Carrie Underwood Says ‘American Idol’ Top 3 Are Dealing With Major ‘Nerves & Stress’ Before Finale

With their futures on the line, the top 3 of “American Idol” season 23 — John Foster, Breanna Nix, and Jamal Roberts — are dealing with major pressure and a wild schedule before ABC’s season finale, airing live on May 18, 2025.

First-time judge and former winner Carrie Underwood knows exactly what they’re going through. She said in multiple interviews that the finalists have been thrown all kinds of curveballs ahead of the grand finale, making it even more stressful than when she was in their shoes.

Top 3 Contestants Have Tons of ‘Stuff to Deal With’ During Finale Week, Carrie Underwood Says

After advancing to the top 3 of season 23 on May 12, producers whisked Foster, Nix, and Roberts off to their hometowns for parades, mini concerts, and family reunions — a wild experience Underwood also had when she was a finalist in 2005.

She told TV Insider ahead of the top 3’s May 14 hometown visits that they’d be reunited “with every person in the world that they’ve ever met. They’re going to be there with a lot of people that they don’t know, too, all the while thinking about what they’re going to perform for the finale.”

Eighteen-year-old Foster headed home to Addis, Louisiana; 25-year-old Nix returned to Denton, Texas; and 27-year-old Jamal Roberts went back to Meridian, Mississippi. Footage of their hometown visits will air during the finale.

After their whirlwind trips home, the contestants have been cramming to learn songs and prepare for the three-hour finale, as well as recording their first singles — to be released by the show’s record label partner, 19 Entertainment.

“There are group numbers and (celebrities) showing up,” Underwood said. “There’s all that stuff to deal with along with the nerves and the stress.”

Carrie Underwood Says Season 23 Finale is Likely Even More Stressful for Contestants Than Her Season Finale

Foster, Nix, and Roberts will each perform for the judges as viewers vote live for the winner during the May 19 finale. They’ll also participate in group numbers with the top 14 contestants, and will sing duets with celebrity guest performers.

“This is kind of a taste of what the rest of their careers are going to be like,” Underwood told TV Insider. “We call it ‘Star Boot Camp’ because you learn a lot really fast. You learn how to sing live on TV, how to work with the cameras, how to appeal to the audience, how to deal with criticism, how to do press. You learn all this in a short amount of time, so you just do your best.”

But Underwood told People that the pressure and stress is probably even tougher for Foster, Nix, and Roberts than it was when she was a finalist.

“We’ve had a condensed season,” the country superstar said. “It was a lot longer when I was on the show. So they’re running to catch up the whole time. I would imagine they feel more frenzied than I felt about the whole situation.”

The season 23 finale airs live coast-to-coast on May 18 starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time, with the winner announced after the final commercial break.