Underwood emotionally shared how difficult it was for her to hold on to her faith while entering an industry the contestants are both venturing into.
“I want to tell you I know how difficult it is to come into the entertainment industry and bring your faith with you,” Underwood said. “It is a brave thing to do because there are a lot of outside forces that are going to tell you not to do that. I want to tell you that I’m proud of you guys.”
Underwood then broke the news that Nix had been chosen as the last contestant to be named in the Top 24.
“I love you so much,” Nix later told O’Neill on social media. “You truly will never know how grateful I am for the Lord putting us together. One thing we both wanted…was for HIM to be glorified, and I feel we did just that.”
RELATED: ‘Hey Jesus’—Son of Backstreet Boys Singer Brian Littrell Performs Original Song on ‘American Idol’
Nix added that she truly believes that “God directed us to each other for this moment, but also for the continued friendship he knew we’d have. I’m beyond words. He knows exactly what we need!” Nix said, “You have prayed for me, encouraged me, and been a safe place to land when I needed it! You’re my bestie!”
Nix concluded her post by saying she “can’t wait to see what God does through you…I know it will be great things. Thank you for being my head to head partner.”
“I STINKIN LOVE YOU ARE YOU KIDDING 😭😭😭,” O’Neill responded. “I’m so excited to see where God is taking you with your out of this world voice.”
“Your heart combined with your talent, you’re the PERFECT vessel for His glory to be shown in this world. meeting you and doing this song with you was the highlight of my entire time on the show,” O’Neill added.
On Instagram, Nix shared the version she and O’Neill recorded of “Gratitude.” In the comments, Lake told them, “WOW WOW WOW 😭😭😭 y’all are amazing and this couldn’t bless me more!”
Lake, Jelly Roll, CeCe Winans, and others are scheduled to perform during “American Idol”‘s Easter special on April 20.
, Grammy Award-winning Christian artist Brandon Lake surprised two "American Idol" contestants after they sang his song “Gratitude” during the competition’s head-to-head round.){kind=link}