Here Is What Fans Are Saying About New ‘American Idol’ Champ, Iam Tongi

“American Idol” fans have reacted on social media after its final episode culminated in the crowning of the Tongan-Samoan contestant Iam Tongi as the winner.

Tongi, who was born in Kahuku, Hawaii, was declared the winner of the hit singing competition’s 21st season after nationwide viewers voted during a three-hour star-studded finale on Sunday night. The high school student beat finalists Megan Danielle (second place) and Colin Stough (third place) to become an overnight sensation. 

Iam Tongi’s ‘American Idol’ Win Unites Americans In Celebration

More than a handful of people have expressed their joy after Tongi’s performance of his original masterpiece, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” earned him the winner’s position on Sunday, May 21. Responding to a link that asked Twitter users to watch his rendition of “Monsters” alongside renowned singer James Blunt, this ecstatic fan tweeted:

“What a great 3 hours of entertainment! Outstanding performance by Reuben Studdard and Clay Aiken. Congrats to Iam Tongi. I’m sure the rest of them will do well too. 💕.”

A second fan claimed, “Everyone and I mean everyone voted for Iam Tongi that came into my pet hospital😂🤣💖✨,” and a third quipped, “Guys, I lost my wife to Iam Tongi reaction videos. I’m not sure if or when I’ll ever get her back.”

“James Blunt & Iam Tongi performing “Monsters” together made me cry. There I said it,” a fourth person admitted, along with a gif of Will Smith’s character in the 2006 film, “Pursuit of Happyness” crying. A fifth Twitter user shared that “america did it right this time.” 

A sixth suggested that Disney/ABC should look into getting Tongi into the “Moana live action to help launch his career” since they owned “American Idol” as well. Yet another supporter tweeted, “Iam Tongi deserves that win so much.”

PEOPLE observed that Tongi had previously touched the judges — Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan —  during his audition, where he initially performed Blunt’s “Monsters,” dedicating it to his father, who passed away months before the occasion. After the soulful performance, Richie told the singer:

Read Related Also: Cancer Scare: We’ve banned importation of noodles – NAFDAC

“I was not worried about whether you were going to make it through the song; I was worried about whether we were going to make it through the song. Your daddy is very proud.”

Meanwhile, Perry had gushed about him during a group interview, stating, “The sound in the room when Iam comes on is undeniable. He’s an undeniable character. He’s just kind of got this incredible magic. You almost can’t explain it. It’s an IT factor. It’s like you’re born to do this, and it’s undeniable.”

The Simon Fuller-Created Program Was Slammed With A Lawsuit In February

It looked like the worst was coming for “American Idol” after The Blast obtained legal documents revealing that the show was getting sued by some former employees. Per the papers, the Plaintiff brought the class action lawsuit against the ABC program on behalf of herself and “Class Members” after it forced Class Members and Aggrieved Employees to contribute their talents to a for-profit commercial enterprise that generated millions of dollars in revenue each season. 

However, instead of identifying them as employers, the show willfully and illegally classified them as ‘uncompensated volunteers.’ The Plaintiff then accused “American Idol” of using excessive control over the individuals who worked and appeared on the program — controlling their time, their schedule, where they slept, and even their free will to eat and drink at any time.

Proving its point, the docs alleged that the Defendants told class members that they were not permitted to eat during all periods since there was the potential of being filmed at that point. Their reason for that instruction was that “eating doesn’t look good on camera.”

For their long-suffering, Plaintiff sought financial compensation in terms of unpaid overtime compensation, waiting time penalties, unpaid minimum wages, statutory penalties, restitution, attorneys’ fees and costs, and prejudgment interest, amongst others. 

It is worth noting that the “Class Members” comprised unpaid or underpaid individuals who participated in or worked on the creation of any non-scripted content production for the “American Idol” reality TV series.

In other cases, there were those who performed services of a commercial nature related to content subject matter creation, including but not limited to acting and singing, in California by, in association with, or on behalf of any of the Defendants during the Class Period.