct, putting the country singer in the lead with two picks! “Great job. Listen, I think we’ve all kind of heard that Jessie Murph thing in your voice. I don’t think you have to worry about being compared to her like that,” Bryan said. “I think you have to take aspects of your voice and grow it, but still, sass, sass, sass.”
He urged her to “give more” sass, but said, “Vocally, you did amazing.” Underwood said she agreed. “I feel like we’re taking baby steps in the sass department and I think we just want more,” she explained.
John Foster
John Foster chose to sing “I Cross My Heart” by George Strait, which he dedicated to his girlfriend, Brooklyn, who was in the audience. He guessed that Underwood picked the song, and he was right, which put her on the board!
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“The reason I picked the songs for everybody that I picked is because I’ve been in your shoes and I feel like I know what will showcase your voice the best and what people out there would want to hear and vote for. I only had all of you guys in my mind and heart when I picked the songs, and I was so right! That was absolutely perfect,” Underwood explained. “Hearing you sing that song, it felt comfortable, it felt genuine. I feel like this is one of your best performances and it made me so happy.”
Josh King
Josh King was up next. He picked “Home” by Michael Bublé, which he guessed was chosen by Underwood. He was actually incorrect, as it was Richie’s selection! That put the score at two for Bryan, one for Underwood, and one for Richie.
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“It’s the vibe,” Richie explained. “You embody that song. When I saw your name and saw the song, I said, ‘The two need to be together right away.’ And the marriage was perfect.”
Underwood added, “I feel like it was a blessing that you were given the option of a song that you already love and are already comfortable with, instead of getting three songs where you’re like, ‘I don’t know these.’ You seemed really in your element. That was a really strong performance.”
Gabby Samone
Next to take the stage was Gabby Samone. She had to choose between three powerhouse female songs, but ended up going with the one that resonated with her the most: “Hero” by Mariah Carey.
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Gabby guessed that Richie was the one who chose the song, and she was correct, which meant that Bryan and Richie were now tied with two picks each.
“In all honesty, you have taken a Mariah song, as always, as you do, and turned it all into your song,” Richie gushed. “You have a texture, you have a delivery, a stage presence that’s undeniable. When I picked the song, I kept thinking, ‘It’s going to be perfect,’ but you took it to another level of incredibility.”
Jamal Roberts
Jamal Roberts sang “I Believe” by Fantasia for his Top 8 performance. Jamal incorrectly guessed that Underwood picked his song. Actually, it was Richie! That put Richie in the lead with three picks, followed by Luke with two, and Carrie with one.
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“You had me crying. You had everyone in this room crying. You’re a phenomenon,” Richie said.
“Lionel made an excellent song choice for you and you delivered it beautifully,” Underwood raved.
Thunderstorm Artis
The next performance was from Thunderstorm Artis. He chose the song that he resonated with the most with him: “Faithfully” by Journey, which he said was a love letter to his wife.
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Although Thunderstorm initially thought Underwood picked the song, but then he changed his mind and guessed Bryan. It actually was Underwood, though, which put her tied at Luke with two picks. Richie was still in the lead, though!
“I feel like if anybody else anywhere sings [Journey] it just sounds like karaoke. You have the ability to just take it and mold it and make it fit you,” Underwood gushed, adding that she “had chills” as Thunderstorm sang. “I love the lyrics of that song, as well, and you’re the kind of person who’s out there hustling, doing music, you understand.”
Slater Nalley
To close out the night, Slater Nalley sang “Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen, which he felt like he could do the most with out of his three options. He was 100% confident that Bryan chose the song, and he was right! So, the competition ended in a tie between Bryan and Richie.
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“Slater puts out that vibe of that kind of music,” Bryan explained. “Many, many props to Bruce Springsteen for writing that, but the mandolins in the band, and you’re style, I just thought it was perfect. I’m glad I picked it. You really did bring the energy to it, it was great.”
Richie added, “As much as I can sacrifice to lose at this particular stage in my life, the point is that you pulled that off with such amazing abilities.”
Who made the Top 7?
The six singers who were voted through by America were: Slater Nalley, Thunderstorm Artis, Gabby Samone, Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, and John Foster. The judges chose to save Mattie Pruitt, giving her the last spot in the Top 7.
Who was eliminated?
Since Bryan and Richie tied to win the judge’s song contest, they had to decide which of the bottom two artists would be saved. Their decision was between Josh King and Mattie Pruitt, and Josh King was eliminated.
American Idol, Season 23, Sundays and Mondays, 8/7c, ABC
