American Idol Top 8 Shockwaves: Stunning Eliminations, Unbelievable Judge Saves, and Fan Favorites in Jeopardy—Nationwide Outrage as Unexpected Picks Divide Viewers!

The Sunday, May 4, episode of American Idol was Ladies’ Night, which meant that the remaining Top 10 contestants hit the stage to perform songs by iconic women in music. Fittingly, they were mentored by country superstar Miranda Lambert for the occasion.

Once again, the viewers got to make the decisions by voting throughout the episode for their favorite artists. At the end of the night, host Ryan Seacrest would read the results. However, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie were still on hand to offer their insights and feedback after each performance. The two singers with the lowest number of viewer votes at the end of the night would be headed home.

John Foster

John Foster opened the show with a performance of Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About.” Although he admitted to being nervous during rehearsals—especially practicing in front of Lambert, his childhood crush—he pulled it together for the live show. Lambert offered him tips on stage presence and even sang a duet with him during practice.

Carrie Underwood told John, “I feel like you are the one that we have watched grow the most throughout this entire process. Every single time you step on the stage, you feel more comfortable, you’re working the stage more, you’re connecting with the audience more, and the audience at home, as well.” She noted his confidence in using the camera to connect with viewers. Luke Bryan added that John’s “charisma meter is peaking off the charts right now.”

Gabby Samone

Gabby Samone brought soul and elegance to the American Idol stage with a moving rendition of Beyoncé’s “Halo.” The performance stood out for its emotional depth and effortless control, with Gabby showcasing her signature mix of strength and vulnerability. During rehearsal, Miranda Lambert praised Gabby’s natural ability to tell a story through her voice, encouraging her to lean into the emotions behind the lyrics.

On stage, Gabby delivered a powerful performance that had the judges nodding in approval. Carrie Underwood remarked, “You have one of the most emotionally connected voices in this competition. You don’t just sing the song—you feel it, and so do we.” Lionel Richie agreed, calling her performance “a masterclass in vocal restraint and power,” while Luke Bryan added, “You always remind us what it means to sing something—every note counts with you, and America is hearing it.”

Kolbi Jordan

Kolbi Jordan followed with Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” a song choice she made to surprise viewers who expected her to go with powerhouse vocalists like Whitney Houston or Patti LaBelle. She wanted to pay tribute to Stevie Nicks instead, leaning into a darker, more mysterious vibe.

Bryan complimented her performance, saying, “I loved your attitude, your character, your mannerisms. I mean, taking the hat and tipping it and all that? It was just so well thought out, and I think what I want America to know about you is your personality is really, really amazing. We got to see a lot of your personality in that performance.”

Josh King

Josh King chose Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” leaning into his blues roots. During rehearsal, Lambert told him to “pull it back a little bit” to help him focus his energy. On stage, Josh delivered a multi-instrumental performance, playing the piano, harmonica, and working the stage.

Lionel Richie praised him for “going for the arsenal,” and Underwood added, “I can tell tonight, everyone is singing for their lives. Once you see a few of your super incredibly talented friends go home, that lights a fire. Everyone’s bringing their A-game tonight and you are no exception.”

Breanna Nix

Breanna Nix, after narrowing her options down with Lambert’s help, chose Adele’s “Water Under the Bridge.” The decision paid off. Underwood said, “This was the right song choice for sure. I feel like everybody’s trying things tonight that’s a little bit different, showing us a different side of themselves, and this was just a perfect moment for you.

You looked and sounded and played the part of, like, a diva, and it was all working.” Bryan added that her performance was “just perfectly well done.”

Canaan James Hill

Canaan James Hill honored Carrie Underwood with a performance of “Love Wins,” which he admitted was nerve-wracking since it was his first time not doing a gospel song on the show. Bryan told him, “We’ve seen you in that comfort zone of your gospel comfort zone, so it was nice to see you challenge yourself. Man, I think it was a great job. We could tell you were still kind of second-guessing, but always continue to push yourself.”

Underwood added, “Miranda hit the nail on the head. When we were writing that song, really, every time you say the word ‘love,’ you can say the word, ‘God,’ that’s how I think of it every time I sing it. You should also never worry about messing up the words. You can just quit singing the words and riff all over it. You have that superpower in your back pocket which you can pull out whenever you want.”

Thunderstorm Artis

Thunderstorm Artis became the third artist of the night to honor Adele with his performance of “When We Were Young.” Richie told him, “You make cool, cool. When I say that, you have a way of taking … by the way, we just discovered you play piano, what else do you do? … Listen, that way of taking us down to a solid viewer’s point of view where you can shrink it down to your voice, your sound, I’m so in love with what you just did.” Bryan called it his “favorite performance” that Thunderstorm has ever done on the show.

Slater Nalley

Slater Nalley took on Reba McEntire’s “Whoever’s in New England.” After Lambert suggested raising the key, he made the adjustment and admitted it was probably the hardest song he’s done on the show. Underwood praised the choice: “Great song choice, it’s got such a beautiful melody for it, and you went for it. I think it paid off.”

Bryan added, “When people have you figured out, that’s when you show ’em you don’t have it figured out. I would’ve never pegged you to attempt that song, so as an artist, when you can keep the people guessing and surprise them with stuff they weren’t expecting, you can have a long career. What a cool move you just did by picking that song.”

Jamal Roberts

Jamal Roberts delivered the second Underwood tribute of the night with a high-powered rendition of “Undo It.” Though he struggled at first, Lambert helped him rework the arrangement to suit his strengths. Richie said, “All I’m gonna say is, throughout your presence here, you are mesmerizing and I love it.” Underwood noted some lyric issues but quickly dismissed them, saying, “WHO CARES? I loved it!”

Mattie Pruitt

Mattie Pruitt honored Miranda Lambert with “The House That Built Me.” Lambert encouraged her to play guitar for the performance, despite Mattie’s nerves about doing so in front of a live audience for the first time. Richie praised her for “holding [her] emotions perfectly.” Underwood added, “We were hanging on every single note. Every single word. That was really quite brilliant, I think. Toward the end I was trying to hold my own tears in. That was really great, Mattie.”

Top 8 Results

After the final commercial break, with 22 million votes cast, Ryan Seacrest announced the Top 8:

BREANNA NIX
MATTIE PRUITT
JAMAL ROBERTS
JOHN FOSTER
JOSH KING
GABBY SAMONE
SLATER NALLEY
THUNDERSTORM ARTIS

This means that Canaan James Hill and Kolbi Jordan—both Platinum Ticket holders—were eliminated from the competition.