Sixteen-year-old Mattie Pruitt made it into the top 10 as the youngest contestant of “American Idol” season 23. On May 4, 2025, the high schooler from Eaglesville, Tennessee, vied for viewers votes again with her emotional rendition of Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” Contestants performed songs made famous by “iconic women in music,” the theme of the episode that aired live from coast-to-coast. Viewers had less than two hours to vote for their favorites during the show, determining who would make it through to the top 8 of season 23.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not continue reading if you do NOT want to know whether or not Pruitt made it into the top 8.

After voting closed during the final commercial break, host Ryan Seacrest was ready to reveal which members of season 23’s top 10 would advance to the top 8. So did Pruitt make it through? YES — Pruitt did make it through to the top 8! And here’s a breakdown of tonight’s full results.

After returning to Los Angeles following the top 24’s performances in Hawaii, the contestants were so busy preparing for the next shows that Pruitt figured no one would remember it was her 16th birthday on April 15.

So when members of the cast surprised her backstage, which she shared in a social media video, she was so touched that she crumpled into tears.

“I walked into the dressing room thinking no one was going to do anything for my birthday,” she wrote, “and then some of the contestants and my stepmom surprised me with the sweetest birthday setup ever.”

In the video Pruitt shared, she stopped cold as she walked into her dressing room, stunned to see a “Happy Birthday” sign and multiple cast members yelling and clapping for her. Pruitt was so surprised that she just stood in the doorway as her eyes filled with tears.

Pruitt is not just the youngest contestant on season 23, but is an accidental record breaker the show, according to Billboard. Born in 2009, during season 10, no other finalist in the series’ history has been born later, the outlet reported.

Incredibly, Pruitt’s mom was pregnant with her at age 17 when she auditioned for “American Idol,” a story they shared during one of the Hawaii episodes.

“She went to Kentucky for auditions but only made it to where the producers were and they told her that she was too pregnant,” Pruitt told Billboard.

The top 8 of season 23 will move on to compete again on May 5, competing to make it into the top 7.