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American Idol season 23 finale is all set to come out on May 18, 2025. The episode that is going to air from 8 to 11 pm ET on ABC is to have three finalists — Jamal Roberts, John Foster, and Breanna Nix — competing for the win. The winner will be decided by public vote, and the voting lines will open at the start of the episode at 8 pm ET and will close at 10:50 pm ET, during the last commercial break of the live finale.
The episode will also consist of non-competitive performances by acclaimed artists and past contestants of American Idol. Towards the end of the episode, the result of America's vote will be announced, and a winner will be crowned.
While no one knows what way America's vote will swing on May 18, there are several ways to predict who among these three would take home the victory. Viewers can compare the views on each of these artists' videos on YouTube/Instagram, they can also recall their American Idol journey, and they can refer to data from betting sites that present odds of each one's win.
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American Idol season 23 winner prediction
Abi Carter won season 22 of American Idol, and she was a Platinum Ticket winner, so she skipped through a huge chunk of the competition before securing the win. In season 23, all three Platinum ticket winners are already eliminated; these include Kolbi Jordan, Canaan James Hill, and Filo, making the prediction even harder.
1) Jamal Roberts
Jamal Roberts has been giving quality performances consistently since his audition round. He has been praised by the judges, hooted by the live audience, and widely appreciated by viewers at home on X. Views on the videos of his American Idol performances also exceed the other two finalists.
This website, called BetUS.com.pa, showcases odds of each contestant's win in a sportsbook style. On it, Jamal has the highest odds of winning, at -300, which means he has a 75% chance of winning.
However, Jamal is not into country music; he leans more towards the R&B genre, and many of American Idol's past winners have been country music singers. The music genre is a fan favorite, and it's the only area where Jamal falls back.
2) John Foster
John Foster has also been a fan favorite since the start of American Idol because, like Jamal, he also never failed to impress the judges or the audience. If we look at his YouTube views, he is much higher than Breanna, but still lower than Jamal. If we look at the data from the odds website, John has +200 odds, which means he stands a 28.5% chance of winning.
Carrie was always in John's favor because she was the one who insisted that the other two judges say yes to his Golden Ticket when they showed reluctance to do so during the auditions round. Since then, she has shown strong faith in his win. After his performance on Rainbow Connection from The Muppets, in the last episode, Carrie said,
"I love that you're standing here right now proving me right. If you ain't real careful, you might just win this whole thing."
Here, not only did she refer to her decision in the American Idol audition, but she also supported his win. John is also a country singer, which increases his odds of winning. However, when Slater Nalley and Thunderstorm Artis were eliminated in the last episode, fans on X questioned John's and Breanna's place in the Top 3 over them. Such a contention was much less on Jamal's name.
3) Breanna Nix
Breanna, a 25-year-old stay-at-home mom, decided to audition for American Idol on a whim. She didn't expect to win the Golden Ticket either, but first the love from the judges and then the love from American voters pushed her to the Top 3.
However, when compared to the other two contenders, her views on YouTube are the lowest, and the odds from the betting website also put her at +350, the lowest among the three. This means she has a 22.2% chance of winning. The total of all probabilities of all three finalists doesn't come to 100% because it also includes the rake the oddsmaker takes.
Every now and then, whenever the theme of the episode allowed her, Breanna would switch to songs of faith. She delivered these songs perfectly, so people who resonated with her could vote for her to eventually make her win.
Final prediction
While any of the three finalists could win, the factual data, i.e., the YouTube views and the odds from the betting site, point to Jamal Roberts' win. Of course, these wouldn't include votes that each one of them pulls from their performances on the night of May 18. So anything could happen, it's for the fans to see.
For further updates on American Idol season 23, fans can follow the show's official Instagram page, @americanidol.
