Jamal Roberts Wins American Idol, Makes History as Fourth Black Champion, John Foster Takes Second

Jelly Roll wanted John to “go out with a bang,” hence the decision to have him sing Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” a performance John dedicated to the people who have supported him along his journey. I had my doubts about this being the explosive moment Jelly Roll hoped it would be, and while it certainly didn’t bring the house down, it was still a solid performance — definitely a notch up from what we’re used to seeing. Honestly, John put it perfectly when Ryan asked him for his thoughts on the competition: “It’s all going to come down to what American wants to be the next American Idol, what they think the next American Idol is.” This performance showed us exactly who and what John is. Now it’s simply America’s time to decide.

With so much pressure on their shoulders, it would be understandable for any of these finalists to be a nervous wreck — which only makes more in awe of Jamal, who could not have looked more confident as his pitch-perfect voice navigated every twist and turn of Teeks’ “First Time.” Every beautiful riff sent chills down my spine, and that haunting conclusion threatened to pull my spirit right out of my body. Sometimes I wonder if Jamal knows how truly powerful he is.

Jelly Roll encouraged Breanna to continue leaning into her faith, assigning “Jesus Name (God of Possible)” by Katy Nichole, a song that sat as comfortably in Breanna’s spirit as it did in her vocal range. Another fully authentic performance, you could feel her genuine emotion in every note. She also exhibited some really impressive control, pulling back when the moment called for it, and letting loose when the time was right. If you didn’t go to church today… yes you did.

First of all, I was not prepared for John’s deeply emotional hometown visit. Watching him break down in tears while performing “Tell That Angel I Love Her” for his late friend Maggie, surrounded by a loving community who fully had his back, was a lot to experience. But it was also important to see; it gave us such an important glimpse into who John is as a human, and he’s a pretty great one. It also made his follow-up performance of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” all the more meaningful. Am I crazy, or did it feel like he finally came alive here? He was still himself, but he was giving us so much more — and all without being instructed to by a judge or mentor. This was his most authentic performance of the season, and it was fantastic.

The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” was the perfect song for Jamal to sing after his hometown visit, which must have felt like a vivid dream to the small-town teacher. But it was indeed real — as real as the incredible orange suit he rocked while effortlessly breezing his way through this timeless jam. Everyone in the audience was fully under Jamal’s laidback spell, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t feeling a little bewitched myself.

First of all, I got way too excited when I learned that Breanna would be performing “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. And that excitement turned out to be fully warranted, because she sang the ever-loving heck out of this song, taking the familiar tune to totally unexpected places and completely making it her own. That breakdown? That final belt?! That was incredible. I hesitate to throw around words like “perfect,” but since Lionel Richie did it first, I’ll merely echo was he said. It was absolute perfection.

Then came the not-so-fun part of the show. The finale’s second hour kicked off with the reveal that John and Jamal received the most votes, making Breanna the first elimination of the night.

I can’t say I was surprised to see Breanna end up in third place, as it aligned perfectly with the way TVLine readers have been voting all season long. Still, I have a feeling that Breanna has a bright future on the Christian music circuit, and this isn’t the last we’ve seen of her.

With just 15 minutes left in the finale, John returned to the stage for his Round 3 performance of his original song “Tell That Angel I Love Her.” Even if I didn’t know the full backstory of the song, I still would have felt the pain in John’s jaw-droppingly mature country voice. Haunting, heartbreaking and real, this was such an impressive presentation — even more so when you think about how much pressure he must have been feeling in the moment, with the highly anticipated reveal coming up in mere minutes.

Then came Jamal with an absolutely stunning performance of his own new single, the perfectly named “Heal.” It was a prayer, it was a call to action, and it was a delight to watch him sing it for the first time on TV. But “sing” doesn’t even feel like the right world. He expelled that song, leaving absolutely everything he had in his being on the Idol stage. Magnificent.