Over the course of last Sunday and Monday nights’ American Idol performance shows, another four contestants saw their Idol journeys end with Amanda Barise, Ché, Desmond Roberts, and Filo getting eliminated over the two nights as the Top 14 was whittled down to the Top 10. After fighting for their places in the Top 10 by paying tribute to some of American Idol’s most memorable performances, American Idol season 23 continued this Sunday with a night dedicated to iconic Women in Music.
Helping to coach the Top 10 for their Ladies’ Night performances this Sunday was three-time Grammy-winning country music legend Miranda Lambert, who offered up her advice to the contestants as they prepared to take to the stage in hopes of winning over America. With the season winding down, every performance is crucial, as all it takes is one bad performance to bring the hopefuls’ dreams of becoming the next American Idol to an end.
With the finale fast approaching and two more contestants going home, and the Top 8 being selected by the night’s end, the artists left it all on the Idol stage with some truly amazing performances. Here’s a recap of the night’s performances from the Top 10 as they happened throughout the night!
Opening the night was John Foster, who paid tribute to one of country music’s all-time greats with a performance of “Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt. While preparing for the performance, John worked with Miranda on his stage presence and interacting with the crowd, and honestly, the tips she shared seemed to help. John looked like a seasoned pro during the performance with Carrie Underwood praising him for the way he’s connecting with the audience more and more every week, calling him the contestant they’ve watched grow the most during the show.
Next up was Kolbi Jordan performing “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac, an unexpected selection which was by design — though, selfishly, I would have loved to see her take on an Aretha song just knowing the power she holds in her voice. Funny enough, that was Miranda’s biggest point of concern in noting that the challenge would be holding back slightly with her vocals. While Kolbi took the notes, she most certainly did not hold back on her showmanship, which the judges praised, and not a lie was told as it was one of the most fun Kolbi performances we’ve seen this season!
Following Kolbi’s performance, Josh King took to the stage to perform “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. During his time with Miranda, she noticed he was a bit all over the place, incorporating a piano and harmonica section into his performance. She wanted to work with him on pulling back a bit, but that advice didn’t seem to have much of an impact as Josh’s performance definitely felt a bit all over the place. While the judges loved how he gave it everything he had in him, we weren’t quite as impressed.
After a performance from Miranda, we saw yet another Adele song tackled, this time by Breanna Nix. Breanna was between two Adele songs at first, but after performing them both for Miranda, it became clear that “Water Under the Bridge” was the winning selection. In the package, Miranda mentioned wanting to see a bit more attitude in the performance, and Breanna delivered! Carrie agreed that Breanna selected the perfect song, with Lionel Richie praising her for taking such an iconic Adele song and making it her own.
Next we had Canaan James Hill, who decided to push himself out of his comfort zone by selecting his first non-gospel song of the season. It was a move that Miranda and the judges were excited about. Canaan opted to sing “Love Wins” by Carrie Underwood, a performance that the judges rightfully gave a standing ovation to. Luke commended him for taking a chance, while Lionel praised him for his storytelling and his delivery. We just wish the judges wouldn't have written off the lyrical mishap off as they did as we're in the Top 10 and it feels like a time the contestants shouldn't be messing up lyrics.
Adele was a clear favorite among the contestants for Ladies’ Night, with Thunderstorm Artis also opting for an Adele song for the night with “When We Were Young.” Miranda was immediately in love with his song choice, and she praised him after watching it live for committing to making the song his own and doing just that. The performance allowed Thunderstorm to show off a new skill by performing at the piano, which we absolutely loved — as did the judges. Luke even admitted that while he had reservations about whether Thunderstorm could hold up against the competition, he has delivered with each performance, with this performance ranking as his favorite performance of the season.
Returning to the country genre, Slater Nalley chose to perform Reba McEntire’s “Whoever’s In New England.” During rehearsal, Miranda suggested he raise the final note by a key, and the suggestion created a bit of a cliffhanger as it was unclear whether he’d go for it the night of his live performance. Maybe I just don’t have an ear for music, but I wasn’t nearly as much of a fan of the final note in his performance as the judges who praised him for going for the note and it paying off. Then again, the judges seem to be allergic to giving critical feedback, which is definitely something I continue to miss as someone who remembers what Idol used to be.
Following a performance from reigning American Idol winner Abi Carter, it was time for Jamal Roberts to take to the stage for our second Carrie Underwood song of the night. While rehearsing “Undo It” with Miranda, she noticed that some parts felt a little rushed and helped him find a better balance in his runs. Miranda most certainly worked her magic as Jamal delivered a strong performance sans a few lyrical mishaps. Again, the judges seemed to joke over the lyrical missteps rather than be too critical, which feels like a disservice at this stage in the competition.
As the night began to draw to an end, our second-to-last performance of Ladies’ Night came from the youngest member of the Top 10, Mattie Pruitt. Mattie selected “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert for her performance, a song very near and dear to her heart. During rehearsal, Mattie performed the song with her guitar, and Miranda encouraged her to tap into her confidence and perform with the guitar on stage as well. Mattie took the advice and delivered an emotional performance, praised by the judges, with Carrie calling it brilliant.
Closing out the night was Gabby Simone, who brought Ladies’ Night to a close with a cover of “I Was Here” by Beyoncé. Gabby delivered a powerful performance that showcased her insane vocals. Gabby left the judges nearly speechless, “I have two words. Wow and vote,” Carrie commented as Luke correctly pointed out that Gabby is the reason the show exists. At this point, it’s clear Gabby is the frontrunner, and we just hope America continues to show up for her with their votes!
Who went home on American Idol tonight? Our season 23 Top 8 revealed!
After a night of amazing performances, America’s votes were tallied and the Top 8 were officially revealed. One by one, Ryan revealed the names of the contestants who had made it into the Top 8 until only three artists remained on stage waiting to learn their fate: Canaan James Hill, Kolbi Jordan, and Thunderstorm Artis.
In the end, it was Thunderstorm Artis who claimed the final spot in the Top 8, resulting in the elimination of both Canaan James Hill and Kolbi Jordan from the competition.
As always, the results were revealed in no particular order, but here is how the Top 8 was assembled via the live results:
- Breanna Nix
- Mattie Pruitt
- Jamal Roberts
- John Foster
- Josh King
- Gabby Samone
- Slater Nalley
- Thunderstorm Artis
Our Top 8 will take to the stage on Monday night for “Judge’s Song Contest” Night, in which the remaining contestants will each perform songs that were secretly selected by Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood. Always a favorite, Judge’s Song Contest finds each of the remaining contestants getting presented with three songs, one song selected by each of the season’s judges.
The fun part is that they don’t know which judge selected which song, creating some friendly competition among the judges. If this season follows tradition, the judge whose songs are selected by the most contestants wins the Judge’s Song Contest, which comes with a prize that feels more like a punishment if we’re being honest.
By the night’s end, the Top 8 will turn into the Top 7. The Top 6 will be selected by America’s vote directly, with the final spot in the Top 7 being determined by the winner of the Judge’s Song Contest. For you see, the winner gets to save one of the bottom two contestants from elimination, keeping their American Idol journey alive and making them the final member of the season’s Top 7.