Noah Thompson discusses winning season 20 of “American Idol.”
Noah Thompson, the season 20 winner of “American Idol,” is still getting used to being in the company of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.
“I was just kind of just shocked, you know?” Thompson said Monday on “Good Morning America” when reflecting on the moment his name was called as this milestone season’s champion. “Truthfully, I came into the competition not even thinking I would get a golden ticket, so to hear my name at the end, that was amazing.”
Returning to his hometown of Louisa, Kentucky, to “just take it all in” is what the 19-year-old intends to do now.
“I want to see my family and just kind of let this settle in, you know what I mean?” he told “GMA.” “It’s going to be wild. I’m going to try to just stick to, you know, staying in the house for a little bit.”
Noah Thompson won during the three-hour finale on Sunday night, but not before some final challenges and star-studded performances.
The evening began with Flo Rida performing his hit “Good Feeling,” which he performed with the help of both current and previous contestants. The top three competitors — HunterGirl, Noah Thompson, and Leah Marlene — were then challenged to perform a song from Bruce Springsteen’s extensive catalogue in the first round. Marlene performed “Born in the USA” flawlessly, HunterGirl slayed “Dancing in the Dark,” and Thompson nailed “I’m on Fire.”
The final three performed their own songs in round two of the competition. “Flowers” was Marlene’s track, “One Day Tonight” was Thompson’s, and “Red Bird” was HunterGirl’s.
Following their performances, it was time to eliminate the individual who had the fewest votes, which was Marlene.
With performers from the Top 10 and legends like Earth, Wind, and Fire, Deana Carter, Ben Platt, “Idol” alum Gabby Barrett, Sara Bareilles, Thomas Rhett, Michael Bublé, and more, the countdown to declaring the season’s winner came nigh. Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie joined the judges on stage.
The final two performed an encore of a prior performance on the show for the final round of competition. With Rihanna’s “Stay,” Thompson showed progress, and HunterGirl did the same with Rascal Flatts’ “Riot.”
