In honor of Mother’s Day, the "American Idol" top 5 finalists sang songs dedicated to moms, in addition to performing from the catalogue of show alum and seven-time Grammy-winner, Carrie Underwood.
At the end of the show, the contestants learned that Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Gabby Barrett and Maddie Poppe were moving on to the finals.
Michael J. Woodard and Cade Foehner were sent home.
Here are Sunday’s highlights:
Michael J. Woodard kicked things off with his version of Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor.” During rehearsals, Underwood explained to him that the song was “all about attitude from the beginning,” and predicting the performance would turn him into “Michael J. ‘Beast-mode.’” Afterwards, Lionel Richie thought Michael succeeded in bringing the sass “on a grand scale.”
Woodard’s second performance of the night was Yolanda Adams’ “Still I Rise,” dedicated to his mom. Perry, who was moved to tears by the song and Michael’s pre-performance clip with his mother, joked, “I thought I had my emotions removed,” but it was “so beautiful what I saw between you and your mother.”
Gabby Barrett tackled Underwood's “Last Name.” Following the performance, Bryan called Barrett, “Carrie Underwood reincarnated.” Richie agreed Gabby was "fabulous."
Later, Barrett returned with her Mother’s Day song, “I Have Nothing,” by Whitney Houston. Richie praised Gabby for pulling off the impossible by “Gabby-izing” a Whitney Houston song and succeeding.
Cade Foehner put his spin on Underwood's “Undo It.” Underwood, noting that Cade had a tendency to be stuck on “level 10,” explained that a song needs “a beginning, a middle and an end.” The judges later echoed her sentiments, with Perry telling Cade that when he loses the dynamics, his performance becomes “a little shaky sometimes.”
Cade redeemed himself with his Mother’s Day dedication, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Perry applauded Cade for taking their earlier advice.
Caleb Lee Hutchinson tackled Underwood’s 2007 hit “So Small.” Her advice for Caleb was to simply “stay out of your own way,” explaining that the 19-year-old had a tendency to become “overwhelmed" with what’s happening around him. Afterwards, Perry praised Hutchinson for his authenticity, but warned that he was being outperformed by the competition and needed to “flap those wings a little bit harder when it comes to working the crowd.”
For his Mother’s Day song, Caleb sang Jamey Johnson’s “Stars in Alabama.” Richie declared afterwards, “In this business, if I can close my eyes and know it’s you in two notes, that’s stardom.”
Maddie Poppe started off with Underwood’s version of the Randy Travis hit “I Told You So.” Her advice for Poppe was not to overthink the songs, because she risked losing the emotion. Following Maddie’s live performance, Bryan urged the singer not to worry about the notes, assuring her, “you tell the story perfectly.”
Later, Maddie delivered an emotional performance of “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys for her Mother’s Day tune. Perry said Poppe “did the song justice.” Bryan added that watching Maddie choke up at the end of the song was “endearing.”
"American Idol" returns Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.