“American Idol” kicked off its season finale remotely via video chat on Sunday night, with longtime host Ryan Seacrest announcing the winner from his home! If you haven’t seen the finale, here’s your warning that there are massive spoilers below.
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After several performances, the episode kicked off by announcing the top 5 contestants of the season: front-runner Arthur Gunn, a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Kansas, Just Sam, a 21-year-old subway singer from Harlem, 26-year-old California native Dillon James, piano teacher Jovin “Jonny” West and college student Francisco Martin.
Each of the five sang gave two final performances as viewers voted live on their favorites.
Then, it was time to announce the winner! After Francisco, Jonny, and Dillon were eliminated, the competition was down to Arthur and Just Sam.
“We have the final two results. Who will be your next American Idol? Normally I’d say ‘Dim the lights, here we go,’ but … we can’t,” longtime host Ryan Seacrest joked.
And the winner is: Just Sam! The Harlem native was alone in Los Angeles when she got the news, as she was unable to travel back to her New York home when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. Fortunately, Sam’s grandmother was able to receive the news virtually as the singer video-chatted her through an iPad. “Thank you so much, America, I would have never, ever, ever expected this,” Sam gushed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for voting.”
But the night wasn’t without some technical glitches—when Seacrest announced Arthur as the show’s runner-up, it appeared that the audio briefly cut out, and the singer’s family was seen celebrating as if Arthur had won first place.
Nonetheless, all of the “American Idol” judges congratulated Sam on her win.
No one more deserving of this life-changing experience. Congratulations @CoJustsam. We love you #AmericanIdol @AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/oAOToMHpSV
— Luke Bryan (@LukeBryanOnline) May 18, 2020
“No one more deserving of this life-changing experience. Congratulations,” coach Luke Bryan tweeted after the show. “We love you.”
The contestants weren’t the only ones who gave performances during the virtual show. Katy Perry performed her new hit “Daisies” for the first time, complete with a stunning digitally-enhanced backdrop.
ICYMI 👀: My first TV performance of #Daisies🌼 on the #AmericanIdol finale is now on YouTube! Hope it transported you out of your living room as much as it transported me into this one 🤗 Watch it at https://t.co/brLed7cNKm pic.twitter.com/equoSlrXH7
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 18, 2020
Special guests included Rascal Flatts, Cynthia Erivo, and more.
Congratulations to Just Sam!
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