Laine Hardy wins Season 17 of ‘American Idol’

Who says there’s no such thing as a second chance to make a first impression?

Laine Hardy was crowned the winner of American Idol 2019 in Sunday night’s finale, just one year after he appeared on the first season of the show on ABC, the 16th season overall for the show.

The Louisiana native returned as to support his friend who was auditioning but judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Ritchie convinced him to try out again. The second time worked in his favor as he was given a ‘golden ticket’ to Hollywood.

Sunday’s finale saw the final three of Hardy, Alejandro Aranda, and Madison VanDenburg perform two songs each to win over America’s votes.

After a performance from season 5 winner Carrie Underwood, host Ryan Seacrest returned to announce who had taken third place. Madison was revealed to be in third place.

After some more guest performances and some filler, it was finally time to announce the winner. Ryan announced that Laine had beaten Alejandro and won the singing competition and a contract with Hollywood Records.

While ABC announced earlier in the week that Idol has been renewed for a third season on ABC and an 18th season overall, the future for the judges and Seacrest is not yet confirmed. I personally would expect Seacrest to return, however, the judges is where things get interesting. If you remember, negotiations of their contracts took some time last year and it appears things could be headed that way again.

Are you happy with the winner? Let me know in the comments below!

American Idol returns to ABC next year for its 18th season.