Of those three, Leah has most consistently been at the top of the pack. On the show’s Disney themed episode, she sang, “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2, and judge Luke Bryan told her, “You’re just a great singer. You’re amazing. You’ve yet to hit a bad note in this competition. You always tell the story perfectly. You just did it with that song. It was incredible.” While it’s hard to beat a compliment like that, it’s too soon to count out the other two. HunterGirl has been on everyone’s radar since winning one of the only three Platinum Tickets given out this year, but it also put a target on her back with expectations being high for her to succeed. So far, she’s managed not to disappoint and her performance of “I See the Light” from Tangled was no exception. Lionel Richie told her, “From the time we first heard you, you were standing there with the idea of having a huge career in country music. To stand there and sing a Disney song that beautiful, I can only say to you, ‘That’s your whole career right there.’” If HunterGirl were to take it all, it would make her only the second female country artist to win, following Carrie Underwood taking the title in season 4. At this point in time, Noah is looking to be in third place. His performance of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story wasn’t as strong as some of the others of the night, but he makes up for that with his ardent fan following. Katy Perry told him, “I think that was my favorite song you sang besides the Rihanna song. You reinvented that. Randy Newman sings it incredibly friendly and it’s such a singalong song, but you just went for it. You gave it so much character and color and country crooning. It was some of your best vocals ever.” We asked Katy Perry to comment on each of the three potential Idol winners after the show’s Mother’s Day episode, in which both Fritz and Noah had contracted COVID, and this is what she had to say: Leah Marlene: “She is an original. To me she sounds like Alison Krauss, who’s one of my favorite artists. She has matured in front of our eyes. I was just saying that she was in a bucket hat and a patchwork outfit when she first came in looking 12 years old, and now she looks like an angel, just a graceful, beautiful angel, and sounds like one.” Noah Thompson: “You know what? He’s just a boy next door that everybody loves and wants to get behind. He did construction before this, never believed in himself, and is doing it mostly for his child. It’s beautiful to see. And even though he had COVID, he sounded like a zillion dollars.” HunterGirl: “She is like the bread and butter of America, you know? She’s a great human being. Honestly, the stuff she does for vets that we got to see is so profound. You always want the great human beings to win, because not only are they going to help the world sing together, but they’re going to do some other stuff as well that’s going to support the world. So, I love her and I would be so happy if she won.”
So, who will win American Idol 2022?
With one week to go, we see Leah as the frontrunner, with Noah and HunterGirl hot on her tail. HunterGirl has a slightly larger Instagram following, so if they all vote, she could pull ahead. American Idol returns next Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC when the winner will be crowned. Next, Make Your Vote Count! How to Vote Online or By Text on American Idol 2022
