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American Idol season 23 returned with a new segment on May 4, 2025. As the competition grew more intense, contestants sang to retain their spots in the race to the finish line, however, some got eliminated along the way. Among the hopefuls was 23-year-old Gabby Samone, who garnered enough votes to make her way into the Top 8 contestants of the ABC show. Gabby credited her fans for her feat.
Hours after the May 4 episode aired, Gabby took to Instagram to thank her fans for voting for her and ensuring she continued her journey in the competitive reality show. In the caption of her post, she wrote:
"THANK YOU ALLL SOO MUCH!!! TOP 8 sounds CRAZY! I am So grateful for all of the LOVE AND SUPPORT! Around this time last year I was homeless living in my sister’s basement and I was just mentally checked out and now I am on American idol living my dream so THANK YOUUU!!"
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The American Idol contestant was the closing act of the episode, which celebrated women in the music industry. She delivered a note-worthy rendition of I Was Here by Beyoncé, leaving the judges amazed by her performance and the guest mentor Miranda Lambert in awe as she wiped her tears watching Gabby from the wings.
The American Idol judges urged the public to vote for Gabby Samone
American Idol contestant Gabby Samone received standing ovations from all three judges, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, and the audience in the studio. Meanwhile, Gabby's family cheered from the crowd as they showed up wearing the Team Gabby Samone T-Shirts, available on her merch website (gabbysamone.come/store) for $25.00.
As soon as the panelists settled, Carrie said:
"I have two words: wow and vote."
Luke was equally moved by the 23-year-old hopeful's vocal skills and said singers like her were the reason why the show existed. He could not fathom how much she had grown from the nervous Gabby they had met in the auditions to the Gabby they saw in the May 4 episode.
Lionel echoed Carrie's request, urging viewers to vote for Gabby and help her move ahead in American Idol season 23.
Soon after, host Ryan Seacrest joined the contestant on stage and gave her a Cowboy Carter hand fan from Beyoncé's May 1 concert in Los Angeles, California.
Gabby Samone was the sixth person voted into the Top 8 of American Idol
After the voting lines closed, Ryan revealed that over 22 million votes had come in, with at least 1 million votes for each contestant. He then started announcing the nation's decision, naming those who had found a spot in the Top 8 of American Idol.
The first contestant voted through was Breanna Nix, who sang Water Under the Bridge by Adele. The second person who advanced to the next stage of the competition was Mattie Pruitt, who delivered her take on Miranda Lambert's The House That Built Me.
The third and fourth participants who progressed were Jamal Roberts and John Foster, who presented their renditions of Undo It by Carrie Underwood and Something To Talk About by Bonnie Raitt, respectively.
Josh King, who took on Adele's Rolling in the Deep, was the next contestant through to the Top 8 of American Idol. Gabby Samone became the sixth participant to secure a spot in the Top 8.
The seventh and eighth spots were taken by Slater Nalley, who sang Reba McEntire's Whoever's in New England and Thunderstorm Artis, who covered Adele's When We Were Young, respectively.
Consequently, Kolbi Jordan and Canaan James Hill were removed from the competition.
Fans of Gabby Samone can vote for her through the American Idol app or the website (AmericanIdol.com/Vote), or text 6 to 21523 to help her find a spot in the Top 7 when a new segment airs on May 5, 2025, at 8 pm ET on ABC.
