‘American Idol' says goodbye to Slater Nalley and Thunderstorm Artis ahead of Season 23 finale
American Idol favorites Slater Nalley and Thunderstorm Artis were eliminated from the singing competition on Monday. The two singer-songwriters went home after 19 million viewers cast their votes during the second night of Disney performances on ABC. John Foster, Jamal Roberts, and Breanna Nix advanced to the Season 23 finale on May 18.
Each contestant performed two songs, with Slater taking on "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story and "Born to Be Wild" from D3: The Mighty Ducks. Lionel Richie told the 18-year-old from Atlanta, "You've come a long way, son," as Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan praised the teenager's song choices.
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Slater's audition was one of the season's most memorable. He had Carrie in tears when he performed "Traces of You," which he wrote in honor of his high school English teacher's son who was killed eight years prior. "Every single person that hears that can fill in that memory with somebody that's in themselves," Carrie said. "I couldn't have imagined you doing that any better." With that, Slater earned his golden ticket to Hollywood.
Throughout his American Idol journey, Slater performed "Ophelia," "Over the Rainbow," "Soulshine," "This Ain't It," "Your Song," "Angel From Montgomery," "Whoever's in New England," "Atlantic City," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."
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Thunderstorm took on "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella and "Find Yourself" from Cars on his final night in the competition. Carrie told the 29-year-old from Hawaii, "You are all heart. You don't do too much or too little. We feel your heart behind it."
The accomplished musician is no stranger to reality TV singing competitions. In 2020, he competed on Season 18 of The Voice, where he placed third with coach Nick Jonas. Throughout his American Idol journey, Thunderstorm sang "Imagine," "Is This Love?," "Reckless Love," "I Love You," "Fire and Rain," "The House of the Rising Sun," "When We Were Young," "Faithfully," "Colors of the Wind," and "Out of the Blue."
While Slater and Thunderstorm both scored millions of fans throughout the season, it wasn't considered a shock to see them go home at this stage. John Foster and Jamal Roberts have long been considered frontrunners for the Season 23 title and Breanna Nix often finished among the top three in Gold Derby's weekly polling.
Fans of Slater and Thunderstorm won't have to wait too much longer to see them again. Although they won't be competing, both will be performing on the Season 23 finale of American Idol on May 18 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).
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