American Idol Season 17 Odds: Laine Hardy Listed as Favorite

• ABC’s second season of American Idol has reignited interest in the long-standing reality singing competition
• This season has seen some incredible talent ranged from ages 16 to 28
• Who will win the 17th season of the hit show? 

We are less than a month away from the finale of American Idol, and fans are tightening their scope as to who will be the champion of this, the seventeenth season.

With ABC having rebooted the reality singing competition just last year, the show has seen a bit of a shakeup with new judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie breathing new life into the long-running show.

Idol remains the premiere singing competition show. Even with competitors like The Voice having popped up in recent years, you can’t deny Idol‘s influence. The show has given us some major entertainment players, from Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson to Adam Lambert and Carrie Underwood.

Who Will Win Season 17 of American Idol?

Odds taken 04/26/19

All of those names started somewhere, and that is the American Idol stage. The show has an unmatched ability for honing talent. Looking at the current roster on the present season, there are a few clear choices for who could take the crown.

Only eight of the top 20 contestants remain, and competition has gotten increasingly tough.

A few surprising turns have already taken place, including last weekend’s ushering out of the two remaining African American contestants -Uché and Dimitrius Graham – leading to a trending racist speculation backlash.

With Graham and Uché off the ballot, the remaining eight are all vying for the prize in a cutthroat battle.

Hardy-Har-Har

The current favorite is 18-year-old Laine Hardy, a country singer from Livingston, Louisiana. Hardy has wowed with Great American Songbook covers including Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right” and The Beatles’ “Come Together”, impressing with his surprisingly husky voice.

Hardy’s Idol story is an intriguing one as he was a contestant last year who failed to make the cut early on in the season. As soon as he stepped into the room for an audition this year, the judges admired Hardy’s physical makeover and noticed he was donning his own merchandise.

He has managed to get much further this year, clinging on to the top eight and probably going for the gold. People love a comeback story and Idol has a clear winner this season if Hardy hangs on tight and continues full steam ahead.

Laine Hardy’s Idol story is an intriguing one as he was a contestant last year who failed to make the cut early on in the season.

But even with Laine Hardy’s skyrocket story, there are naturally a few other Idol hopefuls waiting in the wings hoping that they’ll still have a chance to wow the judges and audience.

“Ale-Alejandro, Ale-Alejandro”

Nipping at Hardy’s heels is Alejandro Aranda, a 25-year-old California native who has shown great range on Idol including covers of songs by the likes of Coldplay, Post Malone, and Drake. He even wowed a few weeks ago with a (gasp!) original song, “Cholo Love”, which showed impressive songwriting credits in addition to his singing talent.

Naturally, there’s still half a dozen other contenders. And if previous American Idol seasons have taught us anything (aside from the fact that Clay Aiken was robbed!) it’s that you can’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. Surprise upsets, shocking eliminations, and sudden switches in audience favoritism can account for excitement right until the final curtain call.

Pick: Laine Hardy (+250)