American Idol is a famous reality show where participants showcase their singing talents before a panel of esteemed judges which includes Katy Perry, Luke Brian and Lionel Richie. American Idol 2020, the eighteenth season of the singing competition show premiered on the 16th of February on ABC.
However, the reality show was brought to a halt after, after the revelation of the top twenty-one contestants, due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
These critical times of coronavirus triggered nationwide lockdown has forced the producers to bring out the best in them. They had to think out of the box to keep the show running even in these challenging times of lockdowns and social distancing.
Production was resumed in late April, all the contestants performed in the competition from the safety of their homes. The show featured numerous stages including the preliminary auditions, regional auditions, showcase round and many more.
Just Sam – Winner of American Idol 2020
The producers of the renowned reality show American Idol 2020 knew that the Season 18 finale would be a challenge due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Not only did the contestants had to perform from their homes and the entire crew worked remotely, but producers also had to coordinate a live announcement of the winner of the reality show in the final moments of the episode.
“That’s going to be interesting. Let’s hope the Internet gods are with us.” Said showrunner Trish Kinane last month.
The prayers to the Internet gods did work to give out the best outcomes. But the famous reality singing competition show’s Sunday night on ABC still concluded in mild chaos and a shocking result. Samantha Diaz, whose stage name is Just Sam emerged out victorious on the most anticipated reality show, American Idol.
Samantha Diaz is a 21-year-old subway singer from Harlem. The shocking part of the result is that Just Sam triumphed over Dibesh Pokharel, with stage name Arthur Gunn, who is a 22-year-old Nepalese singer-songwriter and the front-runner of the competition.
At first, everything seemed to be reasonably predictable. Dibesh Pokharel and Samantha Diaz were announced in the Top 5, along with piano teacher Jonny Webb, college student Francisco Martin and construction worker Dillon James. Each finalist had to perform two songs and viewers had to vote live for their favourite contestants.
Judges Luke Bryan and Katy Perry sang their latest singles on the big night. At the same time, the Top 11 contestants were joined by Cynthia Erivo for an Aretha Franklin tribute.
American Idol 2020 Result That Shocked Everyone
Host Ryan Seacrest began by announcing Gunn as one of the finalists. Then the sound on the broadcast immediately went out. The broadcast returned as cameras showed Gunn’s family at their house in Wichita, Kan.
Assuming that Arthur had won, someone also shot off a confetti cannon, which producers had sent each contestant if they were crowned the champion. The host Seacrest then moved on to Just Sam, who was there all by herself to absorb the big news.
Ryan Seacrest then bid farewell to the remaining three finalists confirming the fact that the top 2 finalists were Arthur Gunn and Just Sam.
It was almost very predictable that Gunn would be the winner, particularly with the elimination of Jonny Webb, who had picked up serious momentum in some of the final episodes, and Francisco Martin, whom Judge Bryan had confidently predicted as the winner as far back as his first audition.
Judge’s Statement for the winners
While the judges adored Samantha Diaz, referring to her as their little girl and complimenting her vocal skills, they also praised Arthur for his music.
“Way to nail every aspect of ‘Idol.’ You have checked every ‘American Idol’ box that you need to check in my opinion. I mean, you’re a star. If there are any more like you in Kathmandu, please get on the phone and call them and tell them to come out next year.”, said Brian, continuing the show’s fixation on Arthur Gunn moving from Nepal to America to pursue his dreams of becoming a singer.
Following the words of Luke Brian, host Ryan Seacrest announced Samantha Diaz, stage name Just Sam, the winner of the 18th season of the renowned reality show American Idol.
The classic “Idol” theme music started to echo as Just Sam once again looked floored. “WHAT?!” she screamed, again and again, unable to believe what she had just heard, as she clutched an iPad that displayed a video of her grandmother, who was equally shocked and elated and was also screaming out of joy. This reaction was contrasted with the sweet yet slightly confusing response of Gunn’s family, who were still dancing and holding up champagne bottles with which they prepared assuming it was Arthur Gunn who would be declared the winner on Sunday night.
