It was down to the wire for the last five contestants of “American Idol” season 23, all vying on May 12, 2025, for a spot in the top 3. Making it through would guarantee them a place in the finale and a trip back to their hometowns for parades, concerts and time with family.
During the two-hour live show, the remaining five contestants had less than two hours to secure enough votes from viewers to move on in the competition. They each had to sing two Disney songs they’d worked on with guest mentor Lin-Manuel Miranda and then learn their fates from host Ryan Seacrest at the end of the show. EntertainmentNow reported live throughout — here’s every little detail of the night’s competition, followed by the final voting results.
‘American Idol’ Top 5: First Songs & Judges’ Feedback
DisneyTo kick off the second Disney night, Seacrest and the judges — Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan — appeared in a cute dream sequence, working behind the scenes at Disneyland. When the judges finally appeared live onstage, Underwood appeared dressed as Rapunzel (she was Alice in Wonderland the night before) and artist-in-residence Jelly Roll greeted the crowd, too, sitting alongside the remaining contestants. Here’s what the contestants sang and the judges’ feedback…
SLATER NALLEY: While mentoring Nalley, Miranda joked that the 17-year-old sounded like he could be composer Randy Newman’s son. Nalley chose Newman’s classic “Toy Story” tune “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Slater decided to dress up in a tux and perform for the first time on the show without his guitar. Underwood told Nalley it was a fun way to kick off the show and that she was impressed by how at ease Nalley looked without his guitar. Bryan loved Nalley’s “classic” vibe, complete with slicked-back hair, and said though he’s heard the song performed many times during other Disney Nights, it was one of his favorite renditions. Thinking back to Nalley’s audition, Richie told him, “Son, you’ve come a long way!” At the end, as Nalley talked to Seacrest, he said he felt terrible about messing up the words on one of his songs the previous night, but said he hoped “to redeem myself” on the May 12 show.
JOHN FOSTER: The 18-year-old country crooner loved visiting Disneyland with his family and said walking through the French Quarter reminded him of being back home in Louisiana. Foster sang “The Bear Necessities” from “The Jungle Book.” The song started out slower than usual, but then the teen smiled at the crowd and kicked it up a notch, picking up the tempo of the playful song. The crowd and judges clearly enjoyed it, with Bryan telling him he’d figured out a look and sound that people love. Richie said Foster’s “likability” was off the charts, and Underwood said that his song “was just a good time,” noting that she enjoyed hearing a song from her childhood redone that way.
THUNDERSTORM ARTIS: The dad of two decided to perform the classic “Cinderella” tune “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” a lullaby that he said he’d often sung to his three-year-old. Miranda helped him deliver it in a quiet, gentle way and encouraged Artis to remove the mic from the stand in order to move around a bit and share a different side of his artistry. Both of Artis’ little boys were seen sleeping in the audience, so the song clearly worked on them! The crowd cheered like crazy for Artis’ lullaby. Richie said that he “knocked it out of the park” and Underwood said “that song fit you perfectly,” telling Artis that he’s able to make song like that “so sweet and believable.” Bryan agreed, telling Artis that a moment like that made it “hard to critique.”
BREANNA NIX: The 25-year-old mom of four-year-old Emerson said she felt like she was living a dream while at Disneyland with her family, calling it “the best thing in the whole wide world.” With her own mom in tow, the two women shared tears over how far Nix has come in her life. The show then switched gears, showing Nix onstage as she launched into “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” backed up by a full horn section and backup singers, whom she sweetly thanked at the end. When Underwood asked how she was feeling, Nix joked, “(That was) a lot of words!” Laughing, Underwood said people at home don’t realize how much is going on for contestants are going through, and she told Nix to just try to relax and have fun with her next song. Bryan said Nix did a great job while Richie said she definitely “delivered” and has learned how to perform under pressure. Nix admitted “songs like this scare me to death” but that she wanted to keep growing, so she gave it a shot.
JAMAL ROBERTS: Before performing his first tune on the May 12 show, Roberts was shown enjoying Disneyland with his young daughters, mom and sister. He got to take his little girls to dress up like princesses and said that he loved “seeing the smiles on my kids’ faces.” The show then moved back in-studio for Roberts’ live performance of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” from Disney’s “Remember the Titans.” Roberts got the crowd involved, encouraging them to clap their hands above their heads. Bryan and Richie leaped to their feet at the end of the high-energy song. Smiling as the crowd went wild, Bryan kept yelling, “Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out!” Bryan said he was emotional seeing Roberts at Disneyland with his family, and that after watching his original audition, he was blown away by how far he’s come. Richie told him, “I don’t know if I can emotionally take another performance” because he was so impressed by Roberts, saying he “Jamalarized” the song and has an ability to make any tune “soulful.” Underwood said that while Roberts clearly has an incredible voice, she did think he missed an opportunity to move all around the stage with such an upbeat song.
The contestants got to take a break while season 22 winner Iam Tongi performed his song from the new “Lilo & Stich” movie, backed by a Polynesian children’s choir. Jelly Roll and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were dancing along on the sidelines, too!
