‘American Idol’ Top 3: Did Slater Nalley Get Through?

Slater Nalley, a 17-year-old southern rocker who made it into the top 5 of “American Idol” season 23, vied for viewers’ votes again on May 12, 2025. It was the second of two Disney nights, during which Nalley had to perform two tune from Disney’s vast song catalog. Viewers had less than two hours to vote for their favorites during the show, determining who would make it through to the top 3 of season 23.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not continue reading if you do NOT want to know whether Nalley made it into the top 3.

Voting closed during the final commercial break, and the results were handed over to host Ryan Seacrest to reveal which members of top 5 would advance to the top 3. So did Nalley make it through? Sadly, no, Nalley did not make it through.

Slater Nalley Sang 2 Disney Classics on May 12

Nalley’s first song of the May 12 show was “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” While mentoring Nalley, Lin-Manuel Miranda joked that the 17-year-old sounds like he could be composer Randy Newman’s son. Nalley decided to dress up in a tux and perform for the first time on the show without his guitar. Underwood told Nalley it was a fun way to kick off the show and that she was impressed how at ease Nalley looked without his guitar.

Bryan said he loved Nalley’s “classic microphone, classic look” and though he’s heard the song performed many times, it was one of his favorite renditions. Thinking back to his audition, Richie said, “Son, you’ve come a long way!” At the end as he talked to Seacrest, Nalley said he felt terrible after messing up on one of his songs the previous night, but said he’s here tonight “to redeem myself!”

Slater Nalley Said He Wouldn’t Quit Chasing His Dreams

For the second segment featuring Nalley on the May 12 show, the teen shared how much he loved the Radiator Springs section at Disneyland, devoted to his favorite movie, “Cars.” When his family walked into the “Steamboat Willie” theater there, they were playing home videos from his childhood, which brought his mom to tears. Nalley called it a “crazy, special moment.”

Back in the “American Idol” studio, he then launched into “Born To Be Wild” from the “Mighty Ducks: D3” movie. Dressed more casually and ready to rock, flames flared behind him and Nalley played an electric guitar as he moved around the stage.

The crowd and judges loved it, with Underwood rocking out at the table. Richie excitedly told Nalley, “I can’t even get control on the crowd! There you go again, making a mess out of all of this — crowd’s out of control, you’re out of control!”

Underwood said she loved his song choice, as did Bryan, who said, “I loved it, man! I loved it!” When Seacrest asked Nalley how he felt being so close to the finale, and he said, “I’ve worked my tail off and I’m not gonna quit.” Although he won’t be in the top 3, Nalley will stay in Los Angeles to prepare for the finale, where he’ll perform alongside his peers and a bevy of stars.