Keith Urban returns to American Idol to mentor Top 3 on the Finale
A former American Idol judge will mentor the Top 3 on the May 21 finale.
Keith Urban, who sat on the judges panel for seasons 12-15 during the singing show’s FOX era, will return to his old stomping grounds to help the final three compete for the crown.
Billboard reports that the country singer will also perform his 2022 hit “Wild Hearts” on the American Idol stage during the three-hour finale. ABC will announce other performers soon.
Besides American Idol, Keith has coached several seasons on The Voice Australia. We put him on our short list of possibilities to sit in the country chair on the US version of the show after veteran coach Blake Shelton departs after the current season. Keith recently stepped away from The Voice AU for a second time. The first was after he took the job as an American Idol judge in 2013.
Notoriously, Keith and Randy Jackson sat alongside the warring Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj on their disastrous one and done season 12. For seasons 13, 14 and 15, Keith shared the judges table with Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr.
American Idol Top 5 will sing songs from Disney catalog
The Top 5 are will sing Disney songs on the May 14 Top 5 episode airing coast to coast live on ABC at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. After singing in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, host Ryan Seacrest will announce the results of viewer votes and the Top 3. The Top 5 include Colin Stough, Iam Tongi, Megan Danielle, Wé Ani and Zachariah Smith.
“If you come on the show, you’re part of the American Idol alumni. You are part of our history. This show has changed lives in so many different ways,” executive producer and showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick recently told Billboard. “I think American Idol is now like the NFL, where people train their [whole] lives to come on the show. It’s now bigger than a TV show. It’s something you can aspire to be a part of — young singers are born every day.”
