'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
American Idol season 23 episode 18 saw the Top 5 contestants — John Foster, Jamal Roberts, Breanna Nix, Slater Nalley, and Thunderstorm Artis take to the stage once again as America got ready to vote for their favorites.
For his first performance of the night, Jamal Roberts sang Ain't No Mountain High Enough from Remember the Titans. While the judges enjoyed the performance, Carrie Underwood criticized him for not moving around and entertaining. However, fans online felt differently. They took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to comment on the contestant's rendition and praised him. One person wrote:
"Jamal bodied that. Nerves and all. Stop playin with him. Ain’t no mountain! And watch yourself Carrie! “We know you can sing.” Obviously! Top 2 and not 2!"
Trending
"How f*cking unfair it is for Carrie to tell Jamal To move around But John Foster and Slater don’t move around . When has Breanna ever danced around," a fan commented.
"It's pretty pathetic that Carrie would criticize Jamal - but to be fair... She gritted on him during his entire performance! She OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT LIKE JAMAL, and she's BLATANTLY OBVIOUS! WATCH," a tweet read.
Fans of American Idol season 23 were unhappy with Carrie Underwood's critique of Jamal's performance:
"I have always been her fan, but the way she talk to Jamal, He didn’t even come close to fitting the thing she said about his performance. He outshine and did as well as any one of those contestants there tonight," a person wrote.
"I get what you're saying. Thought that was wack of her to do, but Slater does move around. John definitely doesn't and every one of his songs sound similar which has gotten so stale and boring. Jamal better win this damn thing. All I got to say," a fan commented.
Fans of American Idol season 23 further said:
"The arrangment of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" probably wasn't my FAVORITE BUT Jamal WORKED IT OUT -- at this point we should just grandfather all five into the final," a person wrote.
"Hey Pooh @carrieunderwood, tell John & Slater to cut flips on stage too ok since you want Jamal to jump through fiery hoops," a fan commented.
Jamal Roberts performs Ain't No Mountain High Enough from Remember the Titans during American Idol season 23 episode 18
In American Idol season 23 episode 18, Jamal Roberts initially took to the stage with Ain't No Mountain High Enough from the hit 2000 movie, Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington.
The performance earned him a standing ovation from Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan while the audience cheered for Jamal Roberts. Luke yelled for him to "shake it up" while resident mentor, Jelly Roll, also stood up in appreciation.
Luke was the first American Idol season 23 judge to comment on the performance and said it must have been a special moment to have his family at Disney with him. He added that the contestant had him "emotional" even before Jamal started singing and got more emotional as the song progressed.
Luke added that just that morning, he had watched the participant's audition tape and said he had taken them on quite a ride throughout the competition. The American Idol season 23 judge said that Jamal deserved "every bit of" it.
Lionel Richie said he didn't know if he could "emotionally" take another performance and that while he had heard Ain't No Mountain High Enough so many times in the past, the American Idol season 23 contestant had the ability to "Jamal-arize." Carrie Underwood also sang his praises, but felt something was missing from his performance.
"You missed an opportunity to move around and entertain. We know you have that in you," she added.
Fans of American Idol season 23 commented on Jamal's performance online and disagreed with Carrie Underwood's shocking critique. At the end of the episode, the contestant was revealed to be one of the Top 3 set to sing in the finale.
American Idol season 23 airs new episodes every Sunday and Monday on ABC.
