Season 23 of American Idol is back with a new episode tonight at 8 pm EST. The remaining 12 contestants will battle it out during “Ladies Night” in hopes of keeping their Idol dreams alive.
You can keep up with all the viral moments and results with American Songwriter’s Season 23 Live Blog below.
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Reminder: For the most up-to-date results, refresh the page.
(Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)
The Top 8 Is In!
All the votes have been tallied, and the lights are dimming for two platinum ticket holders: Kolbi Jordan and Canaan James Hill.
That means that Thunderstorm Artis, John Foster, Josh King, Slater Nalley, Breanna Nix, Mattie Pruitt, Jamal Roberts and Gabby Samone are moving on to the Top 8.
Many viewers were outraged to see Hill and Jordan exit the show. “Y’all really just sent home two incredible artist? I’m sick,” one X/Twitter user wrote.
Some label better sign Kolbi and Cannan like first thing tomorrow morning. #AmericanIdol
— Katelyn Reese (@katkatmarie14)
Gabby Samone Answers the Question on Social Media's Mind
With this being Ladies Night on American Idol, many fans of Gabby Samone had one question on their mind: “Will she sing Beyoncé?”
Now they have their answer, as the 23-year-old pop/R&B singer from Baltimore just absolutely killed Queen Bey’s 2011 ballad “I Was Here.” The performance had both Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie urging viewers to vote.
Oh Gabby. The superstar that you are. 🔥 @_GabbySamone #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/S6NXViO6tV
Jamal Roberts Channels Carrie Underwood
When searching for iconic women in music, you simply can’t overlook the one sitting at American Idol’s judging table. As the season 4 champion, Carrie Underwood is one of American Idol’s greatest success stories. And Jamal Roberts brought the heat to Ladies Night with her 2009 hit “Undo It.”
He didn’t get every single word right, but in the words of Underwood, “Who cares?”
Best performance of the night!! Light it up Jamal Roberts! #AmericanIdol
— Christian Salzillo (@csalzillo)
Slater Nalley Brings His "A" Game
Melting hearts during his American Idol audition with a poignant original song, “Traces Of You,” Slater Nalley established himself as a frontrunner early on. Now the 18-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, is in the Top 10, and as Lionel Richie says, he understands how he got there. Nalley presented a stripped-down version of Reba McEntire’s Grammy-winning 1986 hit “Whoever’s In New England.”
Richie had some simple advice for him: “Just be you,” the “All Night Long” singer said. “It’s fantastic.”
Praising him for taking risks, Carrie Underwood said, “You went for it. I think it paid off.”
I honestly think Slater’s gonna win #AmericanIdol.
He fits the mold of the young male country/indie champions the show has had off & on from the past 10 years or so.— Team Pajamas (@kfairwrites)
Thunderstorm Artis Blows Judges And Viewers Away
Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at the second Adele moment of the night. The Voice season 18 finalist Thunderstorm Artis delivered a spine-chillingly good rendition of the British siren’s soulful 2015 ballad “When We Were Young.”
“You make cool, cool,” declared judge Lionel Richie. “I’m so in love with what you just did.”
Added Luke Bryan, “Your ability to hold the room — you are amazingly crafty with how you deliver songs. That was my favorite performance you’ve ever done.”
On social media, many viewers agreed. ” It was like a war cry and I got some of those goosebumps that tells me something resonated with my soul,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter.
That was such an intimate moment from Thunderstorm. It was like a war cry and I got some of those goosebumps that tells me something resonated with my soul. #AmericanIdol
— Franky (@RKOBlackSwan)








