'American Idol' Top 3 Finalists Revealed

Only three finalists are moving forward after the latest episode of American Idol, which aired live coast-to-coast on Sunday night (May 15). HunterGirl, Noah Thompson and Leah Marlene are now vying for the Season 20 grand prize, which includes roughly $250,000 and a recording contract.

Nicolina Bozzo and Fritz Hager were eliminated from the reality TV sing-off competition.

Keeping up with the tradition of previous episodes, live voting opened up at the top of the program and closed before the last commercial break. In the final seconds of the broadcast, long-running host Ryan Seacrest then called for the lights to dim before he revealed the fate of the remaining contestants.

“What an incredible ride it has been. Good luck to all of you as I read the results,” he told the Top 5 hopefuls as they waited to hear who would be heading home and who is still in the running for the Idol crown.

Both HunterGirl and Thompson represent the country music genre, which means there’s a good chance that a country singer will win it all. Fittingly, the contenders – aside from Thompson, who was still recovering from coronavirus – traveled to Las Vegas, where Carrie Underwood currently has a residency at Resorts World Theatre.

The Season 4 American Idol champion and country music icon appeared on the show as a mentor on Sunday. She helped prepare all of the hopefuls in singing a song from her extensive award-winning catalog. Pop star Finneas also guest performed on the show and shared his new song “Naked” with the studio audience and viewers at home.

The Season 20 three-hour American Idol finale will take place on Sunday (May 22) at 8PM ET on ABC. The broadcast will include appearances by Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Gabby Barrett, Sara Bareilles, Ben Platt, Flo Rida, Melissa Etheridge, Earth Wind & Fire, and more.

American Idol Season 20 Top 3 Contestants:

HunterGirl
Noah Thompson
Lean Marlene

Country 'American Idol' Stars Who Disappeared

We cheered for them. We voted for them. We followed them. Then, these seven American Idol stars vanished. Or, at least it seems like it.

What happened to some of country music's best American Idol contestants over the last 20 years? This list of country American Idol stars who disappeared includes a winner, a runner-up and a third place finisher, plus several early cuts who enjoyed radio success before losing touch with fans.

PICTURES: See Inside Carrie Underwood's Beautiful Post-'American Idol' Home

Carrie Underwood invested her money wisely after winning American Idol in 2005. One of her first big purchases was a 3,099-square-foot home in the well-to-do Nashville suburb of Franklin, Tenn. Underwood paid $384,000 for a luxurious 3-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom stone and stucco home in a private gated community.

The house features a library, a vaulted ceiling and lovely amenities throughout, but while it's very nice, it's certainly not the kind of home you'd picture for a budding country superstar. Underwood wound up being a huge success right out of the gate with her debut album, Some Hearts, and she sold the home in Franklin for $372,500 in 2007, when she purchased the Brentwood mansion that she would later share with her husband, Mike Fisher.

Source: ‘American Idol’ Top 3 Finalists Revealed

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