The “American Idol” competition is officially down to a top eight.
A week after roughly 22 million votes from viewers determined the show’s top 10, “American Idol” eliminated another two singers from the competition during Sunday night’s live episode.
At the end of the two-hour episode, host Ryan Seacrest revealed the eight singers who are still in the running, determined by more than 22 million votes from viewers at home.
Here’s a brief recap of the episode.
A look at the ‘American Idol’ top 8 episode
Sunday night’s episode of “Idol” featured the top 10 contestants performing songs that celebrate powerful women in the music industry.
Country star Miranda Lambert mentored the contestants ahead of their performances.
“My approach to being a mentor on ‘Idol’ is just tell them the truth,” Lambert said in a video “American Idol” shared on Instagram. “I feel like authenticity is what has gotten me this far in my career, and I want to pass that knowledge on because I think it’s really important.”
Being on “Idol” marked somewhat of a full-circle moment for Lambert, who followed “Idol” judge Carrie Underwood‘s career-making run on the show back in 2004.
“My ‘Idol’ memory is Carrie Underwood,” Lambert said. “Honestly, I remember watching her and voting for her, and thinking this gal’s going to go do some big stuff, and here we both are 20 years later, still at it.”
You can’t put Carrie Underwood in a box
The episode featured the following performances:
- Breanna Nix —“Water Under the Bridge,” Adele
- Canaan James Hill — “Love Wins,” Carrie Underwood
- Gabby Samone — “I Was Here,” Beyonce
- Jamal Roberts — “Undo It,” Carrie Underwood
- John Foster — “Something to Talk About,” Bonnie Raitt
- Josh King — “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele
- Kolbi Jordan — “The Chain,“ Fleetwood Mac
- Mattie Pruitt — “The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert
- Slater Nalley — “Whoever’s in New England,“ Reba McEntire
- Thunderstorm Artis — “When We Were Young,” Adele
Who’s in the ‘American Idol’ top 8?
The top eight includes 16-year-old Mattie Pruitt, the youngest contestant remaining in the competition, and Thunderstorm Artis, a singer who placed third on “The Voice” in 2020.
Below are the eight singers still in the “American Idol” competition:
John Foster
Mattie Pruitt
Jamal Roberts
Slater Nalley
Gabby Samone
Josh King
Who was eliminated on ‘American Idol’?
Two of the season’s three platinum ticket winners went home Sunday night: Kolbi Jordan and Canaan James Hill.
What happens next on ‘American Idol’?
The “American Idol” competition will continue Monday night, with the top eight contestants performing songs selected by “Idol” judges Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, according to a TV listing for the show.
Viewers will help determine the show’s top six, and the judges will save one contestant to complete the competition’s top seven.
Monday night’s episode airs 7 p.m. MDT on ABC.
