Leah Marlene fell down in disbelief on Sunday’s episode of American Idol as she made the final three on the ABC singing competition show.

The 20-year-old singer from Normal, Illinois, was the last contestant to earn a spot in next week’s finale and a hometown visit.

Show host Ryan Seacrest, 47, delivered the results of viewer voting at the end of the two-hour season 20 episode and Leah crumbled in surprise.

Ryan helped her up while Fritz Hager, 22, of Tyler, Texas, and Nicolina, 18, of Toronto, Canada, looked on after their shocking elimination.

‘We love you both so much. Thank you for an amazing time on the show,’ Ryan told departing Fritz and Nicolina.

‘So look at Katy’s face,’ Ryan said alluding to the shocked expression on judge Katy Perry, 37, as Fritz and Nicolina were eliminated.

The top five performed during the episode with HunterGirl, 23, of Winchester, Tennessee, and Noah Thompson, 19, of Louisa, Kentucky, being named as the first two voted into the season finale.

The episode also paid tribute to season four American Idol champion Carrie Underwood, 39, who mentored the five finalists as they each performed one of her songs.

Leah earlier lost her balance when she found out that her idol Carrie was going to be mentoring the contestants.

She covered Carrie’s song I’ll Stand By You and later covered the Journey song Separate Ways.

‘Y’all are going after each other now,’ judge Luke Bryan, 45, said after her Journey cover.

‘Your career is sitting in front of you, my dear. Enjoy this ride,’ judge Lionel Richie, 72, told Leah after her final performance.

Katy also gushed about Leah turning her cover of I’ll Stand By You into a ‘drama ballad’.

‘Did you just reinvent that song? …It was like I was hearing it for the first time,’ Katy said.

HunterGirl started the show with a spirited rendition of Carrie’s song Undo It after getting some stage presence tips from her idol.

Katy told HunterGirl that it was her best performance yet and revealed that her nieces were voting for her.

HunterGirl impressed again with her cover of Girl Crush by country music group Little Big Town.

Noah covered Carrie’s song So Small and they bonded over their small town roots.

He later belted out Working Man by Larry Fleet while playing guitar.

Fritz took on I Wanna Remember featuring Carrie and later performed Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer.

Nicolina covered Carrie’s song Blown Away and later performed a rendition of the Adele song All I Ask.

She took to the stage with  a long cape and Lionel noted that having wind blown onstage during her performance was a sign that she had made it.

Ryan was inspired by her look and wore a cape of his own. 

The episode also included a visit from Rita Ora, 31, and Diane Warren, 65, who provided a first look at the music video for their new female empowerment anthem Finish Line.

Finneas, 24, also performed his new song Naked.

American Idol will return next Sunday on ABC with the season 20 finale. 

Source: | Dailymail.co.uk