'American Idol's Top 7 Revealed: See Who Made the Cut
'American Idol's latest season is winding down. On May 5, the show cut the contestants from eight down to seven.
Weâre one step closer to knowing who will be crowned the next American Idol. During the May 5 episode of the show, the field was narrowed down from the Top 8 to the Top 7.
After watching the Top 8 perform songs picked by judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, America choose who six of the seven safe contestants would be. They voted through Slater Nalley, Thunderstorm Artis, Gabby Samone, Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, and John Foster.
With Mattie Prewitt and Josh King left in danger, it was up to Bryan and Richie, who tied in the song contest, to decide who would make it through to next week. The pair selected Prewitt as their choice, which meant that King was sent home.
Next week, contestants will be tasked with two nights of Disney Week. Theyâll be helped along the way by guest mentor Lin Manuel Miranda.
Keep reading for a look at the Top 8âs Judgesâ Song Contest performances.
Ahead of his performance, Thunderstorm Artis was given three good options: âNorthern Attitude,â âLet It Be,â and âFaithfully.â He decided to follow up his previous nightâs performance of Adeleâs âWhen We Were Youngâ by choosing the latter song, a Journey classic. It turns out that Underwood chose the song for Artis. âYou have the ability to take it, and mold it, and make it fit you,â Underwood said. â⊠I had chills throughout that performance.â
Foster was given the options âTwo Dozen Roses,â âI Cross My Heart,â and âCrazyâ for his performance. Ultimately, he wound up picking the George Strait number, in honor of his girlfriend of one year. The song was Underwoodâs choice for the singer, and she called his performance âabsolutely perfect.â
King was given the option to sing âYou Make My Dreams (Come True),â âGreat Balls of Fire,â or âHome.â He opted for the Michael BublĂ© classic, which was Richieâs choice for him. âItâs the vibe, man,â Richie said. â⊠You embody that song.â Despite his great performance, King was sent home at the conclusion of the show.
Slater Nalley had to choose between three great songs: âHope the High Road,â âAtlantic City,â and âBelieve.â He wound up selecting the second song, which Bruce Springsteen released in 1993. Bryan selected the Springsteen track for Nalley, saying that the contestant âputs out that vibe.â
Though she missed a couple of words while performing Martina McBrideâs âIndependence Day,â Underwood praised Nix for how she recovered and performed the rest of the song perfectly. Bryan, who selected the song for Nix, agreed, telling the singer that she âhas that Martina McBride purityâ in her voice.
Pruitt decided to forego âI Need Youâ and âParachuteâ in favor of singing Bryanâs choice for her, âAlways Been Youâ by Jessie Murph. âWhen I see Jessie Murph perform, it is all sass,â Bryan said, encouraging Pruitt to display even more of that going forward. Underwood agreed, telling her, âI think weâre taking baby steps in the sass department and we just need more.â
Given the choice between âI Believe,â âLately,â and âGrenade,â Roberts opted to keep it in the Idol family and perform the first song, which is by Fantasia. It was a good decision, and one that particularly delighted Richie, as he picked the song for Roberts. âYouâre an emotional being. When you open your mouth⊠it comes out so soulful, so meaningful,â Richie said. â⊠You had me crying. You had everyone in this room crying. Youâre a phenomenon.â
Though Gabby Samone had three good choices in âThe Power of Love,â âHero,â and âGirl on Fire,â she decided to sing the hit Mariah Carey track. Samone earned a standing ovation from the judges. No one was more supportive than Richie, though, who chose the song for Samone. âYou took it to another level of incredibility,â Richie praised.
Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images