Near the end of a season that has included trips to Hawaii and Disneyland, and guest mentors like Josh Groban, James Taylor and Lin-Manuel Miranda, "American Idol” is now down to its final three singers.
On Sunday night, “Idol” will declare the winner of its 23rd season.
Here’s what to expect from the season finale — and who is predicted to win.
Who’s in the ‘American Idol’ top 3?
The following three contestants are still in the “American Idol” competition and will perform in Sunday night’s finale:
John Foster
John Foster, an 18-year-old college student from Addis, Louisiana, warmed himself up to the “American Idol” judges with some Cajun food that he brought along for his audition.
He made his “American Idol” debut with Alan Jackson‘s “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” — a performance that brought back some memories for “Idol” judge Carrie Underwood, who was 11 years old when she saw the country superstar — her first concert — back in 1994.
But Underwood wasn’t completely satisfied with Foster’s performance, stating that she wanted to hear him sing a song that could showcase his vocals more.
Foster was prepared for that request and performed the Conway Twitty ballad “Goodbye Time” — a rendition that had Luke Bryan singing along (loudly).
“I got the information that I wanted out of that,” Underwood said following the performance.
While “Idol” judge Lionel Richie enjoyed the performance, he told Foster that he wanted to hear more of his own stylings.
“I love the timbre, but you gotta carve your way out now as far as making your sound,” Richie said.
Bryan agreed with Richie, and said while Foster had a nice voice he wasn’t sure if it would be enough to advance through several rounds of the competition. But his performance of the Twitty classic was enough to convince Bryan, who was initially on the fence, to give him a “yes” and send him to the next round.
Now, Foster has made it all the way to the season finale and could be the next “American Idol” winner.
Performances throughout his run on “Idol” have included his original song “Tell That Angel I Love Her”; Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe" and “Neon Moon”; and Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.”
Breanna Nix, a 25-year-old stay-at home-mom from Denton, Texas, made the bold decision to audition for “American Idol” with Underwood’s No. 1 hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
As Nix sang the song, her son, Emerson, sat on Underwood’s lap just a few feet away. By the end of Nix’s performance, Underwood was visibly emotional and had to defer to Bryan to kick off the feedback.
“You’re singing Carrie Underwood while she’s handling your child,” Bryan told Nix. “A lot of emotions going on, and you did a great job with that.”
“It’s just a dream cone true,” Nix said. “She’s inspired me so much, and so it’s an honor to sing your song.”
“It was an honor to listen to you sing that song,” Underwood responded. “You have a beautiful voice, a big voice. Obviously willing to work hard for this. It’s not easy being a stay-at-home mom, it’s not easy deciding that you want to make your family a priority. You did a really great job.”
It wasn’t the only time Underwood would be emotional following a performance from Nix. Ahead of the “American Idol” top 24 reveal, the country star got emotional following a duet of Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude” that Nix performed with fellow contestant Rylie O’Neill.
“I know how difficult it is to come into the entertainment industry and bring your faith with you. It is a brave thing to do because there are a lot of outside forces that are going to tell you not to do that,” Underwood said as Richie placed his hand on her back for support, per the Deseret News. “I want to tell you that I’m proud of you guys.”
Throughout Nix’s run on “Idol,” performances on the show have included Martina McBride’s “Independence Day”; “You’ll Be In My Heart” from the Disney film “Tarzan”; Journey’s “Open Arms”; and Lauren Daigle‘s “Still Rolling Stones.”
Jamal Roberts
Jamal Roberts isn’t a stranger to the “American Idol” audition process. This season actually marked his third attempt at making it on the show, Billboard reported.
Now, the 27-year-old P.E. teacher from Meridian, Mississippi, has made it to the Season 23 finale as a top three contestant.
“I didn’t get defeated. I never gave up. I took the no,” Roberts told Billboard. “I’ve always been able to take constructive criticism and use it for my gain and try again. This has always been me.”
This time around, Roberts auditioned for “Idol” with Rick James’ “Mary Jane” — a performance that had all three judges smiling.
“Man, you got some stuff in there,” Richie said. “And by the end, you were letting it come out. ... You’ve got the voice, and you know how to tell a story — priceless."
Bryan praised the “southern soulfulness” of the performance.
“Was it perfect? Was it flawless? No. But you’re not trying to sing it perfectly and flawless. You’re just singing it from the heart, and that’s what I felt,” he said.
Throughout Roberts’ run on “Idol,” performances have included the Disney classic “Beauty and the Beast”; Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”; Fantasia’s “I Believe”; the country-soul classic “Tennessee Whiskey”; and Jelly Roll’s “Liar.”
Who will win ‘American Idol’?
The race to the “American Idol” finish line is close — maybe more than it has been for many seasons, according to the show.
“I just love a dynamic finale that keeps everyone guessing who’s going to win,” “Idol” showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick recently told TVLine. “In the case of other seasons, there might be more of a clear frontrunner, but not this time. It’s anyone’s game, and that to me is a win at the end of a season.”
Based on “American Idol” social media posts featuring the contestants’ performances — dating back to the top 10 round — Foster and Roberts both have substantially more engagement and views than Nix, potentially indicating that victory is leaning toward one of those two contestants.
TVLine noted that throughout the season, as it has conducted polls with its readership, the results have always been close. But Foster, the outlet reported, has consistently held the top spot.
Similarly, the entertainment sites Parade and Gold Derby both also predict that Foster will be the “American Idol” Season 23 winner.
When is the ‘American Idol’ Season 23 finale?
The “American Idol” Season 23 finale airs Sunday, May 18, at 6 p.m. MDT.
The live, three-hour episode will feature the following performances from the top three contestants:
- Breanna Nix — “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” by Katy Nichole; and “The Climb,” by Miley Cyrus
- Jamal Roberts — “First Time,” by Teeks; and “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” by The Temptations
- John Foster — “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” by Toby Keith; and “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” by John Denver
The episode will also feature special performances from the season’s top 14 contestants and from a wide variety of guest artists — including Groban, Salt-N-Pepa, Patti LaBelle, PJ Morton, Kirk Franklin, Jessica Simpson, Goo Goo Dolls and Good Charlotte, as the Deseret News reported.
Performances include a duet from LaBelle with “Idol” Season 23 contestant Kolbi Jordan, and a duet featuring The War and Treaty and “Idol” top five singer Thunderstorm Artis.
How to vote during the ‘American Idol’ Season 23 finale
Viewers can vote for their favorite top three singer during the Season 23 finale. Voting begins at the start of Sunday night’s episode — 6 p.m. MDT — and will end shortly before the three-hour episode comes to an end.
“American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest will reveal the winner at the end of the episode.
There are three ways to vote on “American Idol”:
- Vote online at idolvote.abc.com (fans must create an account to vote).
- Vote via the “American Idol” app, which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play Store.
- Vote via text. During each “Idol” episode, a contestant will have a specific number that can be texted to “21523.”
Viewers can submit up to 10 votes per voting method per contestant, according to idolvote.abc.com.