The top five contestants of the singing competition show's season 20 are revealed during the Mother's Day episode, where all contestants give their special performances for their loved ones.
- May 9, 2022
AceShowbiz - Two of the remaining contestants have to sing remotely in the new episode of "American Idol". Noah Thompson and Fritz Hager were forced to sing from quarantine for the Mother's Day episode after they tested positive for COVID-19.
In the Sunday, May 8 episode, contestants sang songs that have either gone viral on TikTok or that they themselves have sung on the video-sharing app for their first performances. Then each contestant performed songs in honor of Mothers' Day.
As Noah caught COVID, he sang remotely from his hotel room. He belted out "Painted Blue" from Sundy Best, which he already sang on TikTok. After his performance, judge Luke Bryan said that Noah "is such a star that he shines both on the stage and in COVID quarantine."
For his second song, Noah sang Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide", which he dedicated to his grandmother, who raised him after his parents' divorce. Lionel Richie later gushed, "You know, when you're sick, you're sounding a lot better," before adding, "You nailed it."
In the meantime, Fritz, whose rehearsal footage served in place of his live performances, crooned out his original song "All My Friends", which he has featured on TikTok. After his rehearsal footage played, judge Luke commented, "Man, you've just got all the tools. You've got all the creativeness to go a long way."
For his second song, Fritz sang another original song called "The Ocean". He dedicated it to his mother and grandmother, who passed away five years ago. "You look like a pro. You sound like a pro. You play the guitar with a ton of emotion," said judge Luke. "God, it was just another amazing performance. Please vote, everybody."
Leah Marlene, meanwhile, performed "Electric Love" by Borns, which later judge Lionel dubbed "wonderful." For her Mother's Day song, Leah sang "Sanctuary" by Nashville Cast. Katy Perry raved, "You're just mature and graceful, and you look like an angel, and you sound like an angel."
As for Jay Copeland, he opted for the Whitney Houston classic "I Have Nothing" for his first song. "The runs were so unique and so artistic," Katy told him, "You did justice to a Whitney Houston song." Then for the second song, Jay brought a flawless cover of his mother's favorite song, "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men.
Christian Guardino sang Justin Bieber's hit "Lonely", which he said he can relate to. Judge Lionel told him that his talent "is shining through like a diamond." Christian, for his second song, sang his mom's favorite, "Dear God" by Smokie Norful. Katy said it was one of Christian's most authentic performances.
HunterGirl showed off an edgier side of herself, rocking out to the heartbreak TikTok anthem "You Broke Me First" by Tate McRae. Later on the show, she showed her vulnerable side, singing "Like My Mother Does" by Lauren Alaina, the runner-up in season 10 of "American Idol". Upon watching her performance, Katy said, "You got the platinum ticket. You still deserve the platinum ticket today. And you've got a platinum heart as well, my dear."
As for Nicolina, she sang "Alone" by Heart. Nicolina then sang "Light in the Hallway" by Pentatonix in tribute to her Nona. By the time she finished her stunning performance, she broke down in tears. Lionel said Nicolina was "absolutely flawless," while Katy said she gave an "A plus plus" performance.
Despite all the amazing performances, the two artists with the least amount of votes had to be eliminated. Host Ryan Seacrest announced the five safe artists were Noah, Nicolina, HunterGirl, Leah and Fritz. That means Christian and Jay were eliminated.
