American Idol determined its Top 3 finale contenders after eliminating Thunderstorm Artis and Slater Nalley during the Season 23 performance show that aired Monday night on ABC.
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Thunderstorm, a 29-year-old musician from Haleiwa, HI, and Slater, an 18-year-old high school student from Atlanta, GA, were revealed to be the bottom two votegetters at the end of the episode, which resulted in their ouster.
Thunderstorm and Slater exiting the American Idol competition sets up the following three contestants to compete in the finale: Breanna Nix, a 25-year-old stay-at-home mom from Denton, TX; Jamal Roberts, a 27-year-old PE teacher from Meridian, MS; and John Foster, an 18-year-old college student from Addis, LA.
The American Idol performance show featured each of the Top 5 finalists performing two songs from the Disney and Pixar film archive on "Disney Night" under the mentorship of Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan critiqued each performance.
Prior to his American Idol departure, Slater performed Toy Story's "You've Got a Friend in Me."
Carrie said she liked seeing Slater perform without his guitar, and Luke said the performance had "a lot of personality" and he was authentically himself on the stage.
Slater later took the stage with "Born to Be Wild" from the soundtrack to D3: The Mighty Ducks.
Luke thought it was a great song choice for Slater, and Carrie applauded Slater for taking his moment and interacting with the fans.
Thunderstorm sang "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella.
Lionel praised Thunderstorm's "suave" voice and said he had "knocked it out of the park," and Carrie told Thunderstorm that he's all heart and has a great ability to deliver a song.
Thunderstorm then followed that up with Brad Paisley's "Find Yourself" from Cars 3.
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Carrie called Thunderstorm a great storyteller, and she noted how he radiates positivity and happiness when he sings.
"You are a vibe master," Lionel added, explaining how Thunderstorm has the power to make an audience focus on him.
John Foster's first performance of the night was to "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book.
Luke complimented John for refining his look and sound week after week, and Lionel pointed out how John has managed to tap into his "likeability" factor.
John then serenaded the audience with "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie.
Lionel said he's in love with the "timber" in John's voice and that John's voice is very recognizable.
Carrie called John "a diamond in the rough," and she added, "If you're not careful, you might win this whole thing."
Breanna Nix first took the stage with Natalie Cole's "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" from The Parent Trap.
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Brenna later did just that with "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan.
"When you lock in a note, it ain't going nowhere. It's so strong!... [And] your confidence has taken a whole new level and vibe," Lionel gushed.
Carrie acknowledged how Breanna has been wowing the judges since the start.
For his first song of the night, Jamal Roberts sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. The song is from the Remember the Titans' soundtrack.
Luke said he "got emotional" during the performance, and Lionel gushed about how Jamal can turn any song -- even "Three Blind Mice" -- into an emotional tune. Carrie, however, said Jamal missed an opportunity to move around and entertain the audience.
Jamal later closed out the American Idol performance show with the title track from Beauty and the Beast.
"Jamal, let's win this thing, baby!" Luke shouted.
Lionel couldn't believe Jamal had made the Beauty and the Beast song an R&B one, and he noted, "Only you can pull that off!"
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
