The American Idol finale was jam-packed with surprises that included the elimination of the season front-runner to an appearance by LeAnn Rimes and even a love connection!
We’ve had the pleasure of watching an incredible transformation take place with Caleb Lee Hutchinson as he dropped more than 70 pounds from the time he originally auditioned for American Idol in August 2017 and finale night. After Idol host Ryan Seacrest commented that he was “seeing less” of Caleb, the 18-year old singer revealed that he was motivated to make changes after growing in popularity on social media. “The more the Instagram picture likes went up the more I wanted to hit the treadmill,” he said.
Hutchinson told PEOPLE, “I lost about 70 lbs. now. One day I was like, wouldn’t it be cool if I drank water and walked every night?”
But, Hutchinson’s American Idol journey also lead him somewhere he never expected….to love.
After Gabby Barrett was named the third-place contestant, Caleb and Maddie teamed up to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” after revealing that they’re actually a couple! They ended their performance holding hands and sharing a hug.
And if things couldn’t get any better for America’s new favorite couple, host Ryan Seacrest announce that the network is sending Caleb and Maddie on a vacation to Hawaii.
We don’t know about you, but this adorable moment pretty much took the cake. We are thrilled for Caleb and Maddie and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.
Watch Caleb and Maddie’s sweet performance below!