We’re previewing Sunday’s American Idol Top 3 Finale episode, ranking the remaining contestants, as well as taking a look at last week’s poll results.
Tonight (May 20), the final three contestants, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Maddie Poppe and Gabby Barrett will take the stage to sing for your votes, amid clips of their hometown visits. On Monday May 20 a new American Idol will be crowned. Which of the three singers will take it all?
American Idol 2018 Top 3 Song Spoilers including Winners Singles
American Idol 2018 Spoilers – Grand Finale Songs and More
This final week of competition may be the hardest to rank so far. I can honestly say that I have no idea who is going to win. Each singer will perform three songs each. Voting will be less volatile this week, with the return to overnight results. Performing last may actually become important again.
Therefore, my rankings here are based solely on how how strong I believe the contestants came out of last week’s performances and their recently released winners singles. However, my predictions tomorrow after tonight’s performances may look very different.
Notable: I REALLY like the way Hollywood Records handled the winners songs, dropping them on a Friday like a real single, instead of on the day of the show.
3. Gabby Barrett – I know! I’ve had Gabby at the top of the power list nearly every week. But there are a couple of things working against Gabby at the moment. First, the danger of being an early front runner is losing steam before the end. Caleb and Maddie may not have started on top, but they have both been building momentum all season long. Additionally, Gabby hasn’t emerged from the competition with a solid artistic identity. Is she R&B or country? The young singer seems to be still working that out. Her winners single “Rivers Deep” co-written by British pop singer (And X Factor UK alum) Ella Henderson is a weird hybrid of Pop/Gospel/Country that doesn’t quite gel. However, the live version, if arranged well, may give her some big moments.
2. Caleb Lee Hutchinson – Caleb could really win this thing. He’s had a sweet little growth arc that began with him arriving at the Hollywood rounds after having lost a bunch of weight. Seeming timid and shy at first, the Georgia native grew stronger week by week, culminating in a couple of strong performances “When Doves Cry” and “Stars in Alabama” for Top 7 and Top 5 weeks, respectively. And don’t forget that he’s a Georgia boy. In the past, American Idol demographics have heavily favored male singers out of the south. Also, his winner’s single “Johnny Cash Heart,” which has the most commercial appeal of the three–has charted highest since its release on Friday.
1. Maddie Poppe – Maddie had a particularly strong showing last week with her magnificent show closing rendition of the Beach Boys “God Only Knows” and a strong Carrie Underwood cover, “I Told You So.” She sits in the number one position this week on the strength of those performances, and her consistently terrific output across the entire season. But she has a few things working against her. Out of the three singers, she’s the most creative artistically, but a female singer/songwriter has yet to win American Idol. Her winners single “Going Going Gone” is catchy, but it’s a little dated. (And I’m not crazy about the production. That chintzy Christmas bell intro? No.) Conventional wisdom says Maddie will come in third behind the country singers (sort of a Season 10 Scotty McCreery/Lauren Alaina/Haley Reinhart redux) But then again, American Idol has never had a Top 3 final before. Maddie could beat the odds.
How would YOU rate the remaining contestants?
Here are some results from last week’s polls
Check out all the poll results from Top 5 week at this link.
Favorite Top 3 Contestant
- Maddie Poppe 71.96%
- Gabby Barrett 20.27%
- Caleb Lee Hutchinson 7.77%
Favorite Top 5 performance
- Maddie Poppe – God Only Knows 41.82%
- Maddie Poppe – I Told You So 19.28%
- Gabby Barrett – I Have Nothing 12.68%
- Michael J. Woodard – Still I Rise 7.58%
- Cade Foehner – Simple Man 6.72%
- Caleb Lee Hutchinson – Stars in Alabama 4.66%
- Gabby Barrett – Last Name 2.82%
- Michael J. Woodard – Flat on The Floor 2.49%
- Caleb Lee Hutchinson – So Small 1.19%
- Cade Foehner – Undo It 0.76%
American Idol Behind the Scenes Tour – American Idol 2018 on ABC
Bobby Bones and the Top 3 are LIVE
We are LIVE with your Top 3 (@calebleemusic @MaddiePoppe @GabbyBarrett_) and @mrBobbyBones! https://t.co/Uaixu5Haj2
— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) May 20, 2018
