American Idol’s top seven revealed after dramatic final ten showdown

Top 10: Nicolina Bozzo

Nicolina is 18 years old and from Toronto, Canada.

She is a university student and has said that she is used to performing with her family.

The star has an impressive TikTok following of over 258,000 followers.

For her original audition, she sang She Used To Be Mine by Sara Bareilles, which earned her a golden ticket, and a standing ovation from the judges.

Top 7: Leah Marlene

Leah Marlene sticks out this season for having soulful sound, obvious songwriting talent, and a funny personality.

The quirky musician, 20, is from Normal, Illinois.

Leah’s dad is Derry Grehan from Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite.

The singer said she was channelling her father as she performed for the judges.

Leah told American Idol: “My whole childhood, my life was just filled with guitars and amp.

“He was a freaking rock star and last night my dad was there and it was just like a full circle moment. It was so cool.”

Top 7: Jay Copeland

Jay Copeland is a 23-year-old musician from Salisbury, Maryland.

He graduated from college two years ago, majoring in music.

During his audition, he revealed he was on a fellowship to go to graduate school for acting but dropped out after he was told he had to choose between acting and music.

After singing a Stevie Wonder song in his audition, Jay received a platinum ticket.

Top 7: HunterGirl

HunterGirl is the first platinum ticket winner of American Idol.

The 23-year-old country singer is from Winchester, Tennessee, and her real name is Hunter Wolkonowski.

When she’s not focusing on her own music, HunterGirl works with veterans in music therapy.

She graduated from Middle Tennesse State University.

Top 7: Fritz Hager

Fritz Hager III, 17, is from Tyler, Texas.

Last week, the judges gave Fritz three song options with each judge selecting a song for him to perform.

Katy Perry selected God Only Knows by the Beach Boys, and Lionel Richie gave him the option of Perfect by Ed Sheeran.

Hager ultimately chose Luke Bryan’s option of Wonderwall by Oasis and said he was thrilled when he heard he could perform it.

After his performance, Bryan said he chose the song as a curveball, and his inspiration to provide it as an option came from hearing Hager prepare with his band during a soundcheck in Las Vegas.

Top 7: Christian Guardino

Christian Guardino, 21, joined American Idol for its 20th season and has made an impact on the judges for his resounding voice and his ability to overcome the setbacks and struggles he has encountered throughout his life.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Christian was born legally blind.

He was diagnosed with a rare genetic eye disorder, Leber Congenital Amaurosis, which affects the retina, impairing the individual’s vision.

His remaining vision continued to deteriorate as he got older, but when he reached his teenage years, Guardino participated in a gene therapy trial.

The trial was successful and restored his eyesight to about 80 percent.

Protocols for this season

This season, American Idol is airing live again, but with necessary safety protocols in place.

To ensure the protection of the cast, crew, and participants, the number of cities where the auditions were held was reduced, and the judges are socially distanced.

How Covid-19 affected recent seasons 

Season 18 of American Idol shut down due to Covid-19 protocols, but it was the first reality competition series to return to screens and air remotely.

Using custom-built Zoom technology, contestants that sang for producers got a green light to move on to a judged audition.

How much does it cost to audition?

It costs nothing to audition for American Idol, provided hopefuls meet the show’s eligibility requirements, and cover their own costs of travel and accommodation.

You must be between 15 and 28 years old at your audition time and you must also be a legal US resident and not have competed in the Top 10 of a previous season.

When do contestants rehearse?

Unfortunately, contestants on American Idol do not get to relax on the weekends.

Saturdays and Sundays tend to be even busier than the weekdays, as contestants are required to do intense rehearsals.

In addition to the weekend rehearsals and sessions with vocal coaches, contestants still do three rehearsals on the day they are slated to perform.

Celebrating 20 years

The famed singing competition returned for its 20th season this year, with a few changes.

American Idol first premiered in 2002, and host Ryan Seacrest was celebrated during this season’s premiere for being involved with the show for its 20 years.

Was American Idol canceled?

The singing competition series ran for 15 seasons on FOX before it was canceled in 2016, TV Series Finale said.

However, ABC revived the show in 2018 and brought back host Ryan Seacrest.

This season, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan all returned to judge the show with Bobby Bones not returning due to conflicting commitments.

Who are the judges? 

Judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan have returned as American Idol judges this season, and executive producer and showrunner Megan Wolflick said they are thrilled to welcome them back.

“The chemistry and passion Katy, Luke, Lionel, and Ryan bring is second to none. We couldn’t be more ecstatic that they are returning for this iconic 20^th season in search of the freshest new talent that this nation has to offer.”

When did American Idol begin?

Created by Simon Fuller, the reality competition series American Idol first premiered on Fox back on June 11, 2002.

What happened to Kenedi Anderson?

At the beginning of the season, Kenedi Anderson made history by earning the show’s first platinum ticket, which allows contestants to bypass the first round of Hollywood Week.

Despite being one of the season’s frontrunners, she shocked fans when it was announced on April 11’s episode that she withdrew from the competition for “personal reasons.”

The rising star then took to social media, where she confirmed the news.

She wrote in an Instagram post: “For personal reasons, I’m unable to continue on American Idol.

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but I know it’s necessary.”

Who was eliminated last week?

Tristen Gressett, 17, was eliminated from the season on last week’s episode.

For his last performance, Tristen sang You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones.

Who went home?

The three singers who went home tonight were Lady K, Emyrson Flora, and Mike Parker.

American Idol Top 7

The top seven are:

• Leah Marlene
• Jay
• Noah Thompson
• Fritz Hager
• HunterGirl
• Nicolina
• Christian Guardino

Voting time

Based on the votes from America, three contestants will have to leave the competition after tonight.

Judges are proud of Fritz

Luke said “you always nail it,” and all of the judges agree that Fritz killed the performance.

They said that he has proved he definitely belongs on the show.

Fritz Hager up next

Fritz Hager is performing next.

He will be singing “Go the Distance” from the Disney movie Hercules.

‘You were standing in your light’

Luke told Christian that he really wanted him to nail this performance, and the singer followed through.

All of the judges commended him for his incredible voice and said he nailed the song.

Christian Guardino is up next

Christian Guardino is performing next.

The singer will be performing a rendition of “Circle of Life” from The Lion King.

Judges loved Mike

The judges loved Mike’s rendition of the classic Disney song.

They commended him for putting his all into each performance, and Katy especially loved the key change.