In the Sunday, May 22 episode, one of the Top 3, HunterGirl, Leah Marlene and Noah Thompson, was crowned as the winner of the current season of ABC's singing competition show.
- May 23, 2022
AceShowbiz - "American Idol" season 20 reached the conclusion with its finale, in which viewers found out the fate of the finalists. One of the Top 3, HunterGirl, Leah Marlene and Noah Thompson, would be crowned the winner of the current season of the ABC show.
The first one to perform on Sunday night, May 22 was Leah, who opted to sing "Cover Me" by Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band and she nailed it. "That was such a groove. You are the whole package," judge Katy Perry said. "You play guitar, you write your own music." Katy then said she already won the show.
Following up was HunterGirl who performed Bruce's "Dancing in the Dark". She was praised for her growing confidence. "Congrats on how far you've made it, great song choice," judge Luke Bryan gushed, while Lionel Richie said, "You now own the stage, you are now responsible for your career, and my dear, you have a career."
Noah was the last of three finalists to perform Bruce's hit. He belted out "I'm on Fire". He entertained everyone with his flawless performance as judge Katy raved, "You picked my favorite Springsteen song. I think you just swooped in and grabbed every heart in America by singing that song. You're just a good guy from Kentucky who might win 'American Idol'."
For their second performance, the contestants had to sing their original songs. Leah was up first to perform her song "Flowers". At the end of her performance, she broke down in tears. "The whole town knows my name and the whole school knows my name," she said. "It has been the most beautiful experience of my life."
Meanwhile, Noah sang a song titled "One Day Tonight". After he finished his performance, judge Katy, who became emotional, said, "I'm just gonna keep my tissue in the palm of my hand. You're just about to do something really big. Do not stop dreaming, there is a plan for you in your life."
As for HunterGirl, she belted out her song "Red Bird". Of her performance, judge Luke commented, "We named our farm Red Bird Farm for that very reason. You take an experience in your life and you turn it into a song."
After the commercial break, one of the three remaining finalists was eliminated from the competition and that was Leah. HunterGirl and Noah moved on to the Top 2.
For the final battle, Noah performed "Stay" by Rihanna. The crooner, who caught COVID-19 earlier this month, performed the song much earlier in the competition, during Hollywood Week. Later, HunterGirl took the stage to sing Rascal Flatts' hit "Riot". She sang the song for her original audition for the show. Though both slayed their performance, there's only one winner and that was Noah Thompson!
Noah, who got nearly 16 million votes, became emotional after his name was read as the winner. "My heart is beating out of my chest," he said, "This is crazy." He then finished off the finale by performing his original song, "One Day Tonight".
