"She will go home soon": American Idol fans react to judges saving Mattie Pruitt from the bottom two

American Idol Season 23 Episode 16 aired on May 5, 2025, revealing the Top 7 artists. During the episode, viewers witnessed two contestants in the bottom two. They were Josh King and Mattie Pruitt.

Before that, six artists were announced. It included John Foster, Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, Gabby Samone, Thunderstorm Artis, and Slater Nalley. Further in the episode, when judges revealed that they could save one of the two bottom artists, they decided to save Mattie Pruitt.

As the judges saved Mattie, it meant the end of the journey for Josh King. Fans took to the social media platform X to share their views and reactions on judges saving Mattie Pruitt.

A fan wrote on X:

"I wouldn't have saved Mattie #americanidol she will go home soon."

Another fan commented about Mattie's save:

"Finally about to get rid of her and they literally save her #AmericanIdol."

A netizen commented about judges saving Mattie in the latest episode:

"Mattie absolutely didn't deserve the save on #Americanidol tonight. Josh was better tonight and she has been mediocre the past two weeks."

A user commented about Josh's elimination:

"Glad that Josh went home but Mattie has to go #AmericanIdol."

A netizen shared that instead of Canaan, in the previous episode, Mattie should have been eliminated:

"Mattie should've gone home instead of Canaan #AmericanIdol."

A person wrote about Carrie Underwood, referring to Mattie Pruitt's save:

"Carrie Underwood was not happy the saved Mattie #americanidol."

An X user commented:

"My ears hurt Mattie #AmericanIdol."

Another fan wrote about Josh and Mattie:

"MATTIE gets the judges' save (I'm not SUPER pressed about that but I actually MIGHT'VE given it to Josh) #AmericanIdol."

One more fan commented:

"The right choice saving Mattie but methinks she doomed next week. #AmericanIdol Good run on this show for Josh."

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American Idol Season 23: Judges save Mattie Pruitt, which advances her to the show's Top 7

The latest American Idol Season 23 episode featured performances from the top eight contestants. They delivered solo performances while competing against fellow artists for a spot in the Top 7.

At first, the top six artists were revealed, which were: John, Jamal, Slater Nalley, Thunderstorm, Breanna, and Gabby. The remaining two, Mattie Pruitt and Josh King, were in the bottom two.

Josh King performed Michael Bublé's Home, which became his last performance in the show. As for Mattie, she performed Always Been You by Jessie Murph. There was a duet from Mattie and Breanna. The duo sang Carrie Underwood's Something in the Water, which everyone praised.

The latest American Idol Season 23 episode also featured Judge's Song Contest, which Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan won, and Carrie Underwood lost. As the winners, Lionel and Luke saved Mattie Pruitt, after which she also advanced to the Top 7. As a result, Josh King was sent home, and his journey on American Idol Season 23 ended.

Witnessing Josh going home while Mattie was safe, fans did not agree with Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan's decision to save Mattie Pruitt.

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Fans can stream American Idol Season 23 episodes on Hulu.