Second Round of Disney Songs & Judges’ Feedback
SLATER NALLEY: The teen said he loved Radiator Springs at Disneyland, devoted to his favorite movie, “Cars.” When his family walked into the “Steamboat Willie” theater, they were playing home videos from his childhood, which brought his mom to tears. Nalley called it a “crazy, special moment.” Back in the “American Idol” studio, he then launched into “Born To Be Wild” from the “Mighty Ducks: D3” movie. Dressed more casually and ready to rock, flames flared behind him as he played an electric guitar and moved around the stage. The crowd and judges loved it, with Underwood rocking out at the table. Richie told Nalley, “I can’t even get control on the crowd! There you go again, making a mess out of all of this — crowd’s out of control, you’re out of control!” Underwood said she loved his song choice, as did Bryan, who said, “I loved it, man! I loved it!” When Seacrest asked him how he felt being so close to the finale, Nalley said, “I’ve worked my tail off and I’m not gonna quit.”
THUNDERSTORM ARTIS: Producers showed more footage of Artis with his family at Disneyland. His sister, Spirit, told him how proud she was of him and added, “I know that dad is proud.” Their musician father died several years ago, and Artis said it meant everything to have his family backing him up. Switching gears, Artis was then back at the studio, performing his next song choice live — “Go Find Yourself” from the “Cars” movie. It was another gentle, soothing choice from the dad of two, who sat on a stool at center stage, playing his acoustic guitar. His rendition got another standing ovation from Bryan and Richie, and the crowd cheered loudly. Underwood said, “Please forgive me, I could not give you a standing O,” but explained that her Rapunzel costume was keeping her from standing up. She said that Artis represents “all that is good in the world when you sing.” Bryan said he agreed, telling Artis that all the time he spent with his dad learning to be an artist was worthwhile and so special. Richie said that Artis certainly soaked up from his dad how to be a “vibe master,” because when he steps onstage, he has the rare gift of getting people to really listen to whatever he’s saying or singing.
JOHN FOSTER: The teen worked with Miranda on his second song choice, “Rainbow Connection” from “The Muppet Movie.” He said he loved Willie Nelson’s version, but Miranda said he sounded like he was copying Nelson’s rendition rather than bringing his own personality to the song. Miranda helped him use the lyrics to tell a story, and to connect with how his own dreams are coming true. Foster performed the song with his acoustic guitar, sitting on a stool at center stage. Bryan said, “Listen, everybody’s gunning for one another and everybody’s doing great.” He said that the song was “authentically you” and that he was glad he didn’t copy anyone. Richie said he was “totally in love with the timber” of Foster’s voice and noted that he was a true “stylist” because his voice is so recognizable. Underwood recalled that when Foster auditioned, she had seen him as a “diamond in the rough” whom she had to convince her fellow judges to support. She thanked Foster for proving her right and told him, “If you’re not careful, you could win this whole thing.”
BREANNA NIX: Nix chose to sing “You’ll Be in My Heart” from “Tarzan” as her second song because it was her husband’s favorite Disney song. She said that her husband, Austin, was her “rock” and that she felt like a princess on their wedding five years ago. While working with Miranda, he encouraged her to use the energy she felt around her husband and lean into the knowing that they’ve proved to naysayers that their love is everlasting. Back in the studio, Nix delivered a powerful rendition, looking straight at her husband in the audience, who was teary-eyed throughout. The judges gushed over her performance. Richie said, “I have to tell you, when you lock in on a note, it ain’t going nowhere — it’s so strong and then you can take it down to a whisper.” He said it’s been “wonderful” to watch Nix’s confidence soar. Underwood said she loved that Nix had such a “sweet moment” with her family yet managed to bring the whole audience into it. She also said that Nix had been “so solid” throughout the entire competition. When Seacrest walked over to Nix’s husband, he told the host that they started this “American Idol” journey “on a lark” and that he was so proud of Nix for making it so far in the competition.
JAMAL ROBERTS: Working with Roberts on his second song choice — “Beauty & the Beast” — Miranda said that it was clear he was having a hard time connecting with the song. Roberts admitted it would probably be “one of the biggest challenges of the season for me.” Miranda urged him to find some meaning in the words that resonated for him, and that if he could do that, he’d knock it out of the park. The crowd and judges seemed blown away by what Roberts did with the song; in fact, the audience continued to cheer so loudly that Underwood couldn’t speak. Bryan said, “Let’s win this baby, let’s win this!” Richie told him that no one but him could turn “Beauty in the Beast” into an R&B song.
TOP 3 ANNOUNCEMENT
Ryan Seacrest walked out on stage with the results, as the top 5 stood onstage waiting to hear their fates. Seacrest said, in no particular order, that after 19 million votes those going through to the top 3 are: JOHN FOSTER, JAMAL ROBERTS and BREANNA NIX.
That means Thunderstorm Artis and Slater Nalley are going home. The finale will air on May 19, 2025.
Comments
Top 3 of ‘American Idol’ 2025 Revealed