More than 20 million votes decided who to send through to the final five on American Idol season 23.
When the season premiered in March, Idol hopefuls around the country auditioned in front of judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan for their shot at earning a golden ticket to Hollywood. Nearly 150 finalists were selected, hoping to get one step closer to success. Eventually, however, some fan favorites were sent home in what host Ryan Seacrest called “the biggest cut” in the show’s history.
Among those moving forward were 18-year-old Zaylie Windsor — who Underwood compared to a young Taylor Swift during her initial audition — and 22-year-old Baylee Littrell, the son of Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell.
American Idol airs on ABC Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll below to meet the season 23 finalists — and to find out who’s been eliminated from the competition so far:
