The American Idol finale is fast approaching with HunterGirl, 23, Leah Marlene, 20, and Noah Thompson, 19, competing to win America's votes and secure them the record deal of a lifetime in the final on Sunday, May 22.
On Sunday's semifinal, the Top 5 were whittled down to the Top 3, and sadly for Fritz Hager and Nicolina, their American Idol journey came to an end.
It was a tough competition, to say the least, and Hager and Nicolina have handled their exit like the stars they are sure to become.
Newsweek has everything you need to know about what they said about leaving American Idol below.
What Fritz Hager and Nicolina Have Said About Leaving American Idol
For the semifinal of American Idol, the Top 5 were tasked with performing two songs to wow the audience and American Idol judges.
Hager returned to the stage after missing last week's live episode due to COVID isolation and performed Underwood's song "I Wanna Remember," followed by "Youngblood" by 5 Seconds of Summer.
Nicolina was next and performed "Blown Away" by Underwood, followed by Adele's "All I Ask," but unfortunately for them both, their performances weren't enough to win America's votes.
Taking to Twitter after the live shows, Hager promised his fans that his journey wasn't over and said American Idol was "page 1" of his journey. However, he did say bowing out so close to the final was "tough."
He wrote to his 6,700 (and counting) followers: "I'll be honest, ending it here is tough, but I am so incredibly grateful. For the friends. For the memories. For the music. This is not the end, it's just page 1."
Hager followed up his tweet with a photo of himself and American Idol finalist, Leah Marlene.
He posted the same message on his Instagram account, alongside the same image of Marlene.
He then tweeted actor Matthew Mercer, joking: "Well, looks like my schedule is open now."
I’ll be honest, ending it here is tough, but I am so incredibly grateful. For the friends. For the memories. For the music. This is not the end, it’s just page 1. 💙🧸🎸
— Fritz Hager 3 (@fritzhagermusic) May 16, 2022
On Instagram, Hager also posted a video of singing with his guitar in what looks like his hotel room.
Giving the video no caption, Fritz performed a strip-backed version of an original song.
He also posted a lovely tribute to Leah, writing on his Instagram stories: "This, @leahmarlenemusic you're a star, and I'm so excited for the music that we're gonna make whenever this ends. But for now, go win this."
Taking to Instagram, Nicolina shared that she already felt like a "winner" and couldn't wait to see what she does next.
Alongside an image of her Top 5 performance, Nicolina wrote: "I feel like a winner. i am so proud of how far i've come. looking back at life i now know it was all worth it. all the struggles. all the tears. it all makes sense.
"I have come so so far from who i was a year ago and i'll be forever grateful of this experience. this is only the beginning and i am so excited to start the next chapter of my life and take u all along on this ride with me. love u all forever."
On Twitter, Nicolina is yet to speak out about her American Idol exit, but she did retweet a heartwarming post from judge Luke Bryan shortly after the live show aired.
Bryan's tweet read: "What an incredible ride! Please walk out of here with your head held so high. We love y'all @fritzhagermusic @NicolinaBozzo #AmericanIdol."
The American Idol finale will air Sunday, May 22, at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more
