Monday night, American Idol’s Disney Night festivities continued as the Top 5 took to the stage to perform a pair of Disney songs. Interestingly, the theme for the night was announced as Heroes and Villains; however, the songs selected didn’t really stand out as being very heroic or villainous, with not a single song selected being from one of Disney’s iconic villains. It felt like a miss given how many iconic songs there are from Disney villains, and if you’re going to tout the episode as themed around heroes and villains, it feels like one song should be connected to a hero and one to a villain.
Alas, that was not the case and we instead received a mixed bag of Disney performances including some songs that we truly don’t see as Disney classics. Again, not to nitpick, just feels interesting how vast and iconic the actual Disney songbook happens to be.
Following last night’s double elimination, two more contestants’ journeys came to an end as the Top 3 are crowned! We’d say song choice and performance mean everything but after Slater managed to slide right into the Top 5 after flubbing his Disney Night 1 performance, it seems America doesn’t seem to care about performances. Now that’s a villain origin story in the making if we do say so ourselves.
Before we get into the results from the night, let’s take a look at the Top 5’s song selections for the night and what the judges had to say about the performances!
Slater Nalley
First Song Selection: “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story
Judges' Feedback: Carrie praised the performance as a fun way to kick off the night and loved the warm, friendly, and sweet performance. Luke called the performance one of his favorite versions of the song from over the years on Disney Night, as Lionel reflected on Slater’s growth in the competition.
Second Song Selection: “Born To Be Wild” from D3: The Mighty Ducks
Judges' Feedback: After trying to get the crowd to calm down, Lionel pointed out that the crowd's reaction said it all. Carrie loved the song selection and getting to see Slater take his moment with the fans, while Luke praised the great song choice and performance.
John Foster
First Song Selection: “The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book
Judges' Feedback: Luke called the song a perfect example of John's growth over the season. Lionel pointed out how likable John is and the way he’s won over the fans, as Carrie commented that she loved the original spin he put on the song to make it his own.
Second Song Selection: “Find Yourself” from Cars
Judges' Feedback: Luke loved that John managed to make the song authentically unique, to which Lionel added that he loves the timbre in his voice and how he’s able to instantly identify him by his voice, something that makes an artist in his eyes. Carrie, meanwhile, recalled his audience and how she knew they found a diamond in the rough, and she’s loved how he has proven her right. Carrie also made it clear that John could very well go win this whole thing, our first direct judge endorsement of the night!
Thunderstorm Artis
First Song Selection: “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella
Judges' Feedback: Lionel loved seeing the growth Thunderbolt has had over the course of the season, coming into his own, praising his amazing voice, and telling him he knocked it out of the park. Carrie felt it was a perfect fit for his voice, commenting about how his positivity, so when he sang about dreams coming true, it was so believable. Luke called it a perfect moment.
Second Song Selection: “Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie
Judges' Feedback: After receiving a deserving standing ovation from the judges, Carrie gushed over her love for Thunderstorm’s storytelling ability and the heart he brings to every performance. Luke noted that Thunderstorm deserves every second of being in the competition, while Lionel called him a vibe master who has the ability to focus the audience's attention in a unique manner.
Breanna Nix
First Song Selection: “This Will be (An Everlasting Love)” from The Parent Trap
Judges' Feedback: It was clear the judges picked up on the struggle Breanna had in the pace of the song and the amount of words it contains. Carrie pointed out that she could see the unsureness in the start of the performance, but felt she recovered in the end. Meanwhile, Luke and Lionel echoed Carrie’s sentiment with words of encouragement, clearly not loving the performance but not wanting to be overly negative.
Second Song Selection: “You’ll Be In My Heart” from Tarzan
Judges' Feedback: Lionel loved the power in her voice and her ability to go from a powerful note to a whisper. He also was a fan of seeing her more confident in this performance. Carrie commented on loving being a part of the journey Breanna has gone on, while Luke loved the presence she brought to the stage and the strength of her voice.
Jamal Roberts
First Song Selection: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” from Remember the Titans
Judges' Feedback: Luke recalled watching back Jamal’s original audition and seeing how far he’s come, expressing his love for the ride Jamal has taken them on this season. Lionel praised Jamal for his ability to make every song his own and begged the audience to vote, while Carrie admitted she missed seeing him move around the stage and engage with the audience more.
Second Song Selection: “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the Beast
Judges’ Feedback: Well, there truly wasn’t much to report back from the judges as Jamal’s performance truly left them speechless— literally, Carrie was so wowed she passed to her fellow judges to get some feedback in before the commercial break. Luke made it clear that was a winning performance, with Lionel in awe of Jamal’s ability to turn “Beauty and the Beast” into an R&B song.
Who went home on American Idol tonight? Our season 23 Top 3 revealed!
Following a night of memorable performances, it all came down to America’s vote. If there is anything the last few weeks have shown us, it’s that you never know who might truly be safe. With just three places in the finale, we knew this was going to be yet another tough elimination, and that was indeed the case.
Tonight, we said goodbye to Slater Nalley and Thunderstorm Artis. That means our Top 3 are John Foster, Jamal Roberts, and Breanna Nix.
Honestly, we’re surprised Slater made it into the Top 5, and it’s nice to see America finally got it right in sending him home. Thunderstorm’s elimination definitely was a disappointment as he delivered another amazing night of performances, though it’s hard to point out one member of the Top 3 who wasn’t deserving of making it into the finals.