On Monday, May 11, American Idol will crown the winner of season 24. What started with thousands of hopefuls now sits at just five. And for one of them, they will take their first step to music stardom. Those who still have a chance of winning include Chris Tungseth, Hannah Harper, Braden Rumfelt, Keyla Richardson, and Jordan McCullough. With the competition nearing its end, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan offered their thoughts and advice ahead of the season finale.
Heading into the special American Idol reunion episode, the remaining contestants only have one chance to prove they deserve to be in the Top 3. With another two singers being sent home, the competition will feature more than performances as original judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will make their return.
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Already performing in front of millions of fans and now judges like Abdul and Jackson, Underwood insisted, “We’re coming down to the wire, and everybody is so talented and so good. And I feel that America has done such a great job of paring down week to week. My advice to anybody moving forward is – you got to take risks. You got to leave it all on the stage. You got to think about what kind of artist you want to be.”
Carrie Underwood Has One Last Tip For ‘American Idol’ Finalists
Although great advice, Underwood also had a backup plan. When giving the audience everything, she said there was only one thing left to do – “say your prayers.”
As for Richie, he saw the season finale as a moment to highlight the singers more than the contestants. “At a certain point, you actually have to just stop trying to critique them as who you think they should be and let them be. And that is what’s happening now in this Top 7 to Top 5 is going to be agonizing. America is going to fall in love with them, and we have to witness who gets that love more than the other.”
Giving his thoughts on the Top 5, Bryan was still processing the shock of the eliminations. “It’s always shockers for some people who get sent home. It was that way for me tonight, and it’s going to be that way til we get our winner.”
But even with the stress at an all-time high, Bryan promised, “We’re having fun and just love what these kids are doing up there.”
With only a few episodes left, don’t miss American Idol, airing on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and available to stream the following day on Hulu.
(Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images)
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